7 Great Horror Movies With Incredibly Bleak Endings
There are some truly terrible horror movie endings out there. The infamous 'It's all been a video game' twist in Serenity and the eerie final shot of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes are prime examples. But horror films often struggle with weak finales, sometimes due to the pressure to end with a twist, and sometimes because the third act just falls flat. On one hand, you have the evil plants in The Happening, and on the other, the confusing endings of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, where one ending is boring and standard, and the other is a gut-wrenching twist (specifically, the fate of Doctor Loomis in the Producer's Cut).
However, some horror movies intentionally leave you with a frown and perhaps a few tears. These endings are designed to feel hopeless, and they excel at achieving that effect. Here are the best horror movie endings that actively try to be downers and succeed in doing so.
- The Mist
Based on a Stephen King novel, The Mist is an intense alien invasion movie set in a single location. The ending, however, elevates it beyond the source material.
David Drayton, played by Thomas Jane, manages to get his son, Amanda, and a few others out of a chaotic grocery store. As they escape, the car is surrounded by towering aliens, and David, feeling the end is near, decides to mercy kill everyone in the car. The mist dissipates, and the military arrives.
Stream The Mist for free with ads on The Roku Channel.
- The Vanishing
The original 1988 Dutch film is a masterpiece, and you won't leave feeling optimistic about the world. The story follows Rex, whose girlfriend, Saskia, was kidnapped years ago. The kidnapper reveals himself and offers to tell Rex what happened to Saskia, but it's a cruel deception. The kidnapper, Raymond, returns to his suburban life with his family.
Stream The Vanishing on The Criterion Channel.
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The 1978 remake of Jack Finney's novel is the best adaptation, building upon the original book and 1950s movie. It adds a point-and-scream element, making it even more intense.
The movie follows Matthew, played by Donald Sutherland, as he witnesses the world being taken over. We also meet his friend, Elizabeth, and Jack and Nancy Bellicec, played by Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright. In the third act, Jack is taken over, and Matthew learns that Elizabeth has fallen to the same fate. The movie ends abruptly, with Nancy finding Matthew in a park, and he points and screams, alerting others to her humanity. Matthew has also been taken over.
Stream Invasion of the Body Snatchers on Prime Video.
- The Blair Witch Project
A late 1990s pop culture sensation, The Blair Witch Project doesn't feel as groundbreaking now that similar films like Paranormal Activity exist. However, its ending still packs a punch.
The entire movie is hopeless, but the ending really hits home. One of the three filmmakers is gone, likely dead, leaving Heather and Mike. They find an abandoned house, and Heather loses track of Mike, only to find him in the basement, staring into the corner. She screams, falls, and drops the camera. The fate of the characters remains a mystery, leaving viewers with a sense of unease.
Stream The Blair Witch Project on Kanopy.
- The Return of the Living Dead
While it may be a spoof of Romero's Dead movies, The Return of the Living Dead is a significant entry in the zombie subgenre. Its ending is nearly as jarring as Night of the Living Dead.
The military drops a nuke on a cemetery where the deadly Trioxin gas is resurrecting the dead. Unbeknownst to them, the blast spreads the resurrection process further.
Stream The Return of the Living Dead for free with ads on The Roku Channel.
- The Thing
John Carpenter's The Thing is a sci-fi masterpiece from the 1980s, known for its inconclusive finale. The movie follows two survivors: MacReady, played by Kurt Russell, and Childs, played by Keith David. MacReady eliminates the 'Blair-Thing,' and Childs disappears. The audience is as suspicious of Childs as MacReady is. MacReady acknowledges that if they have any surprises, they're not in a good position to act. They're going to freeze to death, and the thought of one of them being infected and later thawed is terrifying.
- Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a classic 1960s horror film with a devastating conclusion that still resonates today. The movie follows a few characters, and by the end, only Ben is alive. As daylight breaks, Ben looks out the window and is shot by a posse. Given the rarity of a Black protagonist in the 1960s, viewers are left to wonder if the posse saw an opportunity to kill someone different from them.
Stream Night of the Living Dead on HBO Max.
