10 Horror Movie Fakeouts We All Fell For

Frank Darabont's terrific adaptation of Stephen King's novella The Mist ends on a note that's paradoxically hopeful for humanity and absolutely horrifying on a more personal, intimate level.

In the film's third act, survivor David (Thomas Jane) drives through the mist-strewn city streets and catches sight of a gigantic, skyscraper-sized six-legged beast, seemingly confirming to him that there's no hope for humanity to fend off the alien invasion.

And so, David enters a suicide pact with his fellow survivors, culminating in him shooting each of them dead, including his own son Billy (Nathan Gamble).

But David doesn't have enough bullets to do himself in, and so willingly steps out into the mist to be consumed by the Lovecraftian entities, only to see a tank emerge from the mist to his absolute confusion.

A convoy follows the tank, revealing that the Army has managed to turn the tide against the aliens and successfully repel them, basically making the "euthanasia" of four people, including his son, completely pointless. Had they waited two more minutes, they would've all been saved.

And to rub salt in the wound, a woman (Melissa McBride) who stormed off into the mist earlier in the movie in pursuit of her kids is briefly shown as part of the Army convoy, complete with her kids safely in tow. Yikes.

The fakeout, of expecting David to be torn apart only for him to be left the sole survivor of his group, is so wretchedly depressing as to make you want to scream "F**k you!" at Frank Darabont, even while respecting his commitment to such a grim vision.

Even Stephen King himself, who ended the novella in decidedly less-bleak fashion and isn't terribly fond of filmmakers taking liberties with his work, lauded Darabont's new ending as "anti-Hollywood."