11 Subtle Details That Make Movie Twists Obvious

It’s hard not to feel bad revealing the twist to Sleepaway Camp. Despite the classic slasher being released some decades ago, the explosive closing shot is predicated on a reveal so dramatic that it remains controversial even in the usually unflappable circles of horror movie nuts.

Alright, here goes. The film makes it obvious throughout its runtime that the killer must be odd child Angela, who is bullied and excluded, only for violent vengeance to befall her many adversaries in various gruesome fashions.

The film is smart enough to include a potential red herring in the form of Ricky, who becomes Suspect Number One because—well, because Angela is just way too obvious. The ending soon reveals that Angela is, in fact, the killer—But she’s also Peter, the little boy who the audience presumed died in the opening scene. Forced into another gender Peter snaps mentally and dissociates, leading to the deluge of bloodshed and fryer-related mishaps which follows.

It’s an unexpected turn made even more surprising by the manner in which its revealed, a full-frontal view of “Angela” which exposes her secret double life. However, the film peppers clues throughout its runtime, including a repeated insistence that Angela refuses to swim or shower with the other girls—because either activity would result in her secret being made public.