10 Scariest Final Shots In Horror Movie History

2. The Shining

The Shining
Warner Bros.

There are plenty of terrifying images in The Shining vying to be its most memorable - be it Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance poking his face through the bathroom door, a terrifying, decomposing old lady haunting room 237 or the guy dressed in a bear costume giving another dude oral sex - but the one that probably has them all beat is the final, baffling image showing Jack attending a party at The Overlook Hotel circa 1921 - almost 60 years before the movie takes place.

The haunting final image raises so many questions: is that actually the same Jack from the movie? Is the current Jack a reincarnation of someone else? Are these violent events always doomed to repeat themselves in the hotel?

Nobody really knows the answer, but that's sort of the point. The final image is so scary because of just how much it leaves up in the air, and when you inevitably reach a dead end, all you're left with is the uneasy close up of Nicholson's piercing, evil grin.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.