Top 10 Most Shocking Teen Movie Endings
#10: Sailing Off Into the Sunlight “Midnight Sun” (2018)
Imagine the sun as your own worst enemy. For Katie Price, this idea became her reality in 2018’s “Midnight Sun.” Katie is confined to her house during the day because of a rare genetic condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which prohibits her skin from being exposed to sunlight. Forced to only go outside at night, the singer/songwriter meets her crush, Charlie, and the two strike up a relationship. After a long night out ends with exposure to sunlight in the morning, Katie soon finds out that she’s dying. Instead of waiting for the inevitable, Katie decides to spend her final moments sailing with Charlie in the sunlight before dying. Somebody hand us a tissue.
#9: Cinderella Run Comes Up Short “Coach Carter ” (2005)
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When former alumnus Ken Carter becomes the new basketball coach at Richmond High School, things don’t go over so well with the players and school. Coach Carter brings a disciplinarian attitude to coaching both on and off the court. The team struggles to buy in at first, but after a huge victory at the holiday tournament, Coach Carter has Richmond undefeated on the season. After a temporary strike due to declining academics, the players work together to improve their grades and enter the state tournament as an underdog. In the state quarterfinals, Richmond takes a two-point lead with seconds remaining, but their opponent, St. Francis, makes the game-winning basket at the buzzer, heartbreakingly ending Richmond’s season.
#8: Tragedy at the Blue Hole “All the Bright Places” (2020)
In a small Indiana town, Violet and Finch are two damaged teenagers, each with their own set of issues. Violet feels survivor’s guilt after a car crash kills her sister while Finch suffers depression and bipolar disorder after his father abused him. As they spend more time together on a school project, the young teenagers begin a relationship and fall in love. However, Finch’s mental health severely deteriorates and he sadly decides to drown himself at the Blue Hole, one of the sites they explored for their school project. Violet eventually finds peace, but all she has now are her friend’s memories from their time together.
#7: Goodbye, Thomas J. “My Girl” (1991)
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There’s nothing purer than young love between two kids. Vada, an intelligent 11-year old with hypochondria, forms a special friendship with Thomas J, a boy that’s essentially allergic to everything. Vada can be very bossy to her friend, but Thomas J. is always supportive and understanding. Eventually, Vada and Thomas J. share a kiss as their friendship grows stronger. But tragedy strikes when Thomas J. looks for Vada’s missing mood ring and accidentally steps on a beehive. The swarm stings Thomas J., and he dies from an allergic reaction. If that wasn’t sad enough, the scene where Vada cries over Thomas J. in the casket will leave you in shambles.
#6: Charlie’s Secret About Aunt Helen “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (2012)
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Charlie, a lonely and depressed high school freshman who finds friendship with two seniors, Sam and Patrick. As the year passes, Charlie begins to come out of his shell and even falls in love with Sam. However, Charlie suffers a mental breakdown after it’s revealed he was abused by his aunt as a young boy and blames himself for her sudden death. Although Charlie gets the help he needs and rekindles his friendships, the audience can’t help but feel bad for Charlie, knowing this stunning revelation from his childhood.
#5: A Bet Gone Wrong “Cruel Intentions” (1999)
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When wealthy teenagers make wagers, good things rarely happen. The manipulative Kathryn Merteuil makes a bet with her stepbrother, Sebastian Valmont. If Sebastian can’t seduce Annette Hargrove, the headmaster’s innocent daughter, then Kathryn gets his car. If Sebastian succeeds, he gets to bed the one girl he’s never had, Kathryn. After he successfully beds Annette, Sebastian calls off the bet since he has developed feelings for her. Tragically, the bet ends with deadly consequences. Kathryn lies to the music teacher, Ronald, that Sebastian hit her, which causes Ronald to fight the stepbrother in Central Park. When Annette tries to stop it, she gets thrown into traffic. Sebastian sacrifices himself, pushes Annette out of the way and gets hit by a car, killing him shortly after.
#4: Captain, No More “Dead Poets Society” (1989)
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The fifth-highest grossing film of 1989 is a coming-of-age story at an elite boarding school in Vermont. Mr. Keating, played by the legendary Robin Williams, is the school’s new English teacher. Through his unorthodox methods, Mr. Keating encourages the boys to look at life from a different perspective and pursue their dreams. Unfortunately, one of the students, Neil Perry, takes his own life after his father withdraws him from the academy in favor of military school - which is already shocking in and of itself. Further to this though, Mr. Keating is then subsequently blamed for Neil’s actions and fired immediately. Despite a late plea from his students, the decision is final. But Mr. Keating will always be our captain.
#3: A Relationship Ends Too Soon “A Walk to Remember” (2002)
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They say that opposites attract, but bad-boy Landon Carter and the minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan were the furthest thing from a match at the start. To avoid expulsion, Landon participates in the school play with Jamie, and begins to admire her angelic voice and beauty. Landon wins Jamie over through a series of dates, and all is going well until Jamie shockingly reveals she has leukemia and has not been responding to treatment. Devastated, Landon tries to spend as much time as he can with Jamie, and the two get married. However, it’s short-lived as Jamie succumbs to this terrible disease. It’s a shocking reveal, but we should’ve seen the ending coming since Nicholas Sparks loves to make us cry.
#2: Goodbye From a Distance “Five Feet Apart” (2019)
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Social distancing may be temporary for most humans, but for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, it’s a harsh truth. Stella and Will both have CF, which means they must be at least six feet apart from each other to avoid cross-infection. The overly positive Stella and the downbeat Will form an unlikely attraction, so much so that Stella takes “one foot back” between them. After another patient unexpectedly dies, the duo decides to leave the hospital for a frozen pond, but tragedy strikes when Stella falls through the ice. Will saves her life through CPR, and Stella later gets a lung transplant. But, their relationship was not built to last as they must separate from each other to prevent further illness. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Ricky Gets Caught in the Crossfire, “Boyz n the Hood” (1991) Ricky’s Bright Future Is Cut Short Because of a Revenge Attack The Comeback Ends in Heartbreak, “Friday Night Lights” (2004) Permian Loses the Game After Falling One Yard Short A Daughter Gets Her Revenge, “Carrie” (1976) Carrie Finally Stands Up to Her Mother in a Deadly Way
#1: Cancer Rears its Ugly Head “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014)
Hazel Grace Lancaster is a smart and witty teenager whose best friend happens to be her oxygen tank thanks to thyroid cancer in her lungs. At a support group, Hazel meets Gus, who is in remission, and the two begin to bond over literature and the fact that they’ve both had cancer. On a trip to Amsterdam, Hazel and Gus fall in love and spend a romantic evening together. However, that happiness is short-lived after Gus reveals his cancer returned and spread throughout his body, making it terminal. The two lovers spend as much time together as they can before Gus tragically dies. We’ve all seen the ending now, and it still makes us cry.
