Top 30 Movies RUINED by Disturbing Endings | Articles on WatchMojo.com (2025)

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable movies that were totally ruined thanks to their unnecessarily bleak and dour endings. A major spoiler warning is in effect. Did you still enjoy these films, despite their controversial endings? Let us know in the comments below!

#30: “Man of Steel” (2013)

Zack Snyder loves him some dark superhero movies. And while that worked for something like “Watchmen,” in which the source material is inherently moody, it didn’t quite work for Superman. In the very controversial ending to this reboot, Superman kills Zod as he attacks an innocent family in the train station. The decision to have the iconic hero commit murder was highly divisive, especially amongst diehard fans and those involved with the comics. It was a big creative swing, and we have to commend that, but many felt that the overt violence betrayed the tone and character of Superman.

#29: “Knowing” (2009)

An apocalyptic thriller starring Nicolas Cage, “Knowing” follows John Koestler, an astrophysics professor who learns that a massive solar flare is primed to hit Earth. Well, um, that’s exactly what happens. This is one of those rare disaster movies in which the entire world ends, as the planet is slammed by the solar flare and everyone dies. Well, everyone except a number of children who are taken away by alien creatures and brought to an Eden-like planet, supposedly to save the human race. But this only raises more questions - not to mention some dour implications. Just imagine the state of their sanity as they grow up without parents and learn all these truths about armageddon, alien life, and what seems like forced repopulation.

#28: “Sunshine” (2007)

The sun is failing, and we gotta kickstart that sucker to prevent the apocalypse. What a fascinating subject for a movie - too bad “Sunshine” ruined it by randomly turning into a mediocre slasher movie in the third act. The crazed Captain Pinbacker hunts down the crew and kills some of them, supposedly for defying God’s plan. He’s even covered in horrible burns - remind you of anyone? It was a weird shift, turning “Sunshine” from a philosophical space drama into a violent horror flick. It’s not a shift that many were expecting - or wanting.

#27: “Would You Rather” (2012)

A fun idea for a horror film, “Would You Rather” follows Iris, a young woman trying to save her brother Raleigh from cancer. She is introduced to Shepard Lambrick, a disturbed philanthropist who offers to pay for Raleigh’s treatments if Iris wins a twisted game of would you rather. Iris wins, after much blood and depravity of course, and is rewarded with both money and a bone marrow donor for Raleigh. But upon returning home, she finds that her despondent brother has just taken his own life. We know horror movies don’t often have happy endings, but this is just needlessly cruel.

#26: “Mother!” (2017)

Darren Aronofsky is a subversive filmmaker, and he certainly proves that with “Mother!” On the surface, it’s about a woman who grows increasingly anxious about the sheer number of guests invading her house. But it’s really an allegory about God, Eden, and Mother Earth. And it does not have pleasant things to say about humanity. The guests eventually turn into a ravenous cult devoted to Mother’s husband, nearly beating Mother to death and causing her to burn the house down. And that’s to say nothing of the horror they inflict on her newborn son. It’s all shown in very graphic detail, and it has proven way too much for many viewers.

#25: “Spring Breakers” (2012)

Don’t let the colorful bikinis and neon lights fool you - “Spring Breakers” is not a sexy romp. Quite the opposite, in fact. Four girls partying in St. Petersburg meet a drug dealer named Alien and soon fall into his life of crime and hedonism. Faith quickly grows disillusioned and leaves, and Cotty later departs after getting injured in a drive-by shooting. But Brit and Candy fall fully into the lifestyle and turn into vicious murderers by shooting up a rival gang and killing its leader in cold blood. Turning heroes into psychotic villains is always a risky proposition, and some aren’t convinced that “Spring Breakers” pulled it off.

#24: “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (1969)

While it’s now considered one of the best Bond films, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was met with a muted reception in 1969. Most of this is due to the absence of Sean Connery, who was replaced with newcomer George Lazenby. But many people also found the story too bleak. It depicts Bond in a far more personal and vulnerable light, with the secret agent falling in love with a countess named Tracy. He eventually marries Tracy, but she is killed in a drive-by shooting in the movie’s famous ending. Most fans wanted to watch Bond get the girl and kick some butt, not cry over his late wife’s bloody corpse.

#23: “Beau Is Afraid” (2023)

Ari Aster’s third major film was highly anticipated - and ended up highly divisive. The reasons for this are many, including its tragic (and exhausting) ending. The titular Beau travels far and wide to attend his mother Mona’s funeral, but in a bizarre twist ending, both we and Beau learn that Mona is actually alive. Not only that, but she is horribly abusive towards Beau and reveals that the entire odyssey was a test. Oh, and his father is a literal monster. He then enters a mock trial for supposedly mistreating his mother, suffering public humiliation and, eventually, execution. The ending is full of metaphor and allegory, but come on, we endured three hours of Beau’s misery for this? Talk about a bummer.

#22: “Last Night in Soho” (2021)

Edgar Wright made his first foray into horror with “Last Night in Soho,” a deconstruction of the Swinging Sixties and all its glitz and glamor. Fashion student Ellie is transported back to the 1960s whenever she sleeps, observing the abused life of a singer named Sandie. As the movie nears its conclusion, we learn that Sandie developed into a serial killer, murdering the men she had been pimped to and hiding their corpses under the floor of her bedsit. She then grew into the elderly Ms. Collins, who now rents the place to Ellie. And when Collins confronts Ellie, the latter defends her brutal life of serial murder. The messy twist turns the victims into villains and leaves behind a rather muddled message.

#21: “The Butterfly Effect” (2004)

This movie is essentially two hours of unending misery. Ashton Kutcher plays Evan, a young man who tries changing his tragic past by reading a journal and going back in time. But this proves more difficult than it sounds thanks to, you guessed it, the butterfly effect. Unfortunately, there’s no winning when it comes to the resolution. The theatrical ending is a happy one, but it doesn’t gel with the relentlessly depressing tone of the movie. The director’s cut fixes this, but it makes the movie even more depressing by having baby Evan strangle himself in the womb. It’s almost comically morbid, and some even find it unintentionally goofy.

#20: “Glass” (2019)

We so wanted the concluding chapter in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” trilogy to live up to its crossover potential. And while some of the interactions between the superhuman characters have their moments, fans were largely left scratching their heads following a rather anticlimactic finale. Subverting the notion that a superhero movie has to lead up to an epic set piece, “Glass” instead has its three leads die in unceremonious fashion. Perhaps none more so than David Dunn, who’s literally drowned in a puddle of water. The movie tries to end on an optimistic note as the existence of superheroes is made public, but we can’t help but feel it’s undercut by its underwhelming and rather dour climax.

#19: “47 Meters Down” (2017)

The simple setup of divers having to survive a pack of hungry sharks after their cage plummets them to the bottom of the ocean has the makings for a brisk creature feature. But unfortunately “47 Meters Down” tries to throw in too many narrative curveballs when it matters most. After numerous close calls, it seems like sisters Lisa and Kate have finally made it back to the boat. After a thrilling ascension, it turns out Lisa has been hallucinating, and is still at the bottom of the ocean. Not only that, but she realizes Kate had been killed by the sharks a while ago. Just as quickly as it took to explain this, Lisa is rescued by the Coast Guard, making us question this whole narrative back-and-forth.

#18: “Serenity” (2019)

No, not the movie adaptation of “Firefly.” This one is way, way worse. Before being thrown out the window by a ludicrous twist, “Serenity” does at least have some atmosphere and intrigue about it. The bulk of the plot sees Matthew McConaughey’s fishing boat captain contemplate murdering his ex-wife’s cruel new husband Frank. But as the walls of his reality begin to crumble, Baker Dill eventually realizes that he’s merely part of a computer simulation created by his son Patrick in the real world. Baker going through with killing Frank is the motivation Patrick needs to kill his abusive stepfather in the real world. Patrick is charged with murder, and we’re left asking, “What the heck did we just watch?”

#17: “Truth or Dare” (2018)

“Truth or Dare” is about as convincing as you’d expect from a horror movie based on the titular game. But the ending still manages to sink to new lows. The basic premise is this: a group of college kids get roped into playing a supernatural game of truth or dare, whereby you have to either tell horrible truths, commit dangerous dares, or die. Because the evil game is twisted - apparently - it leads to their deaths eventually. But players can extend the time between their turns by inviting other players to join. Rather than roll the dice again, Olivia instead ends the movie by uploading a video whereby she invites potentially the whole world to play. This feels edgy for edginess’ sake.

#16: “The Son” (2022)

This film, tangentially related to Florian Zeller’s previous film, “The Father,” tackles some very serious issues. However, it’s been criticized for doing so through melodrama. At the heart of the story is Peter and his son Nicholas, the latter of whom struggles greatly with depression. Eventually, Nicholas is placed in an in-patient treatment facility for his own safety, and makes an impassioned plea for release toward the end of the film. His parents relent even against doctor wishes, and as soon they return home, Nicholas tragically takes his own life. It’s far from the most tactful presentation for sensitive viewers, and the final scene where the film briefly tricks us into thinking Nicholas survived doesn’t help matters.

#15: “The Entity” (1982)

This horror film supposedly based on true events distinguishes itself by going further than most in the genre would. Trouble is, the ending manages to go too far. After being plagued by a malicious, supernatural force, Carla is finally able to prove her sanity and the existence of the invisible entity. Only the person with the ability to officially validate her claims goes into denial. The film ends with Carla moving away with her family, but not before the entity greets her by saying, “Welcome home,” followed by a weirdly vulgar British slang word; we think you know what it is. It’s a decidedly dour downbeat to end on, with the entity’s colorful language eliciting little more than confusion.

#14: “The Number 23” (2007)

Now here’s a movie that makes the wrong call at every turn, with its twist being at the center of it all. Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow, a man who becomes obsessed with a book that may hold the secrets to a murder. Wrapped up in this mystery is the number twenty-three, which Walter can’t help but see everywhere. At no point is the film less convincing than the third act, wherein Walter overcomes his amnesia and remembers that he wrote the book and committed the murder. “The Number 23” takes the well-worn trope of an unreliable protagonist and stretches it beyond its limits. If it was less concerned with simply being dark, it might’ve offered a halfway satisfying solution.

#13: “The Box” (2009)

The financially desperate Norma and Arthur are presented with an option by a mysterious man: if they press a button, they’ll receive $1 million, but a stranger will die. Rather than lean into the psychological angle of the plot, the movie eventually takes a turn into the realm of science-fiction. In the end, the mysterious man reveals his assistants have blinded and deafened their son, and offers them another choice: keep the money and live with their son’s condition, or Arthur can kill Norma and their son’s senses will be restored. We get the latter, but we feel like the movie should’ve taken Option C, that is, if Option C is “anything else.”

#12: “The Woman in Black” (2012)

For what it’s worth, “The Woman in Black” is actually a creepy, little haunting film, with plenty of atmosphere to spare. But we’re still not sold on the dour ending. Throughout the film, lawyer Arthur Kipps handles an estate that turns out to be haunted by the spirit of a woman who lost her young son. The titular woman in black gets her revenge by taking the lives of the children in the nearby village. Realizing she’s going after his son Joseph next, Arthur attempts to save him. However, after Joseph wanders onto train tracks, both he and Arthur are killed. While Arthur is reunited with his deceased wife in the afterlife, we can’t help but wish things had turned out better in the end.

#11: “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” (2008)

This one is incredibly heavy, so get ready. The film is set in Nazi-occupied Poland and follows the friendship between two boys. Bruno is the son of an SS officer, and Shmuel is a Jewish prisoner at a nearby extermination camp. The boys’ ignorance of the real horrors going on reaches a critical point at the end when Bruno is mistaken for a prisoner and rounded up with the rest of them. Bruno, Shmuel and countless others are tragically executed, and the film ends with Bruno’s family utterly devastated. While the film has garnered mixed reactions, detractors of the ending have criticized it for being contrived and sympathizing with Nazis. Either way, it’s definitely a gut punch we wish we could forget.

#10: “Secret Window” (2004)

Certain endings are so cliché, their inclusion nearly always detracts from the rest of the story. A tired twist in murder mysteries is revealing the protagonist to be the killer, usually with multiple personalities thrown-in for good measure. In “Secret Window,” Johnny Depp plays Mort, a writer who suffers a mental break after learning about his wife’s affair. Throughout the film, Mort is tormented by a person named Shooter, before the third act reveals the two to be one and the same.

#9: “Sucker Punch” (2011)

Zack Synder’s film is a grim psychological drama about abuse that also loves to drop its attractive cast in video game scenarios devoid of consequence. Despite being set in a horrifying mental institute fond of lobotomizing its patients, Babydoll’s explosive dream sequences are pure escapism; as a result, “Sucker Punch’s” tone is all over the place. Ultimately, Babydoll is lobotomized to allow one of the other captives to escape. It’s an ending that may have actually worked had “Sucker Punch” focused more on the psychological storyline, rather than constantly stopping dead to show glorified music videos.

#8: “Knock Knock” (2015)

Starring Keanu Reeves, “Knock Knock’s” married protagonist engages in a touch of infidelity before the two determined women torture him as punishment for succumbing to temptation. For the most part, “Knock Knock” plays it relatively straight, but the over-the-top ending jumps right over satire into parody territory, including a “no” moment capable of making Anakin Skywalker blush. After the protagonist accidentally likes his own assault video on Facebook, the girls gleefully escape to presumably torture another day. At the very least, the move that inspired “Knock Knock” had the decency to hit the villains with a truck.

#7: “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” (2015)

The sixth entry in the franchise, “The Ghost Dimension” finally answers a couple of long-standing questions. As it so happens, some things are better left a mystery. Long story short, a cult needs the blood of a girl named Leila to revive a demon called Toby, and the villains succeed while killing the rest of the child’s family. Since most entries in the series conclude with a win for the bad guys, “The Ghost Dimension’s” shocking ending happens to be the most predictable outcome possible. Along with an absence of scares, “The Ghost Dimension’s” theatrical ending represents a franchise that never should have been running out of steam.

#6: “The Descent Part 2” (2009)

Following six women who enter a cave occupied by cannibalistic humans, 2005’s “The Descent” is a fantastic horror movie with a seemingly happy ending that winds up being the exact opposite. Despite obviously lacking the element of surprise key in making the original film’s climax so effective, the sequel could not resist closing with another switcheroo. “The Descent’s” protagonist sacrifices themselves to allow another woman to escape the cave; unfortunately, a rarely seen minor character shows up to ensure nobody survives. It is almost like the film suddenly remembers it needs a crushing ending and opts for the flimsiest solution possible.

#5: “Remember Me” (2010)

In the hands of the right director and writer, any subject matter can work. That being said, adopting a real-life tragedy to artificially bloat a story’s self-importance is a recipe for disaster. For approximately 95% of its run-time, “Remember Me” is a meandering drama about pretty people grieving over senseless acts of violence. Then, the 9/11 attacks happen while the protagonist is in the World Trade Center. For some reason, “Remember Me” turns one of America’s worst moments into a poorly timed twist ending that no one asked for.

#4: “Splice” (2009)

Strange, twisted, and often great, “Splice” sees a pair of scientists fusing human and animal DNA to create a female hybrid called Dren. As Elsa’s own DNA is used, the engineer is basically Dren’s mother; meanwhile, the other scientist begins to sleep with the hybrid creature. Following a thoughtful exploration of this unorthodox love triangle, “Splice” forgoes atmosphere in favor of a purely insane climax. After becoming male, Dren forcibly impregnates Elsa, who opts to keep the baby for money. Anything interesting “Splice”says about genetic engineering is overshadowed by the overly grotesque third act.

#3: “High Tension” (2003)

Starting out as a relatively grounded slasher film about Marie, a teenager desperate to protect her friend from a deranged serial killer, “High Tension” ultimately exposes the protagonist as a psychopath suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Framed as Marie recounting her version of events while in a mental institute, “High Tension” asks audiences to believe all these violent murders were committed by a petite teenager rather than a brawny guy. Even if the ending’s inconsistencies can be waved away as the ravings of an unreliable narrator, this does not mean logic can be thrown out of the window. Otherwise, everything prior to the twist is rendered irrelevant.

#2: “The Life of David Gale” (2003)

Focusing on a philosophy professor sentenced to death after being wrongly convicted of murder and assault, “The Life of David Gale’s” twist ending is hardly to blame for all of the film’s problems. That being said, it definitely does not help. In an attempt to discredit capital punishment, David Gale frames himself for the murder of a close personal friend who actually took their own life, with a video of the real death surfacing after the protagonist is executed. Consequently, “The Life of David Gale” takes the criminal justice system, Kate Winslet’s investigative reporter, and audiences on a wild and profoundly ill-advised ride.

#1: “Pay It Forward” (2000)