A good horror film does more than just scare you, it lingers under the skin, and sticks
in your mind for years to come haunting you, haunting you the way A Serbian Film haunted
me.
Now, arguably the most important part of a horror film is its ending, whether through
a twist, the reveal of a monster, or the defeat of the main foe.
However, some horrors fall flat in their final moment, completely destroying the story carved
out leading up to that point.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5
Worst Horror Movie Endings.
Before we begin, be sure to stick around until the end of the video where I’ll be responding
to some of your comments.
And with that, let’s jump in.
5 The Boy (2016) This 2016 horror starring The Walking Dead’s
Lauren Cohan followed an American nanny who is shocked to learn that the boy she is paid
to babysit is actually a life-sized doll.
Yeah spooky.
After she violates a list of strict rules she must follow, some truly disturbing events
begin to unfold around her, making her believe that the doll is really alive.
Now, there is some inherently terrifying about dolls.
From Annabelle to Chucky to the Ventriloquist doll from the Goosebumps, dolls have proven
that they can not be trusted.
Enter The Boy.
I had high hopes, I truly did, and I can’t lie, it did start well.
There’s something truly unsettling about watching Lauren Cohan’s character, Greta,
care for a doll as though it’s a living boy, it’s bizarre.
Not only that, but the doll bears some resemblance to Brahms, a young boy who perished in the
house some years back.
The film quickly falls apart when we reach the final few moments of the movie, thanks
to a poorly conceived twist that left most viewers shaking their heads.
We learn that Brahms has been alive the entire time -- shocker -- and has been hiding in
the walls, slowly driving his parents crazy.
Essentially Greta has to fend off a guy that won’t leave the walls and her abusive boyfriend
who tracked her down.
It’s truly disappointing, and honestly, I just feel bad for Lauren Cohan, I mean Greta.
4 The Happening (2008) I couldn’t not put this film on our list.
It’s my duty.
This is why I’m here.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who had clearly lost his mind when he made this movie.
The Happening was released back in 2008 and followed a science teacher, played by Marky
Mark, his wife, played by the New Girl, and a young girl who struggle to survive a plague
that causes those infected to commit suicide.
And, no, try not to confuse this film with The Bird Box, a superior film that had major
Lovecraftian vibes.
Now, that one you should definitely watch.
Anyway, The Happening was terrible from the off.
We begin by questioning what caused the sudden disappearance of bees.
Nature is clearly doing some bizaree, and then enter the suicide, with the strange behavioring
spreading like wild fire throughout New York City.
Now, The Happening is a film that can be left up to a viewer's interpretation, and depending
on how you view it, it may be great, but for me, it fell flat and fell hard.
What is suggested is that the event in The Happening occurred because plants evolved
too quickly, resulting in them releasing a toxin that caused increased paranoia, and
leading to suicide.
Now, whether intentionally or not, the ending of The Happening ends with, nothing...happening.
At all really.
Marky Mark and New Girl emerge from hiding to confront the ambiguous “happening”
only to find that it’s no longer happening.
Yeah, that’s end.
And then they live happily ever after the end.
3 The Descent (US Ending) (2005) Now, don’t get me wrong, The Descent is
a truly great movie, and perhaps one of my favorite horrors of all time.
However, the only version worth watching is the UK version, aka the original version,
because the US version switched up the ending and in doing so, destroyed the entire film.
Facts.
Released back in 2005 and directed by Neil Marshall this British horror follows a caving
expedition that goes horribly wrong when the explorers become trapped and pursued by a
strange breed of predators.
From the off The Descent is terrifying, quite honestly there is no setting more ideal for
a horror film than a cave.
It’s dark, wet, and claustrophobic, making it scary enough before we’re even introduced
to the monsters lurking within the dark.
When the cave collapses trapping the expedition within, forcing them to squeeze through its
neverending tunnels, the thought that there could be creatures is almost an afterthought.
The film successfully maintains a level of intensity and suspense throughout, a feet
that most horror films fail to do, and when our leading lady emerges from the cave, covered
in mud and blood, we notice the shift from civilization to savagery.
Now, this is where we introduce our two endings.
When our leading lady, Sarah emerges from the cave, crawling out and making her way
back to the car, she pulls over and vomits before leaning back and noticing the ghost
of one of fellow cavers in the back.
Now, in the UK version, this is where Sarah wakes up, realizing she is still trapped inside
the cave with the monsters lurking within, as the creatures can be heard increasing in
strength as the close in on her.
The credits then roll.
However, the ending was deemed too dark for US audiences, so they decided to switch it
up, and instead ended the film with Sarah sat in the car after seeing the ghostly figure
of her friend.
Yeah, underwhelming I know.
2 High Tension (2003) Released back in 2003, this french horror
follows best friends Marie and Alexia who decide to spend a quiet weekend at Alexia’s
parents’ secluded farmhouse.
But on the night of their arrival, the girls’ idyllic getaway turns into an endless night
of horror -- and I mean endless.
Now, there’s something about French horror that truly terrifies me, it’s almost traumatizing.
I don’t know whether it’s the bleakness, the realness, or just the refusal to be uplifting
in any way, but it’s emotionally scarring, and this is one of those examples, however,
it definitely pulls up short.
High Tension made waves both here and in Europe, and honestly, it’s deserved, for the most
part.
The movie successfully builds the tension and suspense as the two main characters attempt
to outrun a serial killer who is chasing them down.
The inventive use of gore is a real winner, and perhaps one of the best elements in the
movie.
Spoilers incoming.
We learn towards the final moments of the movie, that the person chasing Marie and Alexia
is no stranger, not even a man.
It’s actually Marie herself, well, an alternate personality she’s invented to cope with
her homicidal tendencies.
So, you might be thinking, how on earth does that work?
Well...let me tell you.
It doesn’t.
The film somehow allows her to be in two places at once, yeah, and they expect us to believe
that.
The twist is a cop-out and ruins a truly effective movie up until that point.
Now, I will say that it certainly shocked viewers and me when I first saw it, but on
second watch it feels like the film is one giant waste of time, sadly.
1 Orphan (2009) Released back in 2009 and starring Vera Farmiga
and Peter Sarsgaard, this horror follows a husband and wife who recently lost their baby
and decide to adopt a 9 year old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to
be.
Shocker.
Now, whether they’re being terrorized, or the ones doing the terrorizing, kids always
added extra fear to a horror movie.
It’s just facts.
When the family adopt Esther, a young Russian child, it becomes apparent very quickly that
she has a very dark, insidious side to her -- with the mother becoming increasingly suspicious
as the story progresses.
She attempts to uncover the child’s past and secrets -- and why bad things seem to
happen when she’s around.
Now, of course there’s a reason, but it’s not what you would expect.
It’s actually completely ridiculous.
Now, spoilers ahead, proceed with caution.
It turns out Esther isn’t a child at all, she’s actually an incredibly short, murderous
woman who has spent the majority of her life posing as a child so she can be adopted and
continue to kill.
Weirder still, she attempts to sleep with her adoptive father, which definitely makes
the film horrifically cringy -- it is also makes you question each character, and why
they never thought to do background checks before bringing home a child.
Just saying.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any bad horror movie endings that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
Before I go though I just want to respond to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Norwegian Urban Legends.
Joseph Whitaker said “She’s neither good nor evil and cannot be trusted” As Lucy
Described herself.
-- Yeah, that sums me up pretty damn well.
I’m neither good nor evil, I simply am.
Tony Vander Heyden said “Thanks for the mythology lesson Lucy.”
-- You are very welcome!
Tank Kali said “Another great video.
I thank thee Pale Queen Lucy for always having great enthralling videos.”
-- Well shucks, thank you kindly!
Lunar Foxfyre said “Oh Lucy, great Queen of Scary, want to do some troll hunting?”
-- Always.
Josephskiles said “I’ve asked this a couple times before, anyone know what the tat is
on her inner arm?”
-- Well, Joseph.
I’ve answered this a couple times before, but I’ll tell ya again, just for you.
It’s a mountain range in Banff.
There ya go!
And on that note, if you haven’t already, be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another scary video.
And until next time, see ya later.