Best and Worst Plot Twist

I could probably add something to the OP now...

Worst twist: High Tension/Haute Tension

I'm going to spoil the hell out of this turd, because it deserves it.

Not only did they ruin a perfectly good horror flick, but in doing so they managed to make it not make a bit of sense AND plagiarize Fight Club at the same time.
 
The Atheist said:
Originally Posted by Polaris
I hope you at least picked the book up off the floor since then.

Btw, Bambi's mother tasted great.
Click to expand...
Yet strangely, she likes venison...
Click to expand...

Why am I thinking of this butcher's sign?

"Watership Down, You've read the book, you've seen the film, now eat the cast"

Or the classic classified advert read out on the News Quiz.

"For Sale: "My Little Pony" abbetoir and pie factory, with meathooks and usual accesories - as new £10"

I think I might have to spend a little cash and put that into our local paper.

One of my favourite pliot twists is Iain M Bank's twist in "Use of Weapons"

He even (ambiguously) tells you what the twist is halfway through the book, and I didn't notice until the end.
 
Denver said:
I think I'll reply from the realm of horror literature:

Worst plot twist:
The Dark Tower series (Stephen King)
Click to expand...
I completely disagree. It was the only complete way to end the series. It was IMHO the only good ending stephen king ever made and I think it steals the thunder from the potential ending of a wheel of time.

It had to be the beginning that the ending was heading towards. The entire concept of the gunslinger as a cycle was foreshadowed continuously. It was made even better the fact that there was the one clue that this time, the cycle wasn't a perfect repeat. Something was different...
 
I find it difficult to get upset about the end of the Dark Tower series since Stephen King tells the reader specifically when the ending is coming and that you probably will not like it and you can stop reading now!

When I read that, I stopped reading the book. I seriously debated with myself whether or not to continue (my father stopped and has not read on to this day), and eventually decided that I had to know what was at the top of the freaking tower! Sadly, I did not like what I found there, but at least I can say that I agonized over it a bit, which made it that much more crushing to me.

Far more frustrating to me was
the death of Randall Flagg. We followed his adventures across time, space, and between universes. He sends chills up the spine of everyone who meets him. He is the big bad guy of the Stand. He is the villain of Eyes of the Dragon. He has incredible powers and is virtually unkillable. And what happens? He gets randomly introduced talks for a bit, then gets eaten by a big spider in the space of three pages. WTF?
 
Random said:
When I read that, I stopped reading the book. I seriously debated with myself whether or not to continue (my father stopped and has not read on to this day), and eventually decided that I had to know what was at the top of the freaking tower! Sadly, I did not like what I found there, but at least I can say that I agonized over it a bit, which made it that much more crushing to me.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing, and I still wish I had just left it alone.
 
RobRoy said:
I did the same thing, and I still wish I had just left it alone.
Click to expand...
It's kind of like going into the tower yourself. You can stop reading and have the happy cheery ending, or you can let your curiousity and desire to get to the top get the better of you and finish the book, a choice echoed by the actions of the characters near the end.

And the worst part is, that when you get to the top of the tower, there is no way back, because you can't unread what you have read.
 
Random said:
And the worst part is, that when you get to the top of the tower, there is no way back, because you can't unread what you have read.
Click to expand...

Yeppers. It's one of the few times I actually wished I hadn't finished the book. I should have taken the author's very good advice and trusted in his judgement regarding audience reaction. King is many things, but he can judge an audience.
 
My vote for worst "plot" twist.

Ginger Snaps II Unleashed.

We spend two movies following the sisters in the story.
In 4 seconds both movies are rendered meaningless.
Now I watch those movies and turn it off before the plot twist that wrecks everything. If there can be such a thing as a gratuitous plot twist, this is it.
 
One of my very favorite movies is "Kind Hearts and Coronets." The final scene... when he's been cleared of murdering his mistress' husband and is released... and the reporter runs up to him and offers him money for his story... and he realizes that he's left in his cell his complete confession (written when he thought he would be hanged) of all the people he DID murder to get to his present position AND he's faced with the choice of two carriages: One with his wife, and one with his mistress.

Or maybe that's more irony than a twist.... but it was very, very funny (as was the entire movie)
 
Last edited:
alfaniner said:
Most devastating - The Bridge to Terabithia.

I was angry about it mostly due to the deceptive preview -- went into it expecting something totally different. Although it was a very well done movie for what its original intent was, being blindsided like that totally threw me and left me incensed.
Click to expand...

I had read the book so when I saw the previews I said, "Wait. That's not what it's about... Hold on," wikied it, saw I was right and went, "WTF."

I'm glad they stayed true, but the marketing campaign... eugh.
 
Personally I don't classify a "twist" as any good unless knowing the twist significantly alters the viewing of the film.

For example:

I consider The Usual Suspects one of the best twists of all time as the twist completely reverses the entire premise of the film


Too many films have stupid "gimmick" twists that actually don't change the plot in any way whatsoever.

Some other good twist films:

Memento
Fight Club
Matchstick Men
Lucky Number Sleven
 
Best:
Fight Club
Planet of the Apes (origional)
Death Trap - one of the few times where I never saw anything coming
Several episodes out of the origional Twilight Zone (1968)

God awful: I really don't have to say it, as everyone else did.

Piscivore said:
Makes Darth Vader look like a whiney little crybaby.

Wait, no- Lucas did that. Sorry.
Click to expand...

10 points for that.
 
Good-
Jacob's Ladder
Southland Tales
Lost Highway
Occurance at Owl Creek(I saw that twilight zone reference...)

Bad-

I think these have been covered, quite well...

Worst-

What the Bleep--The plot twist occurs when you realize that you just sat through some bizarre film made by some bizarre cult....right about the time you see the name ramtha in the credits. To be honest, a friend and I watched it for free online during one of it's brief interludes on google video, and we were totally expecting it to be some cool imagination inspiring scientific documentary...you can probably guess how this story ends...
 
Worst plot twist ever is Highlander 2. It made no sense and totally destroyed the whole idea of the first movie.

This movie should be buried forever and never spoken of again.
 
Great thread!

thesyntaxera - Couldn't agree more about Jacob's Ladder. My favorite "horror" movie, but it is so much more than that.

Great twists in two of my favorite films of the last 20 years:

1) L.A. Confidential

2) Lone Star - Elizabeth Pena was in both Lone Star and Jacob's Ladder and was great in both. If you like movies that have well-written, three dimensional characters and a fascinating story, RUN to the video store and rent this. It should also be required viewing in film schools on how to effectively use flashbacks. Just brilliant.

Vic - who has a BFA in Film Production :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom