Top 10 Plot Twist Tropes That We Can See From a Mile Away
#10: The Prize Is a Trap
You know those moments where the villain dangles some too-good-to-be-true offer to the hero? Usually, it’s to save someone they love or grant some wish. The hero takes the deal and holds up their end of the bargain, only to come back and realize—surprise!—that the promised prize was a total scam. Hey, if you make a deal with the devil, you can hardly be surprised when you get burned! Maybe they didn’t yet know who they were dealing with, but if we can tell it’s too good to be true, why can’t they!? While these tropes can be super entertaining, they do often have us yelling “DON’T DO IT!” at our screens.
#9: Toppling the Queen B
If you’re a fan of teen movies, you know the drill. The new or so-called invisible girl comes along and befriends the popular crew, who take her under their wing. Soon enough, all this newfound attention goes to her head. Other times, she earns everyone’s respect just by standing up to the reigning Queen B. From there, one of two things happens: she either becomes just as bad (if not worse) than the last Queen, or she restores balance to the school. Meanwhile, the dethroned Queen spirals into outcast status, and who knows—she might even try to claw her way back to power. Classic high school drama, right? We’ve seen it a million times!
#8: It Was Inside You All Along
Isn’t it great when you’re all invested in a movie where the protagonist goes on this epic adventure, chasing some life-changing answer, only to find out—dun dun dun—they had it all along? Cue the crickets and tumbleweed rolling by. This trope can involve some hidden object they’ve had the whole time, but more often, it’s about them learning a profound, moral lesson. Apparently, they simply can’t do that without often putting themselves (and others) in peril. Don’t get us wrong, we love a good journey of self-discovery and growth, but we’ve seen it so many times! As soon as they start, we’re like, “Save yourself the drama—you’ve already got what you’re looking for!”
#7: Always Make Backup Copies
Alright, let’s set the scene: A character makes a deal or signs a contract but then tries to change the terms. They might attempt to destroy any physical evidence of their original agreement, but if the other party is savvy, they’ve kept backup proofs to hold the transgressor accountable. Ever watch a movie where the villain (or hero) quickly wipes out the evidence, and it all seems too quick? Too easy? That’s because it probably is, and someone is about to whip out the backups. Sometimes, those extra copies even end up saving the day. Sure, it’s an overused trope, but it’s actually also some solid life advice. Always make copies!
#6: “I See Dead People”
When M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” hit theaters in 1999, that twist genuinely blew people away. It felt fresh, shocking, and brilliantly executed. Shyamalan managed to hide the twist right in plain sight, which made the reveal so impactful. Naturally, this success inspired a ton of filmmakers to chase a similar reaction, but here’s the problem: now we know what to look for. These days, we can usually spot the “I See Dead People” twist coming from a mile away. It became so overused that it was even parodied in “Scary Movie.” It’s almost as if the original twist was too good for its own good!
#5: The Villain Survived
This trope shows up a lot in horror and slasher flicks. You know how it goes: you watch a bunch of characters frantically run from the villain for most of the movie. Then, someone finally steps up and takes them down. The threat’s gone, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. We’re now moments from rolling the credits, so that’s it, right? Oh, wait. They’re not actually dead! Cue a sequel (or several). While this isn’t just a horror thing, by now, when the supposedly dead villain pops back up, it’s more likely to earn an eye roll than a scream. We’ve seen it so many times that the shock factor has largely worn off.
#4: I Am/ Not Your Father
Come on, you know this one! All together now! While “Star Wars” gets most of the credit for popularizing this trope, we’ve seen tons of versions since. It could take any form, from the Darth Vader approach to someone secretly looking out for the protagonist while concealing their true identity. It works the other way too. A character grows up believing the people who raised them are their biological parents, only to find out that’s not true. Sometimes, the only ones shocked by the reveal are the characters themselves. What happens next? Well, that depends on how they handle the bombshell that just changed everything. We’ve seen it play out in so many ways!
#3: The “Good Guy” Is the Villian
Also known as the “sheep in wolf’s clothing,” this trope is everywhere, from Alfred Hitchcock classics to Disney movies. So, if you grew up with trust issues, this might be why. You spend much of the movie rooting for this person who seems to help our protagonist along the way. Maybe they’re originally established as besties, or maybe one of them is a love interest that seems just a little too perfect. These days, it takes a really well-executed twist for this one to catch us off guard. But most of the time, we’ve learned that if someone is too nice or too good to be true, they probably are.
#2: The End of the World As We Know It
This trope tends to go one of two ways. First, we’ve got our heroes trying to stop a world-ending event. It’s rare, but some brave storytellers let them fail. Usually, though, the planet is saved, and crisis averted. The other route is that we’re led to believe the characters are far from home, maybe even on another planet. Then comes the big reveal: they’re actually on a post-apocalyptic Earth! Arguably, no one nailed this shocker quite like “Planet of the Apes.” While many have tried to replicate that legendary twist, we usually go into these movies already suspecting we’ve been on Earth the whole time. Yeah, it’s really not as earth-shattering as it once was!
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Who or What Am I?
That Moment Where a Character Uncovers a Part of Their Identity, They Had No Idea About
Careful What You Wish For
Not All Wishes Are Cracked Up to What You’d Hope They’d Be!
The Pauper Is a Prince (or Princess)
Predictable? Yes! Are We Still Waiting for a Long-Lost Relative to Show Up Out of the Blue & Tell Us We’re Royal? Absolutely!
Epic Wedding Fail
Just As the Couple Are Ready for Their Picture Perfect Wedding, Disaster Strikes
A Big Dramatic Terribly Timed Confession
Sometimes That Thing You’ve Got to Get off Your Chest Can Wait!
#1: It Was All Just a Dream…(Are You Sure About That?)
Is there a more tired, eye-roll-inducing plot twist than the “it was all a dream”? We’ve invested our time, emotions, and energy in these characters, only to discover none of it happened. Like, seriously—what was the point if none of it transpired? Few tropes make us regret buying movie tickets more than this one! Naturally, we’ve learned to spot the signs and avoid disappointment early. It takes a very clever subversion to truly take us by surprise. And don’t even get us started on when they reveal some object that tries to make us question reality. When this trope pops up, we’re the ones hoping to wake up, realizing it was all just a dream.
What movie plots would you like to see retired? Let us know in the comments!
