Over the course of this past year, we asked movie-loving members of our BuzzFeed Community, “If there were an Academy Award for ‘Best Movie Plot Twist,’ which films would have definitely won?” And they came through time and time again with some absolute SHOCKERS!
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So — with that in mind, presented in no particular order— here are all of the most popular responses we received, all in one place for easy, accessible, mind-blowing fun:
Also, WARNING: Given the entire concept of this post, almost all of the entries below contain MASSIVE SPOILERS for their respective films, so please proceed with caution and at your own risk!!! This is your one and only WARNING. Ready? Okay. Here we go!
“When it’s revealed that Tyler Durden is actually the narrator, it’s incredible. I love the movie as a whole, and this remains one of the most inventive and mind-boggling plot twists of all time.”
“I know that this one did, in fact, win a bunch of awards, but it’s still the only movie to literally have me sitting all the way back on my couch in shock by the time it was all said and done.”
“No brainer. I totally believed he was a detective the entire time. Never once thought he was a patient at the asylum. It’s one of the best — if not THE best — plot twists ever.”
“The entire film, you believe that the mother and her two children are being haunted by a family…only to find out that THEY themselves are the ghosts. I never saw that plot twist coming at all! The whole movie was confusing, but then it all made sense with the twist.”
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“Hands down, the moment when you find out that Christian Bale’s character had a twin the whole time. All that time, Hugh Jackman was trying to ‘figure out his trick,’ it was just a simple con! Brilliant!”
“It’s a rom-com, so you’re not expecting a huge twist or anything, but — when the twist came — I was floored. Never thought all of the characters’ worlds would collide in the way they do, but it’s SO funny. Ryan Gosling sincerely got ignored during awards season for that role.”
“The ending of this thriller threw me all the way off. Basically, you find out that the man stalking Johnny Depp’s character wasn’t real and that it was just him going mad because his wife had an affair and left him.”
“The audience thinks John Goodman is crazy and has been faking an invasion the whole time in order to keep the lead actor captive in his bunker; however, it turns out that, even though he really is crazy, the invasion was real just the same.”
“The signs pointed toward a tragic end for Andy, and the movie had been pretty bleak until that final twist. It was such a wonderful ending. It was so beautiful, cathartic, hopeful, and really surprising!”
“It was already such a good movie, but that plot twist was so well-executed…I honestly don’t think anyone who’s seen the movie could’ve seen it coming.”
“Not only when you find out that two of Sidney’s friends are the killers…but also when you find out that they are also the ones who killed Sidney’s mother! The first three Scream movies really did have mind-fuck plot twists for my teenage brain.”
“Say what you want about the movie, but if you thought there was a fully grown man living in the walls before it was revealed, I think you may need to see a therapist. There was no way to see something THAT crazy coming.”
“Disney marketed Hans as the ‘good guy,’ and then — with less than 20 minutes left to the movie — he turns out to be the villain?! He portrayed every quality of a typical Disney prince, and I think that’s why it was such a shock to everyone. We, as the audience, were made to believe that Hans was perfect for Anna, and we didn’t question it because of the ‘true love’ concept created by Disney. I remember sitting in the theater watching that and hearing the audible gasps in the audience. I still get mad to this day watching that scene.”
“This one is easily the winner, hands down. When you find out why the main character was kidnapped…no plot twist could ever beat that absolute bombshell of a twist. Even the villain is giddy as he’s about to reveal it.”
“I sat there with my jaw on the floor for about 10 full minutes after it was finished, and I kept going back over everything that had happened to make sense of it all. So well done!”
“At the end, there are two space pods that were supposed to go opposite directions in order to save the Earth, but the wrong one (with a horrifying creature inside) ends up going to Earth, and the correct one (with the human) got sent out into deep space. It made my jaw drop. Look it up!”
“I’m surprised this one hasn’t been mentioned yet! One of the most tragic yet well-executed plot twists I have ever seen. It left me staring at the screen and crying for an hour.”
“This movie absolutely THREW me! I was expecting like aliens or possession, but damn. It ends up that the grandparents the kids are visiting ARE NOT their grandparents, but people who’ve killed their grandparents and broken out of an institution. Truly, one of the best twists I’ve seen.”
“I’m still unsure how I feel about this one, but it was definitely well-executed. I left the theater shocked and here I am today still thinking about it.”
“When you find out the dad at the end of the movie was possessed by the woman in black and killed Elaine, and the wife finds out by looking at the photograph.”
“The ending of this movie is so incredible. Jordan Peele, being the talented man that he is, left MANY clues throughout the set up, but the twist is still so unnerving. Basically it ends up that, when the main character got lost as a little girl, she was kidnapped and forced to switch places with her doppelgänger, so the REAL main character was actually stuck underground the whole time. Not much scares me, but I left the theater feeling so creeped out and briefly considered just never leaving my house again.”
“This one actually has A LOT of great twists, but the best one was when it was revealed that Detective Vick was responsible for Margot’s disappearance. It blew my mind in the theater. It’s a great film and super underrated film, and the twists in it are just perfect.”
“When it’s revealed that Norman Bates is also Norma Bates and he has a split personality…it’s just one of the biggest plot twists in cinematic history. It basically invented the plot twist.”
“When you find out that the mother had inadvertently locked her son in a hidden room and that the noises/scares during the movie were just him trying get out…it was so sad.”
“When the first major twist/big reveal happened, the entire theater — including myself and my dad — were collectively like, ‘What in the actual fuck?!’ It literally came out of nowhere.”
“The fifth Final Destination movie actually has a great twist that — when you watch it a second time — makes you really appreciate all of the details and foreshadowing leading up to the ending.”
“There was never a more jaw-dropping ending than the main character finally getting his life together, only to be seen going up 80 floors in one of the twin towers on 9/11 and DYING. I mean WTF?!”
“I was so surprised when Lady Van Tassel was the one revealed to be controlling the Horseman, especially since she hadn’t been present throughout the movie. Just goes to prove it’s always who you least expect.”
“Halfway through the film, Evey believes that she’s in prison, getting tortured, and communicating with someone…then poof, it’s revealed to all be a set-up lie. It’s wild.”
“When you find out that the ‘dead body’ on the floor of the room was John Kramer/Jigsaw the whole time. I wish I could watch this movie for the first time all over again just for that twist!”
“This one had a lot of nice plot twists, but I was shocked when we find out Marta gave the right medicine, and Ransom set fire to the DNA lab not to protect her, but to destroy the evidence that she wasn’t guilty!”
“While it’s well-known now, this is one of — if not THE — biggest plot twists of all time. It literally shocked all of pop culture and changed one of the biggest franchises of all time.”
“When you watch a superhero movie, you always expect the heroes to win. I remember watching the movie thinking, ‘There’s NO WAY the Avengers are going to let Thanos get all the stones…’ Then he snapped his fingers, and everyone starting dusting away. I was shaken for a long time after that.”
“This is the ONLY right answer. The end of this movie, when you find out that Malcom has been a ghost this whole time changed how movie twists are written. And when you go back and rewatch it, it makes so much sense when you notice all the little foreshadowing that goes into it!”
So, (even though we have this giant list) which ones did we miss??? What movie plot twist do YOU believe would be honored with the coveted (and completely made up) “Best Movie Plot Twist” Oscar? Share your pick in the comments below, and be sure to follow BuzzFeed Community for a chance to be featured in an upcoming post and/or video!
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Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.
