12 Movies That Wasted Great Twist Ideas
1. The Happening— The Plants Are Killing People
The top spot on this list was always going to end up going to The Sixth Sense helmer M Night Shyamalan one way or another, wasn't it?
A serial twist fumbler, the director seems to have been chasing the high of that film's famous and deservedly beloved "gotcha" moment in the years since, a tendency which came back to bite him badly in the form of 2008's laughable but potentially great The Happening (many thanks to YouTube comedy duo BritaNick for this entry's descriptor).
The sight of countless people killing themselves en masse in a hypnotic daze? Deeply scary.
The reveal that the world's plants are somehow responsible, and have been influencing human action as revenge for our environmental devastation?
Potentially terrifying!
Look, give it a chance. After all, plants are ever-present worldwide and have every reason to seek revenge on humanity, and even small changes in ecosystems can prove lethal to human populations as so many creature features and disaster movies have demonstrated.
With a little more explanation and clarity, and a little less crazy old lady action, this twist could have worked and the film could be remembered as something closer to the eco-horror sci-fi Day of the Triffids rather than the corny unintentional comedy it became.