11 Recent Movie Plot Twists You Never Saw Coming

Emerald Fennell's sophomore feature tells the story of Oliver (Barry Keoghan), a working-class Oxford student who goes to spend the summer at the estate where his wealthy friend and crush Felix (Jacob Elordi) lives. 

Throughout Saltburn, it was clear there was something a little bit off about Oliver, especially after a certain scene involving a bathtub (if you know, you know), but he generally came off as eccentric at worst. That is, until Felix takes Oliver on a surprise trip to visit his estranged mother and discovers that Oliver was lying to him all along. 

Despite Oliver previously claiming that he came from a broken home and his father was dead, he in fact comes from a loving middle-class family and his father is alive. It's a startling reveal that catches Felix and the audience off-guard, and it's also a case where the twist arguably saves the movie. 

Saltburn does suffer from fairly languid pacing for much of its first two acts, and this rug-pull is what really kicks Saltburn into high-gear and sets the stage for its shocking final act in which Oliver murders Felix and most of his family. 

By the time the film concludes with its already-legendary ending - Oliver dancing naked around Saltburn estate to 'Murder on the Dance Floor' - it has firmly established itself as, flaws and all, one of the most shocking films of 2023, and a reminder that Emerald Fennell is a true master of plot twists. More on that soon though.