8 Post-Credits Movie Scenes That Actually Led To Something Awesome

Despite there being an enormous amount of post and mid-credits scenes out there, it's actually surprising how few of them prove to be important in the long run.

The majority of these tags usually end up being pointless throwaway gags, teases for sequels that never materialise, or teases for sequels that do materialise, but end up sucking. Franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe have taught us to wait through the credits in anticipation of something exciting at the end, but half the time, these closing scenes never actually get a good payoff further down the line.

So when one of them does lead to something great - whether that's an awesome sequel, a memorable moment, or even an entire franchise - it sets a good example for the potential of these closing stingers. They can be used to set up awesome future events and storylines, giving us one last after-credits taste of where the series is headed in its next instalments.

True, not all of these scenes are spectacular in themselves, but they did their job in terms of teasing the great stuff we were eventually delivered.

The horror genre isn't known for its post-credits scenes, so a lot of them go unnoticed. On that note, the quick tag at the end of Insidious is one that a lot of people won't have seen, and while it won't blow your mind or anything, it serves to provide one final scare that teases the Bride In Black's expanded role in Insidious: Chapter 2.

At the end of the first film, we learn that Josh has been possessed by ghostly entity the Bride In Black, a pasty-faced demon with a penchant for murder. After the possessed Josh strangles Elise to death and his wife discovers the dead body, the film ends, but the Bride appears once more, after the credits have rolled.

Here, we're treated to a quick shot of the character smiling creepily at the camera, before she blows out a candle and the film cuts to black. It's hardly a substantial scene, but thanks to some truly hair-raising music, it's unsettling as hell, and will leave the image of that pale face and dead black eyes seared into your brain.

Her appearance at the end of the credits was a tease of her major role in Insidious: Chapter 2, the brilliant direct sequel to the first film where we learn much more about her history and origins. Thankfully, rather than this diluting the character's scariness, the Bride remained a frightening, bloodthirsty, and unnerving presence throughout.