Movie endings are culmination of chills, thrills, and nervous nail-biting that leaves you breathless (or maybe screaming). Horror movies live and die by their endings, the moments that send shivers down your spine and leave you questioning the safety of
your own home (or the sanity of the characters, but that’s a different story). So, prepare to have your nightmares reignited as we delve into 13 scary movie endings. Just a heads up, spoilers lurk ahead, so proceed with caution (and maybe a nightlight)!
Hereditary
This unsettling family drama delivered a gut punch of an ending. After a series of disturbing events and demonic possession, young Charlie ascends as the vessel for the demon king Paimon.
The final shot shows her creepy smile and the chilling realization that the demonic entity has found a permanent home.
Us
Jordan Peele‘s social horror masterpiece left audiences pondering for days. The final scene reveals Adelaide, the protagonist, was actually Red, the Tethered leader, all along.
The film ends with Adelaide joining the Tethered uprising, leaving the fate of the original world hanging in the balance.
The Ritual
This atmospheric horror film based on a popular novel takes a bleak turn in the finale. After a terrifying encounter with a monstrous entity in the forest, the surviving friends escape, or so they think.
The final shot reveals one of them is now possessed by the creature, ensuring the horror follows them home.
Saint Maud
This psychological horror film is equal parts disturbing and strangely beautiful. Maud, a religious fanatic caretaker, believes she’s on a divine mission to save her patient’s soul.
The ending reveals the horrifying lengths she’ll go to achieve this, leaving viewers questioning the nature of faith and obsession
The Invisible Man
This modern update of the classic tale takes the terror factor to new heights. Cecilia, stalked and gaslighted by her supposedly dead ex, thinks she’s finally safe after seemingly killing him.
The final scene shows him, very much alive and invisible, watching her with a malicious grin.
Relic
This slow-burn horror film explores dementia and the fear of aging. The ending is a masterclass in subtlety. As Edna, the matriarch of the family, seemingly succumbs to dementia, a chilling detail reveals she may have been possessed by an entity all along. The ambiguity leaves viewers wondering what truly happened.
The Night House
This psychological horror film takes viewers on a mind-bending journey of grief and haunting. Beth, grieving the suicide of her husband, discovers a dark secret about his past and a sinister entity connected to their home.
The ending reveals Beth has embraced the entity’s power, becoming its vessel and seeking revenge on those who wronged her husband.
Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright’s stylish horror film takes a trippy turn in the finale. Eloise, a fashion student obsessed with the past, becomes entangled with the ghost of a young singer named Sandy.
The ending reveals Sandy is not who she seems, a vengeful spirit who uses Eloise to exact revenge on the man who wronged her. The twist leaves viewers questioning reality and the seductive allure of the past.
Smile
This body horror film plays on the primal fear of contagion. After witnessing a disturbing incident involving a woman with a never-ending smile, Rose finds herself cursed with the same horrifying grin
and the knowledge that it will lead to her demise. The final scene shows her fate sealed, trapped in a cycle of terror and passing the curse on to an unsuspecting victim.
Men
Alex Garland’s unsettling film explores themes of masculinity and trauma. Harper, seeking solace in a rural English village after a personal tragedy, encounters a series of men who embody different facets of male violence and aggression.
The ending leaves viewers questioning if these men are real or figments of Harper’s traumatized mind, creating a lingering sense of unease.
The Black Phone
This chilling adaptation of a Stephen King story throws a gut punch in the finale. Finney, a young boy abducted by a sadistic killer, uses a mysterious black phone in his basement prison to contact the spirits of the killer’s previous victims.
The ending reveals the killer is not who he seems, and the true villain is still out there, leaving viewers with a sense of dread and unfinished business.
X
Ti West’s throwback slasher film delivers a bloody and brutal finale. An aspiring filmmaking crew ventures to a remote Texas farmhouse to shoot a porno, only to be stalked and murdered by the
deranged elderly couple who own the property. The lone survivor, Maxine, takes a page from her favorite horror movies and channels her final girl energy, delivering a bloody and satisfyingly violent ending.
Nope
Jordan Peele’s latest genre-bending masterpiece leaves viewers pondering long after the credits roll. OJ and Emerald, after capturing footage of an alien creature, try to capitalize on the spectacle.
However, the film ends on a chilling note, with the alien remaining a terrifying presence hovering over humanity, a reminder that some things are best left unseen.
This selection of scary movie endings is just a taste of the nightmare fuel that horror cinema has churned out in recent years. From psychological chills to body horror freak-outs, these films prove
that horror continues to evolve, finding new ways to terrify and leave us checking under the bed (and maybe triple-checking the locks). So, if you’re looking for a good scare, dive into these films (but maybe leave the lights on…just in case).
