Top 10 Darkest Plot Twists in Movies
Top 10 Darkest Plot Twists in Movies
Top 20 Darkest Plot Twists in Movies
Well, that sure changes things. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top ten darkest plot twists in movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at plot twists that made its film much darker and even more discouraging than it was before. It goes without saying, but this is going to be pretty much nothing but spoilers!
#10: Leonard Killed His Wife
“Memento” (2000) Throughout Christopher Nolan’s “Memento,” amnesiac Leonard Shelby leaves himself an intricate series of notes that will hopefully lead him to the man who raped and murdered his wife. We also learn of a fellow amnesiac named Sammy Jankis who accidentally killed his wife by giving her too many insulin injections. However, at the end of the movie, we witness Leonard being told that he’s the real Sammy and that he’s the one who killed his wife. According to Teddy, he repressed these memories out of guilt - his mission is fake and impossible to fulfill. Leonard is essentially an amnesiac serial killer being used by Teddy. Terrifying, right?
#9: Jigsaw Was in the Room the Whole Time
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“Saw” (2004) The opening minutes of “Saw” certainly make an impression. Two men wake up chained to a dilapidated industrial bathroom with a bloody corpse lying between them. Fun stuff. We also learn that the Jigsaw Killer likes to watch his victims, and while we knew deep down that Zep wasn’t Jigsaw, we certainly weren’t expecting the corpse to be! At the end of the movie, the corpse rises from the floor and reveals himself to be Jigsaw right before locking Adam in the bathroom. It’s a massive shock that reinforces the true depravity and psychopathic methods of Jigsaw. While the “Saw” movies would decrease in quality, that final “game over” is legendary stuff.
#8: Malcolm Was Dead the Whole Time
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“The Sixth Sense” (1999) At the beginning of the movie, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe is shot by a psychotic former patient. Since it appears as if he’s recovered, our minds are shattered when it’s revealed that he has been dead the whole time. It’s certainly a dark realization to find that the protagonist is a ghost, but it’s still an ultimately happy ending when Crowe is sent to Heaven after rectifying his failures. Two years later, “The Others” would provide another brilliant ghost-centric twist by revealing that the family are the actual ghosts haunting the house. Both movies successfully flipped the conventional ghost story on its head and provided some of the greatest twists in the horror genre.
#7: Teddy / Andrew Killed His Wife
“Shutter Island” (2010) Movies love to utilize the “protagonist actually killed their wife” twist, don’t they? Throughout “Shutter Island,” we watch as U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a mental patient. But when Teddy enters the lighthouse... everything changes. We learn that Teddy is actually Andrew Laeddis, an institutionalized man who killed his wife after she murdered their children. As if filicide and uxoricide weren’t dark enough, we also learn that the girl Laeddis dreams about is his murdered daughter, proving that his mind has been irreparably damaged and wracked with guilt. Furthermore, Laeddis becomes aware and conscious enough to plan for his own lobotomy. “Shutter Island” is a bleak experience start to finish.
#6: Norman Is Mother / The Killer
“Psycho” (1960) “Psycho” has perhaps one of the greatest twists in cinematic history. Throughout the movie, we believe that Norman Bates is nothing but a repressed man-child who protects his domineering, psychotic mother. However, the famous ending reveals that his mother is long dead, and that Norman is the true psychopath. After killing his mother and her boyfriend out of jealousy, he took on the persona of his mother to alleviate his loneliness and guilt, and he uses this persona to murder those he feels attracted to. The twist made Norman one of cinema’s most iconic villains, and left ‘60s audiences with the fear that danger could be lurking anywhere and behind any façade.
#5: Head in a Box
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“Se7en” (1995) “Seven”’s twist may not be as iconic as “Psycho,”’s, but it’s arguably more depraved. After John Doe turns himself in and takes the two detectives to the final murder location, a delivery man brings them a mysterious box. After a few incredibly tense minutes, we learn that the box contains the head of David’s pregnant wife, representing the killer’s envy. David then becomes wrath by shooting Doe in an act of uninhibited rage. John Doe wins, David goes insane, and Somerset can only look on in defeat. While the movie is absurdly dark, this final twist somehow ratchets the depravity to 11, reinforcing the idea that humanity is inherently flawed.
#4: Amy Framed Her Husband
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“Gone Girl” (2014) “Gone Girl” isn’t your grandmother’s murder mystery. The first half of the movie plays out like a typical crime drama, as Nick Dunne searches for his missing wife and is falsely accused of her murder. However, the movie does a complete 180 halfway through when it reveals that a jealous Amy intricately framed her husband after learning of his affair. The twist not only works incredibly well as a dramatic story development, but it also strengthens the movie’s morose themes regarding manipulation and abusive relationships. “Gone Girl” goes from a relatively conventional murder mystery to a haunting firsthand account of a cunning sociopath. And you know what? That’s even scarier.
#3: Soylent Green Is People
“Soylent Green” (1973) Like Norman Bates being Mother, the fact that Soylent Green is made from people is not a surprise to modern audiences, but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. In this dystopian society, a green wafer called Soylent Green is created, said to be a highly nutritious food source created from plankton. However, we later learn that Soylent Green is actually made from human remains, as humans are a great source of protein for a starving society. It’s a horrifying reveal, but it also fits perfectly with the movie’s themes of overpopulation, resource management, and climate control. It’s a much-needed slap in the face that remains relevant and disturbingly prophetic nearly half a century later.
#2: Apes Have Taken Over the World
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“Planet of the Apes” (1968) While “Planet of the Apes” is a long-running franchise, nothing beats the original’s twist. After landing on a planet ruled by sentient, talking apes, Taylor escapes from their grasp only to come upon a half-buried Statue of Liberty. He discovers that he was on Earth all along and that modern humanity had wiped itself out in some kind of nuclear war. It’s not only a devastating ending that caps the story in theatrical fashion, but also a dismaying comment on the Cold War and the possible future of humanity. It’s not as dramatically relevant as it once was, but it’s still a distressing ending that captures the fears of its time. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. The Armitage Family Secret “Get Out” (2017) Jacob Has Been Dying All Along “Jacob’s Ladder” (1990) Marie Is the Killer “High Tension” (2003)
#1: Oh Dae-su &... His Daughter
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“Oldboy” (2003) Murder and nuclear war may be scary topics, but nothing feels worse than learning that the protagonist copulated with his own daughter. The movie opens with Dae-su being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years. After escaping and embarking on a campaign of revenge, he befriends a young chef named Mi-do, and the two become intimate. However, it’s later revealed that Dae-su was hypnotized into falling for Mi-do, who is revealed to be his now-adult daughter. It’s equal parts shocking and horrifying, eliciting a visceral bodily reaction of revulsion from most viewers. Incest is certainly a controversial subject, and “Oldboy” wields it in the most disturbingly effective of ways.
