10 Movies That Deceived You Into Buying A Ticket

Based on Katherine Peterson's novel of the same name, Bridge To Terabithia tells the story of a young boy called Jesse, whose new friend, Leslie, introduces him to a world of magic. The film looked like a whimsical coming-of-age story, considering the trailer and posters were teaming with trolls, pixies, and squirrel ogres (AKA sqogres).

Thankfully, Bridge to Terabithia was well-received and is considered a solid adaptation of Peterson's book. However, anyone unfamiliar with the source material found the movie to be drastically different from what they expected.

Firstly, there is no secret kingdom. Or trolls. Or sqogres. Leslie pretends to go on magical adventures with Jesse to cheer him up after he's maliciously bullied. Sadly, the enchanted creatures that viewers were hoping to see only exist in the kids' imagination.

But that's not the only surprise the film has to offer. With zero build-up, Leslie dies off-screen in the third act, leaving things on an astonishingly dark note. Since Bridge to Terabithia was advertised as a popcorn flick for kids, many were horrified to see the story conclude with a child's funeral.

Although Bridge to Terabithia is a great film, it's not as magical or as uplifting as many presumed.