10 Most Shocking Horror Movie Endings
8. The Mist: The Cavalry Arrives A Second Too Late
Love it or loath it, Frank Darabont's adaptation of Stephen King's The Mist has one of the ballsiest and most tragically ironic endings in cinema history.
By the time the final act arrives, the titular fog has apparently engulfed the entire town and filled it with Lovecraftian monsters, some of which are taller than Abu Dhabi skyscrapers. All hope seems lost.
Rather than give his family over to the mist monsters, protagonist David Drayton (Thomas Jane) shoots them all dead in the hope of saving them from a worse fate. It's harrowing when he has to turn the gun on his young son, who wakes up just in time to hit him with a harrowing look of betrayal before the trigger is pulled.
There are no bullets left for David, who faces the prospect of living in the aftermath of his agonising decision until the monsters come from him, but things quickly take a turn for the worse.
Moments later, the cavalry arrives. Soldiers armed to the teeth, and they seem to be winning the battle against the mist monsters. The fog is clearing, and David realises he's just shot his family dead for nothing.
Watching this scene is like being gut-punched by the Incredible Hulk.