Brief Summary
This video lists the top 20 movies ruined by disturbing endings. The video focuses on films whose downer conclusions undermine some of their better aspects. The movies don't necessarily have to be otherwise good, as long as the endings stand out in a negative way. The list includes films even if their endings are faithful to their source material.
- The video includes spoilers for all movies listed.
- The video highlights how the endings of these movies are underwhelming, anti-climactic, and often leave viewers feeling confused or disappointed.
Glass
The ending of Glass is considered underwhelming and anti-climactic. The film subverts the notion that a superhero movie has to lead up to an epic set piece. Instead, the three main characters, including David Dunn, die in unceremonious fashion. David Dunn is literally drowned in a puddle of water. The movie tries to end on an optimistic note as the existence of superheroes is made public, but this is undercut by the underwhelming and dour climax.
47 Meters Down
47 Meters Down tries to throw in too many narrative curveballs when it matters most. After numerous close calls, it seems like sisters Lisa and Kate have finally made it back to the boat. However, it turns out Lisa has been hallucinating and is still at the bottom of the ocean. Not only that, but she realizes Kate has been killed by the sharks a while ago. Just as quickly as it took to explain this, Lisa is rescued by the Coast Guard, making viewers question the whole narrative back and forth.
Serenity
Serenity is a film about a fishing boat captain who contemplates murdering his ex-wife's new husband. As the walls of his reality begin to crumble, the captain eventually realizes that he's merely part of a computer simulation created by his son. The son created this world to play games, and killing the husband is the motivation he needs to kill his abusive stepfather in the real world. The son is charged with murder, leaving viewers asking what they just watched.
Truth or Dare
Truth or Dare is a horror movie based on the titular game. The ending of the film is considered to be unconvincing and sinks to new lows. The premise of the film is that a group of college kids get roped into playing a supernatural game of Truth or Dare. The game forces players to either tell horrible truths, commit dangerous dares, or die. The only way to stop the game is to find new players. Instead of rolling the dice again, Olivia ends the movie by uploading a video inviting potentially the whole world to play. This feels edgy for edginess's sake.
The Sun
The Sun is a film that tackles some very serious issues, including depression. The film follows Peter and his son Nicholas, who struggles with depression. Nicholas is placed in an inpatient treatment facility for his own safety and pleads for release. His parents relent, even against the doctor's wishes. As soon as they return home, Nicholas tragically takes his own life. The film's final scene briefly tricks viewers into thinking Nicholas survived, which doesn't help matters.
The Entity
The Entity is a horror film supposedly based on true events. The film follows Carla, who is plagued by a malicious supernatural force. She is finally able to prove her sanity and the existence of the invisible entity. However, the person with the ability to officially validate her claims goes into denial. The film ends with Carla moving away with her family, but not before the entity greets her with a weirdly vulgar British slang word. This is a decidedly dour and downbeat ending.
The Number 23
The Number 23 is a film about a man who becomes obsessed with a book that may hold the secrets to a murderer. The film's twist ending is unconvincing. Walter Sparrow, the protagonist, overcomes his amnesia and remembers that he wrote the book and committed the murder. The film takes the well-worn trope of an unreliable protagonist and stretches it beyond its limits. If it was less concerned with simply being dark, it might have offered a halfway satisfying solution.
The Box
The Box is a film about a financially desperate couple who are presented with a choice by a mysterious man. They can press a button and receive one million dollars, but a stranger will die. The movie eventually takes a turn into the realm of science fiction. The mysterious man reveals that he has blinded and deafened their son and offers them another choice: keep the money and live with their son's condition, or Arthur can kill Norma and their son's senses will be restored. The movie chooses the latter, but viewers feel like the movie should have taken a different option.
The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black is a creepy little haunting film with plenty of atmosphere. However, the ending is dour. The film follows lawyer Arthur Kipps, who handles an estate haunted by the spirit of a woman who lost her young son. The woman in black gets her revenge by taking the lives of children in the nearby village. Arthur realizes she is going after his son, Joseph, next. Arthur attempts to save him, but after Joseph wanders onto train tracks, both he and Arthur are killed. While Arthur is reunited with his deceased wife in the afterlife, viewers can't help but wish things had turned out better.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a heavy film set in Nazi-occupied Poland. The film follows the friendship between two boys: Bruno, the son of an SS officer, and Shmuel, a Jewish prisoner at a nearby extermination camp. The boys' ignorance of the real horrors going on reaches a critical point at the end when Bruno is mistaken for a prisoner and rounded up with the rest of them. Bruno, Shmuel, and countless others are tragically executed. The film ends with Bruno's family utterly devastated. The ending has been criticized for being contrived and sympathizing with Nazis.
Secret Window
Secret Window is a murder mystery film that reveals the protagonist to be the killer. 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. The third act reveals the two to be one and the same. This is a tired twist in murder mysteries.
Sucker Punch
Sucker Punch is a grim psychological drama about abuse that also loves to drop its attractive cast in video game scenarios devoid of consequence. The film is set in a horrifying mental institute fond of lobotomizing its patients. Baby Doll's explosive dream sequences are pure escapism. Ultimately, Baby Doll is lobotomized to allow one of the other captives to escape. This ending may have worked if the film focused more on the psychological storyline rather than constantly stopping dead to show glorified music videos.
Knock Knock
Knock Knock is a film about a married protagonist who engages in infidelity. The two determined women torture him as punishment for succumbing to temptation. The over-the-top ending jumps right over satire into parody territory. After the protagonist accidentally likes his own assault video on Facebook, the girls gleefully escape to presumably torture another day.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is the sixth entry in the franchise. The film finally answers a couple of long-standing questions. The villains succeed in reviving a demon called Toby, 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 is the most predictable outcome possible. The ending also lacks scares.
The Descent Part Two
The Descent Part Two is a sequel to the 2005 horror film The Descent. The original film had a seemingly happy ending that turned out to be the exact opposite. The sequel could not resist closing with another switcheroo. The Descent's protagonist sacrifices herself to allow another woman to escape the cave. Unfortunately, a rarely seen minor character shows up to ensure nobody survives. The film suddenly remembers it needs a crushing ending and opts for the flimsiest solution possible.
Remember Me
Remember Me is a meandering drama about pretty people grieving over senseless acts of violence. The 9/11 attacks happened while the protagonist is in the World Trade Center. The film turns one of America's worst moments into a poorly timed twist ending that no one asked for.
Splice
Splice is a film about a pair of scientists who fuse human and animal DNA to create a female hybrid called Dren. The other scientist begins to sleep with the hybrid creature. After a thoughtful exploration of this unorthodox love triangle, Splice foregoes atmosphere in favor of a purely insane climax. Dren forcibly impregnates Elsa, who opts to keep the baby for money. The overly grotesque third act overshadows any interesting points the film makes about genetic engineering.
High Tension
High Tension is a slasher film about Marie, a teenager desperate to protect her friend from a deranged serial killer. The film ultimately exposes the protagonist as a psychopath suffering from dissociative identity disorder. The ending 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 the window.
The Life of David Gale
The Life of David Gale is a film about a philosophy professor sentenced to death after being wrongly convicted of murder and assault. The film's twist ending is hardly to blame for all of the film's problems, but it definitely does not help. In an attempt to discredit capital punishment, David Gale frames himself for the murder of a close personal friend who actually took their own life. A video of the real death surfaces after the protagonist is executed. The film takes the criminal justice system, Kate Winslet's investigative reporter, and audiences on a wild and profoundly ill-advised ride.
Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward is an uplifting family drama that highlights the good inside most humans. The film follows a young boy named Trevor who creates a Pay It Forward system where favors are reimbursed by the benefactor helping out three other people. The film delivers one final and unnecessary gut punch. Trevor shockingly dies while defending a friend from a group of mean kids. This ending is out of nowhere and blatantly manipulative, cheapening the rest of the movie.
