12 Disturbing Sci-Fi Movie Endings That Haunt You

By Cathal Gunning / June 1, 2020

There are some endings so unforgettably righteous that they never lose an ounce of their effectiveness when subject to repeat viewings. Whether it’s destroying the Death Star or finally outsmarting the slithering xenomorphs (or just straight up annihilating their queen mum with firepower, shout out to James Cameron) sci fi cinema is filled to the brim with denouements positively designed to leave you thumping the air with satisfaction.

And then there are the endings on this list.

Yes, whilst we may not be strangers to a good list of spooky sci fis and disturbing entries into the genre having recently recounted the 10 Scariest Sci Fi Films Ever, at least the likes of Event Horizon and Alien 3 can boast some relatively uplifting—or at least not relentlessly downbeat—conclusions to their otherwise edgy stories. These films aren’t quite so kind.

After putting you through torment throughout their runtimes, these sci-fi flicks decide at the climax to double down and go for the jugular, offering up the genre's most cruel and twisted endings. Not for the faint of heart, here are the twelve disturbing sci-fi endings guaranteed to haunt you.

12. The Mist

Rest assured, the only reason this Stephen King adaptation from The Shawshank Redemption helmer/ Walking Dead mastermind Frank Darabont is so low down this list is because anyone could guess it would be on here.

This tense sci-fi horror sees a small town hole up inside a supermarket during the titular weather phenomenon only to be besieged by all manner of creepy crawlies and dogmatic religious fervour alike, and it’s a brutally effective shocker throughout its runtime. However, the film is best remembered for its brutally cruel ending wherein our hero offs his child and fellow survivors rather than see them starve to death—only for the army to arrive literal seconds later.

Of course, so the real monster was anything resembling hopefulness all along.