20 Recent Movie Plot Twists NOBODY Saw Coming
4. It Was Moretti's Plan All Along - Opus
A24's rather disappointing new horror Opus revolves around a journalist, Ariel (Ayo Edebiri), who is invited to the remote compound of a legendary, reclusive pop star, Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich), to sample his long awaited new album.
It rather predictably transpires that Moretti is operating a cult from his home, and in the finale encourages his followers to perform mass suicide by chugging down some poisoned champagne.
Ariel is almost force-fed the drink herself until a sympathetic follower frees her, after which we cut to a two-years-later epilogue. Ariel has since written a book about her experience and pays a visit to an imprisoned Moretti.
Then Moretti drops the shock twist - the mass suicide was a hoax and everyone who "died" is still alive, having blended into society at various levels where they plan to keep spreading his teachings.
And more to the point, Moretti always intended for Ariel to survive, knowing she'd write a book about it and inadvertently spread word of Moretti's story to the masses.
On one hand the film is clearly trying to indict society and its obsession with gawking at monsters, but the immensely contrived nature of Moretti's oh-so-perfect plan makes it feel a bit too smug and mustache-twirling for its own good.