11 Scariest Final Shots In Thriller Movie History
11. The Invitation
Now, I know what you're thinking: "Josh, how has this random picture of a red lantern found its way onto this list? There's nothing particularly scary about that."
While that is true, on its own and out of context, the final shot of The Invitation showing a bunch of red lanterns lighting up neighbourhoods all across LA isn't in itself scary, but it becomes terrifying when you know what it means in the story.
Karyn Kusama's thriller is all about a dinner party gone wrong, with members of a cult inviting their friends around and attempting to convert them to their new-found sect. The vast majority of the film surrounds the ambiguity of whether they actually are harmless, or whether they have something sinister in store for their guests.
Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be the latter, and after a tense, gruelling battle, only two people make it out the house alive. What do they see upon their escape though, but a sea of red lights - just like the one shining from the house they're in - signifying this same slaughter is being enacted all across the city (and maybe even the country).