Top 20 Unexpected Plot Twists That Redeemed Bad Movies

“Devil” (2010)

“Devil” deserves points for an exciting premise: five strangers are trapped in an elevator. One by one, a person is killed by someone in the group while everyone tries to figure out the culprit. Although it’s an interesting story setup, “Devil” becomes too similar to “Saw.” The film basically becomes about how gruesome the next death will be. These cheap thrills aren’t particularly exhilarating until the climax. It turns out that an elderly woman who “died” early on is the true villain – even more surprisingly, she’s the actual devil. The antagonist deliberately trapped sinful people together to collect their souls. This flips “Devil’s” story on its head since each person deserves to be held responsible for their crimes.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” (2018)

This fantasy adventure is about protagonist Clara bringing peace to a magical land. She teams with the Sugar Plum Fairy while grieving her mother’s death, the former queen of the realms. The film’s “good-versus-bad” outline lacks originality, feeling like a rehash of superhero movies. Its twist does signify deeper themes relating to Clara’s loss, as Sugar Plum’s betrayal comes to light. Mother Ginger, the supposed villain, is revealed to be falsely accused. Perceiving the death of Clara’s mother as abandonment, Sugar Plum plans to become queen in her place. Meanwhile, Clara accepts losing her mother, empowering herself to defeat the villain. This turn of events perfectly contrasts the two characters, adding the required emotional depth that’s lacking for most of the story.

“The Boy” (2016)

American nanny Greta is given the strange job of looking after a porcelain doll named Brahms. This begins a drawn-out plot about odd events surrounding the doll, which convinces Greta that it’s possessed by the spirit of her employers’ deceased child. Unfortunately, much of “The Boy’s” runtime is about jump scares that don’t do much to move the plot forward. It’s only at the end when the payoff for these shock-value moments arrives. Brahms, the titular “boy,” isn’t actually a boy – he’s not even a ghost. Brahms has been alive all the time, living within the house’s walls to spy on Greta. The movements of the doll were all orchestrated by Brahms himself, providing an impressive turn of events to an otherwise formulaic film.

“Don’t Worry Darling” (2022)

In a seemingly idyllic ‘50s town called Victory, housewife Alice Chambers starts to notice things are off. She realizes her husband Jack and all the men are hiding a secret. “Don’t Worry Darling” suffers from an identity crisis, not fully committing to being a psychological thriller or a commentary on male fragility. After wasting some of its runtime on these themes, the final act of the movie turns things around. Alice comes to know that Victory isn’t real – it’s a simulated reality where she and the other women are trapped by the men. This brings context to the odd behavior of most of the characters, as they knew this secret all along. The revelation also adds much-needed tension to Alice’s bid for freedom.

“Life” (2017)

“Life” is too similar to other alien-based films to feel original, featuring a story about a species that slowly takes out a space crew one by one. It has a rather generic plotline where the characters figure out a way to stop “Calvin” the alien. The ending makes it appear that Miranda North has escaped while David Jordan has sacrificed himself to prevent Calvin from reaching Earth. The film’s final moments are where this seemingly predictable story takes a huge turn, as it was Miranda’s pod that was knocked off course while David has reached Earth with Calvin. This changes “Life’s” direction completely, leaving us stunned with the chilling realization that humanity might be doomed.

“Click” (2006)

Perpetually frustrated Michael Newman is offered a time-skipping remote by a mysterious man named Morty. While Michael initially has fun with it, his life ultimately spirals out of control. “Click” has some emotionally stirring moments, but the slapstick comedy can become annoying to watch. The premise also overstays its welcome after several time skips. But the reveal of Morty’s true nature saves the movie. With decades skipped beyond salvation, Michael finds out that Morty is the Angel of Death. The remote was a way for Michael to appreciate his life, giving him an extremely long lesson to learn. Unlike stereotypical portrayals of the Angel of Death, Morty isn’t an evil entity, but someone who shows Michael that he’s been making the wrong decisions in life.

“Dead Silence” (2007)

Jamie Ashen tries to figure out a way to end his family’s curse as the ghost of ventriloquist Mary Shaw looks to end his bloodline. Taking a slow build toward its conclusion, “Dead Silence” spends a lot of its runtime showing the protagonist lost and confused. Jamie’s story is riddled with many bait-and-switch moments until he thinks he’s beaten Mary by destroying her last doll. However, the final moments have Jamie realize that he was led astray. His father turns out to be a doll controlled by his wife, who is possessed by Mary. With no place to run, a horrified Jamie learns this is how his demise was planned the whole time. Although the villain wins, the manner of her victory does deserve praise.

“Seven Pounds” (2008)

“Seven Pounds” has earnest intent with its story about the power of kindness. But it gets very melodramatic as the film goes on, making it a bit of a drag to watch. It follows Ben Thomas, who seeks to help supposed strangers. Keeping up with the abundance of characters is difficult until the ending ties everything together. We learn Ben is actually Tim Thomas, who was responsible for causing multiple deaths in an accident. Tim is giving his organs away to people in need to redeem himself, culminating in his own demise to save seven lives. His sacrifice justifies every interaction he’s had in the film, carving out Tim’s role as a tragic hero, and slapping viewers right in the feels.

“The Skeleton Key” (2005)

This supernatural horror contains many scenes with characters talking about hoodoo. All this exposition dulls “The Skeleton Key’s” quality since so much talking leaves little room for scares. Kate Hudson’s character, Caroline, becomes a caretaker of an elderly couple, the Devereauxs. The initially skeptical protagonist eventually believes the old people are hoodoo practitioners and tries to escape. But it turns out that all of Caroline’s research was manipulated to make her believe in hoodoo and prepared for possession. The Devereauxs are century-old body snatchers who lure young people to their plantation. Caroline and estate lawyer Luke are the latest in a long line of victims. All the talk of hoodoo in the film were discreet hints for viewers to prepare for this grand twist.

“Malignant” (2021)

Director James Wan frequently uses slow-burn stories with a twist. “Malignant” follows this template as well. It begins when mistreated Madison Mitchell’s violent husband is killed. Madison learns that her childhood imaginary friend Gabriel is behind the deaths of people connected to her. Although the film repeats this cycle of violence more than necessary, the twist of Gabriel’s sudden reappearance is worth the wait. We learn that Gabriel is Madison’s parasitic twin brother, who can control her body. After being extracted from her at childbirth, Gabriel’s consciousness has remained in her mind. The hunt for the killer went around in circles because Madison was indirectly the killer all along. This clever twist alters the context of the film’s events and sets up its horror-filled ending.

“Vanilla Sky” (2001)

“Vanilla Sky” opens with David Aames providing his account of the events that ruined his life. An accident leaves David’s face disfigured, alienating him from his lover, Sofia. Incoherent storytelling techniques and constant tonal changes in the narrative make it confusing to keep up with “Vanilla Sky.” But the climax answers why David’s life is a blur. He’s been in cryogenic sleep for over a century, waiting for technology to develop enough to repair his disfigurement. All the mayhem shortly after his accident was a glitch in his lucid dream, causing his feelings of guilt and sadness to catch up to him. The ambiguity of David’s fate is a clever way to leave viewers contemplating what comes next.

“Fallen” (1998)

This supernatural horror movie’s plot has detective Hobbes and Jonesy track the demon Azazel, who possesses people hoping to cause global calamity. The premise quickly takes a downturn since Azazel’s body-hopping becomes played out and nothing else really happens. “Fallen” also comes across as too convoluted for a horror movie, but this makes way for an ingeniously simple twist no one would see coming. Before letting Azazel take over his body, Hobbes poisons himself while at a secluded cabin to ensure the demon is stranded forever. However, Azazel breaks the fourth wall to mock us for thinking the good guy would win, as he possesses a cat to head back to civilization. This intellectual twist proves the devil does come in many forms.

“Repo Men” (2010)

This movie’s premise is about repo men in the future whose job is to repossess artificially enhanced organs. The main character Remy’s attempt to escape the repossession of his heart eventually spirals into a predictable chase story. The story seems to reach its cliché happy ending when a glitch brings everything back to reality. It’s revealed that Remy’s injury at one point in the film had caused severe brain damage and all that he sees is part of a simulation. Remy and his love interest are actually barely alive, meaning the “happy ending” only exists in Remy’s mind. This subverts usual action movie stereotypes in favor of a dark and realistic conclusion that is bittersweet yet thought-provoking at the same time.

“Ender’s Game” (2013)

“Ender’s Game” follows the titular character’s training to prevent an alien invasion. He partakes in simulations of the alien race known as Formics, gaining victory through his strategically brilliant mind. However, the film devotes a lot of time to the gaming aspect, which prevents the supporting characters from having much depth. It’s only by the ending that the importance of the many simulations becomes apparent. Ender finds out that these were all happening in real time, and he’s responsible for wiping out most of the Formic race. It’s a solid twist that turns the protagonist into a villain without anyone realizing it. The reveal of the Formics’ true peaceful nature makes Ender’s misunderstood actions all the more tragic.

“Smokin’ Aces” (2007)

FBI agents Messner and Carruthers are tasked to keep the informant “Aces” alive from mob boss Sparazza’s bounty. Unfortunately, the influx of many characters turns this into a highly convoluted plot that runs around in circles until the climax presents the big twist. The FBI is revealed to be working with the mob, as Sparazza himself is an informant and Aces’s father whom the FBI hand over as part of their deal. Disgusted that the FBI’s own corrupt activities caused so many deaths, Messner pulls the plugs on both Aces and Sparazza to destroy everyone’s plans. After messing with the plot around so much, “Smokin’ Aces’” morally appropriate ending presents a great contrast to all the prior over-the-top violence.

“Final Destination 5” (2011)

The “Final Destination” movies have never been critical darlings, mainly because the plotlines lack many surprises. “Final Destination 5” follows the same pattern, featuring yet another group’s attempts to escape death but meeting their ends in gruesome ways. The main plot ends as expected, with the survivors planning to leave on a plane to celebrate their supposed victory over death. However, it’s then that the flight is confirmed to be the one shown in the first movie, meaning everything that’s happened so far has been set up by Death to lead to this moment. As the plane crashes, the story comes full circle for the whole franchise, making it symbolic of the circle of life and death.

“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” (2003)

By this point, it was obvious that the series would copy the format of the previous two movies. “Terminator 3” does indeed follow this style, with the titular character now protecting an adult John Connor from another advanced Terminator sent by Skynet. The story is on course for the usual sacrifice by the Terminator, but the final moments take an original twist never seen before in the franchise. It turns out that Judgment Day could never be prevented as was always believed, and that Skynet has already initiated nuclear bombs to begin a worldwide massacre. “Terminator 3” baits the viewer into a false sense of security to leave fans speechless as the series’ promise of a dystopian future finally comes to pass.

“Orphan” (2009)

This psychological horror story centers around the adoption of a child whose arrival sparks several incidents. “Orphan” is largely formulaic, with obvious signs of young Esther being an evil child. The buildup seems to point toward a cliché turn for the worst from Esther, but the reveal of her true nature comes out of nowhere. As it turns out, Esther is an adult woman posing as a young girl, meaning her malicious activities were the premeditated actions of a murderer, and not a disturbed child. The twist gives this thriller the eerie sense of horror it was going for. It also makes “Orphan” a highly rewatchable flick, as it’s interesting to go back and find clues for this twist hidden all along.

“The Book of Eli” (2010)

“The Book of Eli” sees the titular character’s attempt to preserve the last copy of the Bible while escaping a warlord who wants the book’s knowledge. This dystopian movie has similarities with the critically acclaimed “Mad Max” series, but relies on the mystery of its protagonist so much that the action becomes a drag to watch. However, the closing moments show Eli’s been hiding an even bigger secret as the Bible is written in Braille, revealing that Eli was blind the whole time. Having given no obvious clues, the twist places the protagonist’s actions in a bigger context and signs off with an uplifting message. Eli’s journey was always meant to be spiritual, which changes the previously bleak outlook of the film in an instant.

“Saw 3D” (2010)

The seventh movie loses all the nuances and thoughtful commentary from previous entries. Instead, “Saw 3D” is a straight-up gorefest that relies completely on the traps. The flick’s plot sees Mark Hoffman simply off everyone in his path and then take down Jigsaw’s wife Jill out of revenge. However, Dr. Gordon, whose status was never clarified until this film’s opening scene, shows up to attack Hoffman before he can escape. It’s revealed that Gordon was Jigsaw’s secret accomplice all along, meaning he had a hand in everything that happened in the series. This ties up all loose ends in one go, and at least gives this by-the-numbers movie the huge twist fans were looking for.