The first time I watched Saw, I was a pretty impressionable teenager.
I had seen a bunch of horror films but I was of course nowhere near as seasoned a film-watcher as I am now, and that ending really blew my mind.
It was pretty awesome and was a pleasure to see at the right age, opening my eyes further to how successful cinematic storytelling can be.
It helps that the film has some excellent twists and turns before the ride finishes, too.
Oh, and let's not talk about the sequels. They all seem to think they can top the first (or rival something like the twist in Hitchcock's Psycho, and it's a bore).
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor MrPhraust asked the online community,
"What movie has the greatest plot twist of all time?"
The Skeleton Key (2005)
"The Skeleton Key had stuck with me as not many movies can pull the "the hero is f*cked" twist very well."
Blissfully_
This film is very underrated. A decent horror film that came out during a slew of terrible studio efforts. The ending is good stuff.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
"I have to agree with The Sixth Sense; at the time it was a HUGE deal. Everyone was being quiet about the ending, and the friend who took me to see it only said she'd know when I figured it out by my gasp. And as I gasped, so did about a dozen other people in the theater. It was mega cool!"
WildwingSuz
That pretty much is what made it all work: the common agreement between everyone who had seen it to keep their mouths shut.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
"The Cabin in the Woods got me good, wasn't expecting a twist in a run of the mill horror film."
nooneneededtoknow
You see, I wasn't in love with this one at all, but I can see why so many people ate it up. For me, it was a little too "meta" for its own good.
The Others (2001)
"The Others. I saw that movie a single time 20 years when I was a kid and the twist stuck with me. It was pretty great."
[deleted]
If you liked The Others, check out The Innocents (1961), from which The Others takes a lot of inspiration.
Memento (2000)
"I feel like I should have seen it coming but I genuinely didn't expect it."
Mossenpay
Good choice. Worth seeing for Guy Pearce's great performance alone.
Primal Fear (1996)
"Primal Fear. This is one solid movie. And when he starts clapping at the end I couldn't believe all this time he had the wool pulled over all our eyes."
HighJumper81
This is also the movie that put Edward Norton on the map, and we should be grateful.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
"The Usual Suspects. Favorite thing about that movie is you have no idea what was true and what was made up."
FlickFreak
This one is very satisfying and has been mimicked multiple times since!
The Prestige (2006)
"I'm convinced that Chris Nolan is obsessed with plots that make the viewer watch multiple times. Sometimes it works like Prestige and sometimes it doesn't like Tenet, but it's always a unique take to filmmaking."
jm2010
This one is definitely worth revisiting. For those of you who are interested, you can rent it on Apple TV for just a few bucks!
Orphan (2009)
"Orphan. Never in a million years would I have guessed THAT plot twist."
StarWarsChristian
Good call! I recently sat through Orphan: First KIll, and while it wasn't fantastic, I appreciated how even this one had a twist I did not expect.
Frailty (2001)
"Frailty. I started to get suspicious near the end but it still took me a bit by surprise."
[deleted]
I saw this again after I realized it was on HBO Max and it was well worth revisiting. Makes you question the events of the entire film.
Hopefully you don't mind reading spoilers–or the suggestion of spoilers–for films that are in some cases more than 20 years old.
Regardless, these are worth seeing, so you can appreciate these films for what they are.
Have some suggestions of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!
One of the most famous plot twists of all time has to be the one in The Sixth Sense, which captivated audiences when the film came out in 1999. In fact, it was probably on the strength of that plot twist alone that the film became such a smash hit, even receiving multiple Academy Award nominations.
That twist has been parodied multiple times, including in the Scary Movie series and become a pop culture phenomenon. And despite that, the film is still very much worth a watch. Too bad M. Night Shyamalan has struggled to top it since.
People shared their thoughts with us after Redditor glock_baby asked the online community,
"What movie do you think has the best plot twist?"
Saw (2004)
"Saw. When Jigsaw got up off the floor blew my mind."
iamclear
This one is a pretty revolutionary twist that influenced so many horror films thereafter. Too bad the rest of the series kept introducing twists to the point where it just got silly.
The Skeleton Key (2005)
"The Skeleton Key had stuck with me as not many movies can pull the "the hero is f*cked" twist very well."
Blissfully_
This film is very underrated. A decent horror film that came out during a slew of terrible studio efforts. The ending is good stuff.
The Others (2001)
"The Others. I saw that movie a single time 20 years when I was a kid and the twist stuck with me. It was pretty great."
[deleted]
If you liked The Others, check out The Innocents (1961), from which The Others takes a lot of inspiration.
Memento (2000)
"I feel like I should have seen it coming but I genuinely didn't expect it."
Mossenpay
Good choice. Worth seeing for Guy Pearce's great performance alone.
Primal Fear (1996)
"Primal Fear. This is one solid movie. And when he starts clapping at the end I couldn't believe all this time he had the wool pulled over all our eyes."
HighJumper81
This is also the movie that put Edward Norton on the map, and we should be grateful.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
"The Usual Suspects. Favorite thing about that movie is you have no idea what was true and what was made up."
FlickFreak
This one is very satisfying and has been mimicked multiple times since!
The Prestige (2006)
"I'm convinced that Chris Nolan is obsessed with plots that make the viewer watch multiple times. Sometimes it works like Prestige and sometimes it doesn't like Tenet, but it's always a unique take to filmmaking."
jm2010
This one is definitely worth revisiting. For those of you who are interested, you can rent it on Apple TV for just a few bucks!
Orphan (2009)
"Orphan. Never in a million years would I have guessed THAT plot twist."
StarWarsChristian
Too bad the trailers kept insisting that no one would guess the ending. Still worth a watch, though, with some great acting!
Frailty (2001)
"Frailty. I started to get suspicious near the end but it still took me a bit by surprise."
[deleted]
I saw this again after I realized it was on HBO Max and it was well worth revisiting.
Se7en (1995)
"Se7en. Kevin Spacey plays such an incredible creep. Turns out he wasn’t necessarily acting."
Rouguespiffy
That he does. Unnerving to think about and realize after the fact, huh?
Hopefully you don't mind reading spoilers–or the suggestion of spoilers–for films that are in some cases more than 20 years old.
Regardless, these are worth seeing, so you can appreciate these films for what they are.
Have some suggestions of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!