Five of the Greatest Spoilers in Movie History

By Paco McCullough

Rise of the Planet of the Apes got me thinking about the original Planet of the Apes. One of the greatest scenes of that movie is, of course, the ending. This got me thinking: what are the greatest twist endings in movie history? I’m hoping to avoid the most commonly cited films (Fight Club, Sixth Sense, Psycho, etc) but a couple of these are bigger movies. Be warned, SPOILERS abound.

#5The Prestige

The Prestige is the first of two Nolan films on this list. Hints are sprinkled liberally throughout the film, from the first shot of a field of hats to a magic show where a boy starts crying because he realizes a bird was killed onstage. If unprepared for the ending though, it is still a shock to learn (SPOILER) that Hugh Jackman was cloning and killing himself regularly and framing Christian Bale for the whole thing. When I first saw this film, I didn’t know what was coming, and it’s safe to say it blew me away.

#4

Soylent Green

Maybe not the best twist ever in film, but certainly one of the first truly classic twists. Funny how two classic twists both star Charlton Heston. In this film, food is extremely rare, available only to the rich. The rest of society survives on crackers made out of plankton, called Soylent Blue. Overpopulation and global warming have destroyed the world, and there no other food sources left. Soon a new food source is being introduced, Soylent Green. As Heston researches, he discovers a horrible truth: “Soylent Green is people!” Truly one of the greatest final lines in cinema history.

#3

Memento

As the viewer works their way through Christopher Nolan’s Memento, they know no more than Guy Pearce’s character. Pearce is searching for revenge after his wife was brutally murdered. His memory doesn’t work, so he has to tattoo all meaningful information on his body. One of the clues involves a man named, John J, who Pearce believes killed his wife. In the twist ending, it’s revealed that Pearce himself accidentally killed his wife and has been going around killing innocent people. When he’s told this, he plants clues to kill the man who told him, so he can continue his blind quest for vengeance. A masterful and shocking ending to a great movie.

#2

Sleepaway Camp

What would otherwise be a very conventional 80s slasher movie is turned on its head by the final reveal- the killer has been the main character the whole time. Not only this, but the girl, Angela, is revealed to have actually been a boy. There’s a great freeze frame of a naked Angela covered in blood, revealing her biological manhood. The viewer is then told that her sister (the real Angela) was killed in an accident at the beginning of the film. Her aunt than decided to raise the boy as a girl, having him replace the real Angela. This bizarre and unnecessary twist is the only thing that makes this film in any way memorable.

#1

Oldboy

In what I would argue is the greatest twist in movie history, this revenge film ends with one of the most surprising acts of revenge I have ever seen in a film. After Oh Dae-Su has been held in a private prison for 15 years. Once released, he works on hunting down the people involved with doing this to him. Along the way he meets a beautiful young woman that he ends up falling in love with. During the climatic final showdown, (MAJOR SPOILERS) his enemy, Woo Jin-Lee, reveals that Oh Dae-Su has been brainwashed into falling in love and sleeping with his own daughter. A truly shocking ending one of the greatest movies of the past ten years.

What are your favorite spoilers? Sound off in the comments.