10 Most Disappointing Movie Twists

TV & Film

Nov 2

A father holding his son looking outside — Image Source: IMDB

Warning! There will be spoilers.

There have been countless movies that have given fans twists that have left us shaken for weeks. From the discovery of long-lost twins to unmasking the truth behind decades-old murders, there have been some truly spectacular twists throughout history. But, unfortunately, where there is good, there is also bad, and twists are no different.

I have compiled a list of twists that were some of the biggest letdowns I have ever seen. Most of the movies on this list were great until the twist was revealed, and it ruined everything that had come before it. So buckle up, movie fans, because it will be a bumpy ride!

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10. Final Destination 5 (2011)

A man and woman talking to each other on a plane — Image Source: IMDB

The Final Destination franchise is known for its gore, creative deaths, and tricking fans into thinking the franchise is ending. Final Destination 5 is the weakest of the franchise, but it is still a great film until you reach the last ten minutes. The film was marketed as a new story with new characters and the potential to be the franchise’s final film. Instead, audiences were given some of the most gruesome deaths of the franchise and characters almost as likable as the originals. At the end of the film, it looks as though our main characters have survived and are in the clear until fans of the original film hear that they are on flight 180 to Paris, and we know exactly where this is going. The movie ends with the plane crash that started the events of the original 2000 film. The film expected to serve as the final installment was actually a prequel to the franchise, so we are still caught in limbo.

9. Knowing (2009)

A girl and a boy holding rabbits — Image Source: IMDB

This Nicolas Cage film had a lot of promise in the first half of the film. Knowing introduced numerology to audiences, many of which had never heard of it, giving the film a unique end to the stereotypical end-of-the-world film. As the main characters rush to understand the codes and what they mean for the world’s fate, the film expertly builds tension and leaves enough unanswered questions to keep fans in the dark. Unfortunately, when the lights are turned on, fans face a twist that ruins everything the film had built up to that point. Aliens are the direction that filmmakers decided to go. Not only are aliens the twist, but the audience soon learns that everything our heroes did was for nothing, the world is still ending, and the two leading children (a boy and a girl) are being saved by the aliens so that they can be forced to repopulate a new planet. It was terrible.

8. The Boy (2016)

A woman bending down to speak to a boy — Image Source: IMDB

With the popularity of films like Child’s Play, The Conjuring, and Annabelle, it was no surprise when more haunted doll films began to pop up. The Boy looked terrifying as it was expected to tell the story of an American nanny who takes a job in England to be the nanny to an older couple’s young son. She soon learns that Brahms is actually a doll, and he is how the parents cope with their real son’s death 20 years earlier. The nanny is given a strict list of rules which, in true horror film fashion, she violates and thus starts a chain of terrifying events. Everything about this film was scary and fantastic until the twists. First, the parents commit suicide after the nanny’s arrival telling their son that “the girl is his now.” Second, the doll is not haunted, and Brahms is alive and has been living in the walls of the home, moving the doll and acting out when his rules are broken. It would have been better if the film had been about a haunted doll because the idea that a child faked its own death and then moved into the walls, took care of themselves, and remained undiscovered for 20 years makes absolutely no sense.

7. The Visit (2015)

Two kids speaking to a woman on a computer screen — Image Source: IMDB

The Visit was set up to be a genuinely great and terrifying horror film. Two children visit their estranged grandparents, whom they have never met, while their mother is on vacation with a new boyfriend. The film starts out fine – it’s creepy, and every time the grandparents interact with the children, it is unnerving, creating tension with each scene. The twist of this film could have been well done, but unfortunately, it felt rushed and lazy, which made it truly unbelievable. We discover that the children are not actually with their grandparents but escaped patients from a mental institution that killed the real grandparents. We discover this when the kids show their mother the grandparents during a facetime chat, and she delivers the “twist.” Rather than setting this twist up, audiences are expected to believe that a mother would send her two children to stay with parents she hasn’t spoken to in years and whom her children have never met. It makes no sense and throws off the entire film.

6. The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

Rey and Kylo Ren do battle — Image Source: IMDB

Fans have been vocal about their disappointment with the Star Wars sequel trilogy since its release. While I agree they weren’t the best, I enjoyed them for the most part. What I was most disappointed about with the films, though, was the twist in Episode IX when it is revealed that not only is Palpatine alive, but Rey is his granddaughter. In my opinion, this was the biggest letdown in the Star Wars franchise. It had been teased since Episode VII that Rey’s parents played an important role which is why her character would be vital to the resistance and reuniting Luke, Leia, and Han. There were countless theories about who her parents might be. It was even said in Episode VIII that her parents were actually “nobodies,” and she had been lied to. Having the twist be something as unbelievable as her being the granddaughter of Palpatine made no sense for the franchise, did not work with Palpatine’s backstory, and was overall just a major letdown to fans that had eagerly awaited the discovery of Rey’s parents’ identities.

5. Glass (2019)

A woman in a wheelchair and two people sitting in chairs — Image Source: IMDB

This is a twist that will forever make me angry. The film is the final installment in a trilogy that included Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016), which were both great films. Unbreakable even had one of the best twists I have ever seen in a movie. Fans were ecstatic when it was announced that the main three characters from both films would reunite for a final installment. Unfortunately, we were left with a mess of a film filled with unbelievable twists and underdeveloped characters. The worst of the twists was the ending when not only the “villains” Mr. Glass (Samuel . Jackson) and The Monster (James McAvoy) were killed, but also the “hero” David Dunn (Bruce Willis). The death of the two “villains” was expected and hinted at throughout the film, but the death of David Dunn was not only uncalled for, but it also made no sense for the film’s progression. To top it all off, he is drowned in a puddle of water, and fans are expected to believe that with his superhuman strength, he could not fight off the soldier that pushed his head into said puddle. The film’s entire second half is a letdown to fans of the trilogy.

4. The Village (2004)

A woman hiding behind a tree — Image Source: IMDB

This was my first experience with a disappointing twist. I saw this film when I was 12, and it had to be explained to me because I was so confused. Leading up to this twist, fans are given a stunning psychological thriller/horror film. There is intrigue and plenty of questions to keep fans engaged as the plot unfolds. Unfortunately, all of this is thrown away when the blind heroine, Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard), climbs over the wall meant to protect her village, and we learn that they are living in the present day. The wall is there to keep the real world from interfering in the inner workings of the village. This twist made no sense. It threw away all the suspense and tension built earlier in the film and didn’t even seem possible. How did the people in the village never hear the cars or emergency vehicles when they passed on the road? How did no land developers discover a random village hidden in the woods? The twist in this film completely ruins what could have been one of the best psychological horror films ever made.

3. The Mist (2007)

A boy and his parents in fear — Image Source: IMDB

I have seen this twist debated since the film was first released. Personally, the twist ruined the movie for me. In this horror film based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, a thick mist rolls into a small town, and terrifying monsters and creatures come out to terrorize the people that live there. The film had a great concept, and it was an adequate film until the last ten minutes. After the main characters “escape,” they run out of gas and decide that they will use a gun to kill everyone in the car rather than try to formulate another plan. After the “hero” kills two elderly people, his female companion, and his child, he realizes that there are no bullets left for him, so he goes out into the mist to be killed by the monsters. The twist? The military comes out of the mist carrying convoys of survivors. Had he waited less than five minutes, everyone would have been saved. I love a good unhappy ending in a horror film, but this one was just stupid. Why would you kill everyone around you, especially your child, rather than attempt to devise another plan? This is a twist I will never get over.

2. Last Christmas (2019)

A man and woman dancing. Christmas tree in back — Image Source: IMDB

I hated everything about the ending of this film. Using the 1984 Wham classic holiday song as the concept for the film was promising, especially with the multitude of different directions they could have taken the film. I was expecting a sappy Holiday Rom-Com with a possible breakup at the end. Instead, in the second half of the film, the audience learns that Tom (Henry Golding) is actually a ghost and the donor of the heart that Kate (Emilia Clarke) had received the year prior. This poor girl has gone through so much, and she finally finds someone that helps her find herself and her joy again, only for him to be ripped away from her. It was a terrible ending choice for a film that could have been so great.

1. Toy Story 4 (2019)

As a 90s kid that grew up with the original Toy Story, this film made my blood boil. Anyone who has seen any Toy Story films knows Woody’s main focus is always his child and their happiness. He has risked life and limb to bring joy to Andy over the years and rescue his fellow toys when they need him. After being gifted to Bonnie at the end of Toy Story 3, Woody is still the same toy. After another adventure and finding his love Bo Peep who had been given away by Andy’s mom in Toy Story 2, Woody decides to abandon his child to live with Bo in a traveling carnival. What? The twist goes against everything in Woody’s character and the character that had been a fan favorite for over 20 years. I understand that the point was to convey that the franchise was officially ending, but this was not the way to do it. It completely ruined the film and made no sense for the character.

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