Twist Endings

[cdrzewie]

hey whats up everyone, this is my first post here on this site, mostly because I just stumbled upon it last week. I am in the process of doing research into writing my first screenplay and while mapping out the ending I wanted to try and find some info on twist endings.

Do screenplays nowadays not sell if they do not have some kind of twist at the end? Why does it seem like every movie has a forced twist at the end, its almost to the point of I expect the twist and it ruins the movie for me...

I just wanted to get some feedback from some pros on this topic, sorry if it has already been addressed, but hey Im new here... Thanks!

[tonym]

We must watch different movies, because I seldom find "twist endings" in the movies I see. All too often I find that movies travel in the direction they were always going, and then they get there.

Of the last 7 movies I've watched, 6 ended predictably. The movies with predictable endings were Clash of the Titans (2010); Zombieland; The Men Who Stare at Goats; The Seventh Seal; Infestation; The Hangover.

The movie with the ending that I did not see coming was Beautiful Girls.


To show what I mean, here are those 6 movies with nifty new endings...

Clash of the Titans (2010): Andromeda is eaten by the Kraken

Zombieland: the ending is anything but a typical shoot-the-zombie extravaganza

The Men Who Stare at Goats: the movie stops sucking

The Seventh Seal: Death decides to let the knight live

Infestation: the hive is not destroyed

The Hangover: everything doesn't work out perfectly in the last five minutes


What are the last 7 movies or so you've watched?

[cdrzewie]

haha the movie stops sucking...

I should have added that I am an avid horror fan and would like to make my mark in that field. I see your point that most comedies and action movies usually end with a conclusion that makes perfect sense, the modern horror/thriller genre is plagued with twist endings that often contort the meaning and message of the film, i.e ruining a perfect slasher type movie with an ending that does not fit (haute tension)...

To me it just seems like these are the only types of films coming out in that genre...

[brianhaas]

I've read some screenwriters who say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that the ending should be inevitable but unexpected. In that, the movie is barreling headlong to a natural conclusion. But getting there should be full of surprises.

I've found nearly every "twist ending" since the Sixth Sense to be largely unsatisfying. Shutter Island is a good example. I liked the movie all the way up until the twist.

I think Sixth Sense has prompted viewers to be more alert for twists than they ever were before. People are harder to surprise. I find myself much more guarded when watching any movie with anything remotely hinting at the supernatural.

The problem is that just about every twist has been done to death. THEY'RE REALLY DEAD!/INSANE!/DREAMING!/ON DRUGS!

I guess this brings up an interesting question. What will the truly influential horror films do differently from here on out?

[dwight]

Twist endings are definitely done to death. 'Shutter Island', which was brought up, yeah that was an ending i've seen so many times before. Beautifully shot, and compelling, but the split personalities is definitely done to death.

I think twists and surprises at the end of movies tend to be strikes out more than not. I mean little twists that can pay out big. 'Drag Me to Hell' is one i'm thinking of. The twist is quick and little in the last minute, but its unexpected because you think the movie is over and everyone's happy.

'Sixth Sense' was the first movie I can think of where the protag was the whole time dead. 'Identity' did split personalities uniquely so i commend that movie. 'The Ninth Configuration' had a twist mid story on the split personalities, and let the drama finish it out excellently.

I'm definitely staying away from the split personality twists, especially for the main character. Rarely works anymore in my opinion. High Tension, Shutter Island, Uninvited.. all movies where the twist killed it for me.

[songswithoutwords]

I think brianhaas was quoting William Goldman about "inevitable and unexpected". The dissatisfaction usually comes because one of the two criteria is not met.

We are bored when we expect the ending, or irritated when it is so unexpected that it's meaningless (e.g. "it was all a dream"). So it's a matter of finding a balance.

I think for a twist to work, it has to play on assumptions. Get the audience to assume the story is going one way, but then make sure that when watching the movie again after knowing the ending, it is clear from frame 1 that this was always going another way. Otherwise, the ending will always fail the "inevitable" test.

Not sure that made any sense. Hum. A good example of inevitable and unexpected is the ending of "The Usual Suspects". :-)

P.S. Another split personality movie is "Fight Club". Actually I think that movie would have been better without the split personality.

[tonym]

Apr 13, 2010 18:37:51 GMT -5 songswithoutwords said:

I think for a twist to work, it has to play on assumptions. Get the audience to assume the story is going one way, but then make sure that when watching the movie again after knowing the ending, it is clear from frame 1 that this was always going another way. Otherwise, the ending will always fail the "inevitable" test.

Not sure that made any sense. Hum. A good example of inevitable and unexpected is the ending of "The Usual Suspects". :-)

I agree. You should try to mislead the audience, but the audience shouldn't feel 'overly' misled or they'll get resentful. It's a tricky line to walk, that's for sure.

My example of a movie with a twist ending done right is Se7en.

[mo]

How about 'The Prestige'? It's such a great movie and I think especially if you consider it under the aspect of a twist ending. Some early lines already tell you how to see the movie and also how the story is structured. But still the ending comes as a surprise. This is very self-reflexive and such a wonderful contemplation on cinema itself.

Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".

[cdrzewie]

These are some great examples you guys have recommended and discussed so far. The way my plot outline is set up so far is that audience believes my "hero" is killed in the opening scene, and the movie is the story behind it. And even though in actuality someone else is killed hardly makes my story a twist ending. I guess you could say that I am trying to brainstorm up something more original to conclude my story. Well Ive been writing like a madman recently and hopefully something will pop up...

[nomysteryman]

This is a tough one. Yeah, don't insult the intelligence of the audience. But after watching LOST, you can leave the audience twisting like poor ol' John Locke.

Moral: the "rules" don't apply if you are some well-connected writer. Then you can write anything and ABC will buy it.

[czachcross]

the surprises come to the characters in Se7en and Sixth Sense. If your characters are unaffected by the ending maybe the audience won't care. Maybe head in that direction.