Top 10 Movies Ruined By Disturbing Endings
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Top 10 Movies Ruined By Disturbing Endings
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Just because an ending can go dark, does not mean it should. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movies Ruined by Disturbing Endings. For this list, we’re looking at films with unexpectedly bleak or upsetting endings that, for one reason or another, feel unnecessary or detract from the overall experience. Due to the subject matter, a spoiler warning is now in effect. Obviously.
#10: “Secret Window” (2004)
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Certain endings are so cliche, their inclusion nearly always detracts from the rest of the story. A tired twist in murder mysteries is revealing the protagonist to be the killer, usually with multiple personalities being thrown-in for good measure. In "Secret Window", Johnny Depp plays Mort, a writer who suffers a mental break after learning about his wife's affair. Throughout the film, Mort is tormented by a person named Shooter, before the third act reveals the two to be one and the same. "Secret Window" is arguably superior to something like "The Number 23," but the contrived ending sucks the intrigue right out of the story.
#9: “Sucker Punch” (2011)
Zack Synder's film is a grim psychological drama about sexual and mental abuse that also loves to drop its attractive cast in video game scenarios devoid of consequence. Despite being set in a horrifying mental institute fond of lobotomizing its patients, Babydoll's explosive dream sequences are pure escapism; as a result, "Sucker Punch's" tone is all over the place. Ultimately, Babydoll – the protagonist – is lobotomized to allow one of the other captives to escape. It's an ending that may have actually worked had "Sucker Punch" focused more on the psychological storyline, rather than constantly stopping dead to show glorified music videos.
#8: “Knock Knock” (2015)
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Starring Keanu Reeves, "Knock Knock's" married protagonist engages in a touch of infidelity before the two determined women torture and abuse him as punishment for succumbing to temptation. For the most part, "Knock Knock" plays it relatively straight, but the over-the-top ending jumps right over satire into parody territory, including a "no" moment capable of making Anakin Skywalker blush. After the protagonist accidentally likes his own assault video on Facebook, the girls gleefully escape to presumably torture another day. At the very least, the move that inspired “Knock Knock” had the decency to hit the villains with a truck.
#7: “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” (2015)
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The sixth entry in the franchise, "The Ghost Dimension" finally answers a couple of long-standing questions. As it so happens, some things are better left a mystery. Long story short, a cult needs the blood of a girl named Leila to revive a demon called Toby, and the villains succeed while killing the rest of the child’s family. Since most entries in the series conclude with a win for the bad guys, "The Ghost Dimension's" shocking ending happens to be the most predictable outcome possible. Along with an absence of scares, "The Ghost Dimension's" theatrical ending represents a franchise that-never-should-have-been running out of steam.
#6: “The Descent Part 2” (2009)
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Following six women who enter a cave occupied by cannibalistic humans, 2005's "The Descent" is a fantastic horror movie with a seemingly happy ending that winds up being the exact opposite. Despite obviously lacking the element of surprise key in making the original film's climax so effective, the sequel could not resist closing with another switcheroo. “The Descent’s” protagonist sacrifices themselves to allow another woman to escape the cave; unfortunately, a rarely seen minor character shows up to ensure nobody survives. It is almost like the film suddenly remembers it needs a crushing ending and opts for the flimsiest solution possible.
#5: “Remember Me” (2010)
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In the hands of the right director and writer, any subject matter can work. That being said, adopting a real-life tragedy to artificially bloat a story's self-importance is a recipe for disaster. For approximately 95% of its run-time, "Remember Me" is a meandering drama about pretty people grieving over senseless acts of violence. Then, 9/11 happens while the protagonist is in the World Trade Center. Along with being as satisfying as abruptly hitting the main character with a car, "Remember Me" turns one of America's worst moments into a twist ending.
#4: “Splice” (2009)
Why limit yourself to incest, bestiality, or genetic mutation if all three are an option? Strange, twisted, and often great, "Splice" sees a pair of scientists fusing human and animal DNA to create a female hybrid called Dren. As Elsa’s own DNA is used, the engineer is basically Dren's mother; meanwhile, the other scientist begins to boink the hybrid creature. Following a thoughtful exploration of this unorthodox love triangle, "Splice” forgoes atmosphere in favor of purely insane climax. After transforming into a guy, Dren forcibly impregnates Elsa, who opts to keep the baby... for money. Anything interesting "Splice"says about genetic engineering is overshadowed by the overly grotesque third act.
#3: “High Tension” (2003)
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Starting out as a relatively grounded slasher film about Marie, a teenager desperate to protect her friend from a deranged serial killer, "High Tension" ultimately exposes the protagonist as a psychopath suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Framed as Marie recounting her version of events while in a mental institute, “High Tension” asks audiences to believe all these violent murders were committed by a petite teenager rather than a brawny guy. Even if the ending's inconsistencies can be waved away as the ravings of an unreliable narrator, this does not mean logic can be thrown out of the window. Otherwise, everything prior to the twist is rendered irrelevant.
#2: “The Life of David Gale” (2003)
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Focusing on a philosophy professor sentenced to death after being wrongly convicted of murder and rape, "The Life of David Gale's" twist ending is hardly to blame for all of the film's problems. That being said, it definitely does not help. In an attempt to discredit capital punishment, David Gale basically frames himself for the murder of a close personal friend who actually committed suicide, with a video of the real death surfacing after the protagonist is executed. Consequently, "The Life of David Gale" takes the criminal justice system, Kate Winslet's investigative reporter, and audiences on a wild and profoundly stupid ride.
#1: “Pay It Forward” (2000)
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Seeking to make the world a better place, a young boy named Trevor creates a "Pay It Forward" system were favors are reimbursed by the benefactor helping out three other people. Despite touching upon alcoholism and abuse, "Pay It Forward" is an uplifting family drama that highlights the good inside most humans, but the film cannot help delivering one final and unnecessary gut punch. Trevor shockingly dies while defending a friend from a group of bullies; an ending so out of nowhere and blatantly manipulative, it cheapens the rest of the movie.
