Often what fascinates people about the horror genre is its tool of subversion. Horror films tap into the fear of the unknown by constructing mysteries around their appalling truths.

  • Twist reveals are nothing new in movies, but when the entire twist revolves around whom the villain really is, that can change everything about a movie. In 2022, Scream returned, and once again, it revealed the bad guy was not who anyone expected, doing it by tying the movie’s young cast to the characters from the original movie. However, an even better example came in Everything Everywhere All At Once, where the villain kept hidden for much of the movie before revealing who she really was, and everything that came before was turned on its head. Whether these stand the test of time depends on the audience, but there are still plenty of great examples from the past.

Since common tropes eventually become hackneyed, audiences who are conditioned to know what happens are harder to fool, and, therefore, filmmakers must conceive clever deviations to sway the viewers’ attention. Reddit’s community of film and horror buffs give their take on what they believe are the most surprising villain reveals in a horror movie.

The Uninvited (2009

* Stream now on HBO Max

Released in 2009, The Uninvited was an American horror movie remake of the superior South Korean horror movie A Tale of Two Sisters. While the original movie was far better in every way, more people in the United States have seen the remake. This includes Redditor katiejiom, who wrote, “Even if I strongly prefer the original. Definitely shocked me.”

The twist at the end showed that the killer wasn’t the supposed evil stepmother. The entire movie was from an unreliable narrator who believed her dead sister was still alive, and her stepmother was a danger to them both. It was a case where the supposed victim was the killer the entire time, and she didn’t even know it.

Stir of Echoes (1999)

* Stream now on Peacock+

Stir of Echoes was a movie that deserved a larger audience than it received. The problem is that it hit theaters around the same time as The Sixth Sense, and that popular horror movie overshadowed it. However, this ghost story stands up well against the M. Night Shyamalan movie, and is better in some areas.

The movie features a husband and father who agrees to allow a neighbor to hypnotize him at a party. However, when he comes back, he can suddenly see a ghostly girl in his house and sets out to protect his family. However, when he learns this girl was murdered, he soon finds out the murderer is closer to home. Realistoforall wrote that the twist was great, and it was “such an underrated movie.”

Se7en (1995)

* Stream now on Netflix

When it comes to Se7en, the question was never who the killer was. Instead, it was about stopping the faceless, nameless serial killer. Even when they found the killer, he had no name, simply called John Doe. Redditor spharker wrote that the fact this was a nobody was shocking, but it showed “the banality of evil.”

However, the Se7en twist went one step further. After finding the killer, he had a gift for one of the detectives. It was the detective’s wife’s head. This caused one more murder, which completed the cycle started by John Doe, and presented a second villain, as the detective couldn’t control his emotions when it counted most.

Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock directed some of the best thrillers of all time, and when he took it to the horror genre, he matched that brilliance. His best arguably came in 1960 when he directed Psycho. The movie set the template for future slasher movies and had more than one twist that shook up viewers. Shparks97 wrote, “I wish that I could have seen it without knowing the ending.”

Of course, after the first twist when the supposed lead character died in the first half of the movie, no one expected a bigger shock in the end. When the killer was revealed, it was surprising, and when the fate of Norman Bates’ mother was shown, it was a bow on the masterpiece movie.

The Others (2001)

* Not streaming anywhere at this time

The entire purpose of The Others comes down to presenting the massive twist ending. The movie was a gothic horror movie where a woman lived in an old mansion with her two kids, neither of which are allowed outside due to light sensitivity. Things go bad when ghosts start haunting the house.

What the twist did was change everything the viewer thought they knew about the movie. It turned out that the house was haunted, but it was the woman and her children that were the ghosts. Thinkingaboutmycat wrote it was shocking “when you finally find out who the ghosts are and who killed the children.” It was the mother, and that is why they remain trapped in their old home for all eternity.

Alien (2003)

* Stream now on Starz

An insidious threat lurks aboard the Nostromo long before the xenomorph arrives in Ridley Scott’s Alien. While it’s common to see robots in science fiction, since spaceflight is indicative of an advanced leap in technology, the inclusion of a robot spy is an unexpected layer of anxiety that further heightens the tension of isolation.

Soon after the crew enters panic mode, crew member Ash is exposed as an android that was covertly programmed to retrieve the alien lifeform and treat all other crewmembers as expendable. Not only does this set up the Weyland-Yutani corporation as a major series antagonist, but also reveals Ash’s uncanny admiration for the unsympathetic xenomorph. Over forty years later, Redditors like u/j3434 are still wowed by Ash’s decapitation.

The Boy (2016)

The marketing for The Boy implies yet another “possessed doll” romp, which, in hindsight, feels like an intentional move by the producers and filmmakers. As it turns out, this underrated horror movie has a few tricks up its sleeve with a solid central performance, atmospheric production values, and, yes, an utterly bizarre rug pull.

Many Reddit users were caught off-guard by the third-act revelation that Brahms, once believed to be a deceased child whose soul conceivably inhabited a porcelain doll, isn’t dead after all and has been living in the walls the entire time, manipulating the bisque figurine to make it appear haunted. Unfortunately, director William Brent Bell undercuts his moderate box-office success with a truly baffling sequel, tacking on supernatural elements in an attempt to kickstart the next Annabelle-like franchise.

The Visit (2015)

* Rent now on Apple TV & Prime Video

Twists at the end of M. Night Shyamalan movies are, at this point, such a given that it’s a trope in itself. So, it’s impressive, that after a string of disappointing efforts from the filmmaker, a return to basics allowed him to deliver a subversion that genuinely caught many by surprise.

Granted, it requires some suspension of disbelief, but The Visit, a found-footage style thriller about two siblings visiting their estranged grandparents, concludes with the horrifying discovery that the kids have been staying with strangers who escaped from a psychiatric hospital and are posing as grandma and grandpa. Redditor u/KelanYoung was “calibrated to expect a supernatural twist,” and to be fair, the promotional content, as well as moments in the movie, alluded to something potentially paranormal. With that in mind, it is plenty more unnerving that the strange behavior exhibited by the imposter-couple is reflective of their mental state rather than some otherworldly force.

Orphan (2009)

* Stream now on Paramount+

For the first two-thirds of its runtime, Orphan plays out like a standard “evil kid movie” until it doesn’t. In fact, to label it an “evil kid movie” is inaccurate once the secret is unveiled in the final act.

Jaume Collet-Serra’s underrated horror film stars actress Isabelle Fuhrman (twelve years old at the time) as a severely troubled girl named Esther who is adopted by grieving parents. Along with her “innocent” act, Esther is also faking her age and is eventually ousted as a thirty-three-year-old serial killer who appears younger due to a hormonal disorder. It’s a make-or-break reveal that has caused division amongst viewers, but Redditor u/vladira points out that the shocking twist is based on true events (referring to the case of Barbora Skrlová) which makes the ending much eerier in hindsight.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

* Stream now on AMC+ & Shudder

Leatherface has become such an iconic figure in horror, and American pop culture as a whole, that his presence in the later Texas Chainsaw Massacre installments would, inevitably, diminish into overkill. Notwithstanding, in 1974, screenwriter Kim Henkel and director Tobe Hooper introduced audiences to the infamous skin-wearing butcher in the most jarring way imaginable.

Redditor u/Azeuka points out the brutal simplicity of Leatherface’s unceremonious reveal, “He just pops out in the doorway and smashes the dudes head in.” The scene is intentionally raw and unstylized to evoke maximum discomfort. Whereas many dramatic reveals are accompanied by intense musical stings, the use of silence emphasizes the uncomfortable diegetic sounds of a squealing pig, the bludgeoning sledgehammer, the victim’s guttural seizure, and the door slamming shut.

The Lost Boys (1987)

* Stream now on Showtime

Joel Schumacher encapsulated the battle cry of a generation in his 1987 horror-comedy classic The Lost Boys. Many were led to believe that the vampiric biker David Powers, played by Kiefer Sutherland, would, ultimately, end up being the main antagonist based on his pronounced appearance as the rebellious gang leader with a wicked thirst to be forever young.

However, to the surprise of viewers and Redditors everywhere, the head vampire turns out to be none other than Max, the dorky, middle-aged video store owner. Even when his facade comes off as suspicious earlier on, Max successfully passes the vampire tests like eating garlic, a strong example of misdirection. The idea of a controlling, patriarchal vampire who wants to establish order in his hive is appropriate given the era’s war on drugs, crime, and the youth.

Malignant (2021)

Malignant has been a divisive subject within the horror community since its release in 2021. The word “bonkers” has been tossed around a lot when describing this modern Giallo, and for good measure, considering how absurd the film becomes once the curtains are drawn back.

When a violent smash to the head awakens Madison’s murderous childhood imaginary friend, Gabriel, it appears on the surface that the supernatural may explain his presence. Except, Gabriel isn’t a phantom; he’s a sentient teratoma tumor that shares a brain and spinal cord with Madison. While many Redditors were thrown, some users were able to telegraph the twist from the opening scene. Nevertheless, bravo to James Wan for pulling off a reveal right in front of the viewer’s face (and behind Madison’s face), even boldly hinting toward Gabriel’s nature in the movie’s title.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Sleepaway Camp is a typical slasher flick with an unforgettably twisted ending that has led to it becoming one of the most notorious cult classics in horror cinema history. What initially seems like a retread of the tropes popularized by Friday the 13th will leave viewers with a nerve-shattering image (and sound) that has become widely superimposed into the minds of Redditors since it arrived in 1983.

The bullied Angela is not only revealed to be the mysterious killer but is also revealed to be a boy named Peter who was forced to dress like a girl for his delusional aunt. Despite its problematic trans plot twist, the final shot is so unanticipated and fortuitous that not even the filmmakers could predict its disquieting effect. Redditor u/thisgirlnamedbree recalls how it deeply shook her as “a seven-year-old watching it for the first time.” Whether she ever attended summer camp afterward is unclear.

Scream (1996)

* Stream now on Showtime & Fubo

In dissecting the archetypes and clichés commonly found in slasher movies, screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven devised a twisty mystery of their own with Scream. After a series of red herrings, the final girl, Sidney Prescott, learns that her boyfriend, Billy, is seeking revenge against her mother for ruining his parents’ marriage. Billy has also been receiving help from his best friend, Stu, who only did it to appease the man he loves.

Scream is brought up consistently among genre fans in regard to iconic reveals, but an honorable mention goes out to Scream 4 for subverting tropes, yet again. Redditor u/Samoyeddoggie29 was stunned to learn that Sidney’s cousin Jill is established as ’the final girl’ only to be exposed as the culprit who’s “rebooting” the Ghostface Killer for fame and attention with her nerdy, unassuming accomplice.

Saw (2004)

* Stream now on Tubi & Pluto TV

James Wan redefined the horror genre in the early 2000s with his directorial debut, Saw. While the franchise is best known for the iconic Jigsaw puppet, as well as jumpstarting the “torture-porn” trend, many Redditors fondly remember the jaw-dropping final moments. User u/You-Get-No-Name recalls, “From the moment the music kicks in and until that haunting scream at the end. It’s just brilliant.”

As with his aforementioned Giallo Malignant, James Wan hides a twist in plain sight. The mind-bending revelation comes after the Jigsaw killer is revealed to be cancer patient John Kramer, and the “lifeless” body lying on the grimy floor for the entirety of the runtime is John in prosthetic makeup.

Next: 10 Best Movie Performances Of All Time, According To Reddit