12 Greatest Red Herring Movie Endings

11. The Real Killer Was Right Under Their Noses - Saw

This modern horror classic revolves around two men, Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and Adam (Leigh Whannell), waking up to discover they're chained inside a grotty bathroom at the behest of the infamous Jigsaw Killer.

Deep into the third act, it's seemingly revealed that Jigsaw is in fact Zep Hindle (Michael Emerson), an orderly who works at the very same hospital as Lawrence.

It's a pretty deflating, generic villain reveal, honestly, but it's not long before Zep is beaten to death with a toilet lid by Adam and it's revealed that Zep was in fact just another participant in Jigsaw's "game."

The real Jigsaw then reveals himself to be the bloody "corpse" that's been lying in the middle of the room for the entirety of the game, a cancer patient of Lawrence's named John Kramer (Tobin Bell) who wants to test people's appreciation for life.

It's an especially excellent example of a red herring because the real solution is literally laid out in front of the viewer the entire time.