10 Horror Movie Fakeouts We All Fell For
The Mist's shocking ending played us all like a damn fiddle.
While horror is frequently dismissed as one of the most predictable and least imaginative of all film genres, that's really not true at all, as is proven beyond any doubt by these 10 movies alone.
Satisfaction often stems from our expectations being subverted in clever and creative ways, and that's certainly what happened in these films, which dared to fake audiences out in devilishly deceptive fashion.
These filmmakers played upon our own prejudices and expectations of what horror movies are supposed to be, in turn delivering something completely different that basically nobody saw coming.
From jaw-dropping twist endings to mid-film shocks, extended climaxes, and everything in-between, these genius fakeouts caught everybody by surprise, whether achieved through awards-worthy editing, phenomenal acting, or simply a script that knew how to perfectly toy with the audience.
As much as we all think we're savvy genre fans, we're never above being duped by a smart, literate filmmaker who knows precisely how audiences think.
It's rare that movies can get one over on viewers quite this brilliantly, but when it happens, the result is pure movie magic you'll remember for years and years...
10. The Cops Arrive At The End - Get Out
Jordan Peele's masterful, Oscar-winning horror satire Get Out climaxes with embattled Black man Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) fighting off the racist, brainwash-happy Armitage family, and finally facing off against his own ex-girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams).
Despite Rose's attempts to kill him, Chris finds himself unable to strangle her to death, and just as he relinquishes his grip on her throat, the sirens of a police car blare out behind them both.
The cops are here, and they're about to stumble upon the sight of a Black man knelt over a horribly wounded white woman - how exactly does anyone expect this situation to go?
But Peele then cuts to the door of the police car, where the word "airport" is visible - as it turns out, this isn't a patrol unit but Chris' airport police officer pal Rod (Lil Rel Howery).
Peele so brilliantly exploits our understandably cynical expectations for any situation where a Black individual is flagged down by the police, only to flip it so ecstatically on its head with the revelation that the siren and flashing lights are actually a safe haven for Chris.
Within a matter of seconds, viewers went from feeling gut-wrenching dread to absolute euphoria. A filmmaking masterstroke on Peele's part.