10 Horror Movie Twists That Rewrote The Rules

There are certain rules moviegoers expect filmmakers not to violate, with two of the most important and unforgivable being that the protagonist(s) triumph over the antagonist(s) by the end and that neither children nor animals should be subjected to any serious harm.

That said, the main point of cinematic provocateur Michael Haneke’s deeply troubling Funny Games is to offer a metacommentary on the joy, desensitization, and entitlement viewers likely feel as they watch violence being enacted upon victims both fictional and real.

Therefore, Haneke audaciously defies those guidelines by having his sadistic pair of young men (Paul and Peter) torture and murder every member of the family they’ve been holding hostage, including pet dog Rolfi.

Simply put – and following a prolonged period of physical, mental, and emotional torment – Paul begins by killing Rolfi offscreen. Then, Peter fatally shoots young son Georgie with a shotgun later that night, and before long, Paul shoots patriarch George as well.

The next morning, Haneke arguably depicts the most disturbing act of all by having the two men force matriarch Anna onto the family boat so they can bind her and dispassionately push her into the water to drown.

Undeniably harrowing and remorseless, Funny Games demonstrated that no one is safe and nothing is off limits if a horror film has a point to prove.