Some of the best movies are the ones that follow a predictable plot and then throw you a complete curve ball that blows your mind.
The first plot twist in a movie was in the 1920 German silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The twist end of this tale was revealed to be entirely made up by the ramblings and delusion of the narrator at the asylum that the film took place.
Since then, incredible plot twists have been born, and we wanted to know which ones were the best.
Redditor These_Ad1806 asked:
"What movie has the best twist?"
Readers beware, there are definitely spoilers ahead!
Fight Club.
"The first time watching Fight Club is way up there for me."
- Tortion
"Yeah, and the fact you never know Edward Nortons name, only Tyler's."
- helmer012
"I'm amazed I didn't get it the first time around. It seemed so obvious in hindsight, yet I was oblivious. Amazing writing and cinematography."
- Guava_
fight club rules GIF by SYFYGiphyThe 1960 film Psycho.
"Psycho."
"It starts out being about a woman on the run with a suitcase full of money and then turns into a completely different movie a third of the way in."
- didnsignup4dis
"I absolutely love that they built the marketing around Janet Leigh the movie quickly established her as the protagonist only to kill her off 20min in. Brilliant move."
- puckit
"Same thing with Drew Barrymore in Scream."
- dywrektor
"Probably that way as an homage to Psycho really since the whole movie is references to the horror movies before it."
- drDekaywood
"Drew Barrymore specifically asked to play that character instead of the lead, Sidney, that they wanted her for."
"Wes Craven loved the idea, probably because yes, it would have a very similar effect as Psycho."
- Ronem
When Darth Vader revealed his true identity.
"I hear that when in Empire Strikes Back and Vader tells Luke who he truly is that everyone just absolutely lost their minds."
- boredbrowser1
"I didn't truly believe it until Return of the Jedi came out."
- BanditoDeTreato
"Same here. My friends and I spent three years debating whether Vader was lying."
- Iggleyank
darth vader father GIF by Star WarsGiphy"Fun Fact: A child psychologist advised George Lucas that Yoda would need to confirm the fact that Vader was Luke's father, because kids would not believe it coming from a villain."
- GhOsT_wRiTeR_XVI
"I mean. I don't anyone should trust it coming from a villain. It's why I skipped the drama in the new ones where Kylo tells Rey that her parents were nobodies. Because my first thought was, 'Oh he's lying to hurt her. Duh.'"
- TheCowOfDeath
The Usual Suspects.
"The Usual Suspects."
"'The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.'"
- No-Acanthisitta423
"'Back when I was in that barbershop quartet in Skokie, Illinois...'"
"To this day, whenever my buddy and I are surprised by something unexpected, we call it 'getting Skokie'd.'"
- allothernamestaken
Memento.
"Memento."
- hystorymystory
"Ah classic. My wife thought it was dumb as we were watching it until the last like 5 minutes of the movie. Now it's like one of her favorite movies."
- traws06
"It's definitely one of those movies that doesn't really pull you in till it comes together."
- Gr33nman460
Just when you thought it was over.
"Shawshank Redemption when Andy doesn't come out for head count and you wonder if he finally offed himself because he couldn't take it anymore only to find out he dug a freaking tunnel with a rock hammer."
- WhoaButter
"The whole 'how he done it' and walking into the bank sequence is one of the best feel-good cinematic experiences I have ever had."
- BigODetroit
"Same here! One of my very favorite scenes from any movie is the end .. that overhead shot of Red and Andy on the beach in Mexico."
- WhoaButter
"That ending was an idea of one of the producers, who thought the written ending (which was the same as the book, ending on Red's trip on the bus to find Andy) was too sad/inconclusive."
"Frank Darabont REALLY didn't want to do it and had to have his arm twisted into doing so. It's one of those rare instances where the "studio notes" were absolutely right."
- walterpeck1
"The horrible thing is that in Serbia the title was translated as 'Escape from Shawshank.'"
- asandriss
Happy Shawshank Redemption GIFGiphyThe Others.
"I'm mentioning this movie not because it is the best but rather because it is hard to find digitally for some reason but the movie The Others with Nicole Kidman has a great twist for its time."
- Mister_JayB
"They definitely held it together so that the twist was unexpected to at least some of the audience. Including me, because I'm honestly not that bright."
= Painting_Agency
"It's not about being dumb, it's about telling a story so engaging that you stay in the moment without thinking ahead."
- KriptiKFate_Cosplay
The best plot twists are the ones that we don't expect because we are so enchanted by our character's story. The plot, the writing, the acting and the cinematography have to come together to make it work.
For these show stoppers, it definitely worked.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
reply to @todayshow/Threads
reply to @todayshow/Threads
reply to @todayshow/Threads
reply to @todayshow/Threads
reply to @todayshow/Threads
reply to @todayshow/Threads
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@MissyIsMAGA/X
@lawler4ny/X
@GregAbbott_TX/X
@sterlingkbrown/Instagram