10 Recent Horror Movies Ruined By Their Third Act

These recent horror movies were all tanked by their dud final reels.

By Jack Pooley /

There's one pressing problem that so many filmmakers across all genres face - once they've rustled up a great idea for a movie, delivered a killer first act and fleshed out a tense second, they need to land the ship with an ending that's as satisfying as everything that came before.

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And boy, as Hollywood consistently proves, that sure ain't easy.

Given that the finale of any movie will leave a lasting impression one way or another, it's vitally important to finish strong, ensuring audiences leave the cinema feeling totally satisfied.

But in the case of these 10 horror films, each committed some fatal storytelling mistakes in the final reel, which in turn doomed themselves entirely.

While not all of these movies were great or even particularly good leading up to the finale, each at least had the promise for an intriguing, terrifying, or simply insane third act that'd ensure the whole exercise felt worth it in the end.

Except, these woefully disappointing climaxes only ensured these films collapsed in on themselves, serving up unconvincing twists, dishing out rushed reveals, and simply feeling lesser than everything that came before...

10. MaXXXine

Ti West almost delivered a great trilogy-capping entry to his X franchise with MaXXXine, but ended up fumbling the ball hard right at the finish line.

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For its first two acts, MaXXXine is a stylish and brutal giallo homage which, while lacking the sophistication of predecessor Pearl, is a damn fun time regardless.

But disappointingly, the whole serial killer storyline fizzles out with a woefully underwhelming and predictable killer reveal, followed by a clunky shootout finale that feels totally at odds with the rest of the movie.

Worse still, when the end credits roll and Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has achieved her dream of stardom, it doesn't feel at all earned by what we've seen, ensuring the entire three-film journey lands on something of a bum note.

Even Goth, who is so brilliant across the three films, clearly struggles to wring much worthwhile out of the pancake-flat third act. What a shame.

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