Ending a film is a challenge in the horror genre. The ending should stick to the genre by staying with you long after the credits roll. That being said, the final scene also has to be a logical conclusion based on the film’s events prior.
There are countless examples of horror movies that choose to ignore this and, instead, go for some last-minute scare or twist that makes no sense. Then there are the legendary ones that aim to give the most satisfying conclusion for the story being told. Here are five examples of horror endings done right and five that are just terrible.
Great: Ready Or Not
Throughout the entirety of Ready Or Not, the audience is constantly wondering if this Le Domas curse is even real. As part of a family tradition, each new member must play a randomly drawn game. Grace had the unfortunate luck of picking hide and seek.
After Grace survives the night, a few minutes , and nothing happens to the family, suggesting it was all was fake. Then, in hilarious fashion, the family starts to explode one by one. Grace just can’t help but laugh hysterically as her murderous in-laws get blown to bloody bits.
Awful: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
By all s, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street is a horror classic. Sadly, this near-perfect film has a terrible and random ending that completely negates the powerful way Nancy is able to defeat Freddy.
In a dream sequence, Everyone seems to be alive and well, including her mother Marge. Nancy gets into a car with her friends but then they’re all immediately trapped by the hood of the car resembling Freddy’s shirt. Freddy’s hand then breaks through the front door window and pulls Marge in, although it looks like a mannequin. It just looks hilariously awful.
Great: The Cabin In The Woods
Joss Whedon’s The Cabin In The Woods is a brilliant horror satire that goes out with a bang. It’s revealed the film’s events are all being controlled by an underground facility. As part of a ritual, teens at this cabin are supposed to pick their fates with different evils and monsters.
In an outrageous third act, Dana and Marty unleash all of the monsters upon the facility. It's then revealed that this ritual must finish or else ancient gods will rise from beneath. Instead of saving humanity, however, Dana and Marty decide maybe it’s time for a do-over. The film ends with a giant hand coming up from the ground, dooming the world.
Awful: Signs
M. Night Shyamalan has a rocky history when it comes to endings. Some of them are ingenious, while others are just stupid. Signs is an example of the latter. After Merill knocks the alien into the wall, a glass of water falls down on its shoulder, which burns the skin. The alien escapes and then everything soon goes back to normal.
It’s explained at the end that the aliens are actually susceptible to water. These aliens are supposed to be smart enough to master space travel, yet they didn’t do the research to know that water, which covers 71% of the Earth, is dangerous to them?
Great: The Thing
John Carpenter's The Thing still remains one of the greatest horror films ever made. The wonderful cast of characters, the sense of paranoia, and it’s groundbreaking practical effects all lead to the cold (literally) and ambiguous ending.
After MacReady blows up the alien, with a satisfying “yeah, f--k you, too,” the film brings the tone back down. MacReady and Childs have accepted their fate. They sit down and relax in the blistering arctic setting, ready for the cold to take them. What makes it so ambiguous is you’re not sure whether Childs is actually himself or the alien.
Awful: It (1990)
Stephen King's novel It was notorious for its problematic conclusion. Therefore, taking this massive 1,000+ page novel into a network TV miniseries was going to have some challenges. The final sequence of the novel has the Losers facing off against It, with its main form being a spider.
Due to the low budget, the spider is horrendous, looking like a stop-motion monster from a 1950s creature feature. The way they defeat It is extremely simple and has none of the cosmic elements from the novel, making this ending just laughable.
Great: Get Out
What makes Get Out's ending so fantastic is how it manages to both terrifying and cathartic in just a few seconds. After Chris gets up the upper hand on Rose, he begins to strangle her.
Then, flashing blue and red lights appear. Your stomach just drops at this due to real-life circumstances of what would happen. Chris is a black man strangling a white woman, which means he would be done for, regardless of what actually happened. Thankfully, it's actually just Rod saving the day! Rod says it best - “I told you not to go in that house.”
Awful: The Descent (U.S. Version)
The Descent is a masterfully executed horror film. It follows a group of women who go cave diving, only to get attacked by deadly humanoid creatures. In the original U.K. ending, Sarah leaves Juno to die and makes her escape. As she drives away, she sees Juno’s ghost, then immediately wakes up, still in the cave.
She has a vision of her dead daughter, only for it to just be a torch. The creatures then surround Sarah, leaving her for a grim fate. Apparently, this ending was deemed too depressing for American audiences. In the U.S. theatrical release, it ends abruptly just as Sarah sees Juno's ghost.
Great: The Mist
The Mist's ending is quite divisive, which is also a part of why it's so great. It’s one of the bleakest conclusions of a modern horror movie, one that leaves you screaming at the screen. Even after David escapes with his son, the other three survivors keep driving and see no end in sight to this mist.
Realizing they have no way out, they agree to let David shoot them out of mercy. David shoots everyone in the car, including his own son. As he frantically begs for the creatures to take, the army shows up a few seconds later eradicating the mist. It’s a gut-wrenching ending that leaves you feeling completely empty.
Awful: The Devil Inside
The Devil Inside has perhaps the most abrupt and insulting ending in film history. To even call it an ending would be giving it too much credit. At the end, the film crew is driving a possessed Isabella in the backseat. Michael then suddenly starts becoming possessed as well, causing him to accelerate the car.
They are then hit by another car and they flip over. One would think this would be the start of the final act. Instead, audiences were given a black screen and then a website they can visit to see more on the investigation. No thank you. Refund, please!
