There are movies you watch for comfort, and then, there are the best movies with plot twists. You know, the kind that reel you in with their nail-biting suspense, only to leave you stunned when a shocking revelation goes down in the third act? The films that leave you thinking, "WTF just happened?" Yeah, those: We can't help but love them.
Designed to get your adrenaline pumping and keep you engaged from start to finish, these surprising, often complex movies range from classics like Citizen Kane and Psycho to more modern favorites. However, the one thing they all have in common is the ability to throw you for a total loop.
Ahead, you'll find thrillers, dramas, mysteries, and even rom-coms that will leave you mulling over what you just saw for days after viewing. Below, find the best movie plot twists of all time.
'Arrival' (2016)
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Aliens cause a mega time warp during their first contact with humans in this Oscar-winning sci-fi film—but not in the way linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) had expected. And the reality of how they're really affecting the space-time continuum will be a crushing blow.
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'Atonement' (2007)
Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Benedict Cumberbatch
Just when we thought the period drama Atonement couldn’t possibly break our hearts anymore, the plot twist ending went and found a way. Earning seven Oscar nods, including one for Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for a then-13-year-old Saoirse Ronan, it examines the far-reaching consequences of one young girl’s actions when she makes a snap judgment that changes the lives of those around her—and it finishes with a real dagger.
'Black Swan' (2010)
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder
Nina Sayers is a perfectionist, mind, body, and soul, and there’s not much about her life that isn’t already planned—including the lead part she’s about to dance (perfectly) in her company’s production of Swan Lake. Or at least there wasn’t, before new dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) showed up, turning everything in Sayers’s life upside down. How the production will shake out now is anyone’s guess—but it certainly won’t be according to Nina's plans.
'The Boy' (2016)
Starring: Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans
The Boy didn’t get half of the critical acclaim it deserved. With a brutally twisted premise (a woman is hired as a nanny for a doll by a family who wholeheartedly believes it's their son), it will give you the heebie-jeebies long before the big surprise ending. When the surprise hits, boy, does it ever!
'Citizen Kane' (1941)
Starring: Orson Welles, Dorothy Comingore, Joseph Cotten
No spoilers here, but the meaning of "Rosebud"—the last word wealthy newspaper publisher Charles Foster Kane ever utters—is definitely the OG movie plot twist. It's also powerful enough to land this drama a spot on the British Film Institute's list of the greatest films of all time.
'Coco' (2017)
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Rene Victor, Jaime Camil
Yes, this film centered on a young boy learning about his roots on the Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos is a Pixar animation, but it has a plot twist that's as complex as any live-action thriller. Its ending is guaranteed to make any viewer sob—no matter what age.
'Don’t Worry Darling' (2022)
Starring: Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles
Sure, things seem great in the shiny Pleasantville-type desert town where Jack (Harry Styles) and Alice (Florence Pugh) live in Don't Worry Darling, but (shocker!) there’s something that’s not quite right that Alice can’t seem to put her finger on. When she's not distracted by the ultra-steamy moments, she shares with her husband, she is determined to find out what that is.
'Ex Machina' (2014)
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander
Even without the twist (and it's a good one), this film’s killer cast, paired with the moves Oscar Isaac busts out on the dance floor, makes this sci-fi-thriller about a humanoid robot named Ava equipped with artificial intelligence worth a watch.
'Fight Club' (1999)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto
The first rule of Fight Club is....you don't talk about the plot twist at the end of Fight Club. Except this one is so good, you'll want to discuss it with anyone. If you've made it this far without a viewing, all you need to know is that it stars Brad Pitt as a soap salesman who turns a young man's (Edward Norton) life around when they start an underground fight club together.
'Get Out' (2017)
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener
An instant classic, this incisive social commentary from director Jordan Peele had us trying to figure out what the actual F was going on with Rose Armitage's (Allison Williams) creepy family. What they're actually up to, however? Well, let’s say it's already gone down in horror film history.
'Gone, Baby, Gone' (2007)
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Ben Affleck's Boston-based directorial debut starring his younger brother Casey Affleck as one of two P.I.s digging into a kidnapping case takes quite an unexpected turn—and it will make you question the very fibers of your own morality.
'Gone Girl' (2014)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Emily Ratajkowski
From the moment Gone Girl's Nick (Ben Affleck) arrives home to find his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) missing, your brain will be working overtime to solve all the curiosities that are present in her absence. Our advice? Save your strength—you'll need it to process that mind-blowing ending in this classic feminist thriller.
'Identity' (2003)
Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Ray Liotta
This one’s a thriller, so there was always bound to be some red herrings before the big whodunnit reveal, but Identity goes above and beyond to throw the audience off the killer’s scent. And honestly? We can’t say we’re shocked: The movie is inspired by an Agatha Christie mystery-thriller novel. John Cusack, Amanda Peet, and Ray Liotta star as three of 10 suspects, er, travelers.
'Knives Out' (2019)
Starring: Ana de Ármas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette
There are so many twists in Rian Johnson's family murder caper and so many suspects to choose from, that your head will be spinning by the time Knives Out's killer is fully revealed—but that's the point, no?
'Last Night in Soho' (2021)
Starring: Anya Taylor Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, Matt Smith
Fashion design student Ellie Turner (Thomasin McKenzie) finds a window into the past that opens up to her while she’s asleep each night in her Soho, London flat. When she realizes the woman at the center of her dreams (Anya Taylor-Joy) has a sinister fate in store, she tries to solve the mystery of her future to change its course, only to realize that things aren’t as they seem.
'Little Black Book' (2004)
Starring: Brittany Murphy, Kyra Sedgwick, Josie Maran
It’s rare for a rom-com to have a plot twist. Generally, most are pretty predictable: Guy meets girl, guy or girl falls in love, a problem arises, and they overcome it together. But in the case of this flick starring the late, great Brittany Murphy as a woman whose curiosity about her boyfriend’s past love life gets the better of her, the plot goes off the rails, culminating in a truly “OMG”-worthy finale.
'Memento' (2000)
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Mark Boone Junior
When a movie's main character has short-term memory loss, what's not a plot twist? That's the question director Christopher Nolan asks throughout this neo-noir piece that kicks off with a Polaroid of a dead man.
'My Old Ass' (2024)
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Maisy Stella
The Aubrey Plaza-led coming-of-age film My Old Ass doesn’t begin with any great mystery: 18-year-old Elliott plans to spend the summer relishing her final days in the place she’s always called home before heading off to college in the fall. But then again, that’s why the appearance of Plaza, playing Elliot’s 39-year-old self, and the plot twist that follows so impactful.
'The Others' (2001)
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan
A series of spooky events leads a mother (Nicole Kidman) to believe her house is haunted, but as it turns out, the unnatural things she and her children are experiencing are even darker than they seem.
'Parasite' (2019)
Starring: Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-shik, Jeong Ji-so, Kang-Ho Song
Parasite swept the Oscars in 2020, taking home four awards including Best Picture, for good reason. A portrait of the lengths one family will go to ensure survival, it deals with class, race, and moral issues in a manner that’s heartbreaking at times, hilarious at others, and sobering still more. It also has an end so bonkers, you’ll be stunned, along with the characters.
'Planet of the Apes' (1968)
Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
The twist at the end of this sci-fi classic has been referenced hundreds of times throughout the years (including in its various remakes). However, the 1968 original, which follows a group of astronauts who awake on a dystopian planet where talking apes rule, is a must-watch.
'The Prestige' (2006)
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo
In this tale of two dueling magicians played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackson, all the secrets of their illusions are revealed over time. Some of them, including how they perform their most daring tricks, are quite compelling.
'Promising Young Woman' (2020)
Right from the jump, it’s pretty apparent that Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is going to throw us some curveballs in this drama about a young woman avenging the rape and subsequent suicide of her childhood best friend. How far Cassie will go to exact her revenge, however, is beyond our wildest imagination.
'Psycho' (1960)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, John McIntire
Alfred Hitchcock's classic serial killer film about a lonely hotel clerk named Norman Bates whose guests don't always check out may be famous for its shower scene, but the final twist it offers up is even more mind-boggling.
'Remember Me' (2010)
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Pierce Brosnan, Emilie de Ravin
If the end of this tearjerker doesn’t rock you to your core, we don’t know what will. It follows a group of young people with intersecting lives, including Tyler (Robert Pattinson) and Ally (Emilie de Ravin), who fall in love despite their not-so-meet-cute, and Tyler’s sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins), who is struggling to relate to their always-busy father (Pierce Brosnan). The final intersection of their stories will stay with them forever.
'Saltburn' (2023)
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike
Saltburn had plenty of tongues wagging for its eroticism far more than its plot twists—they made a candle based on a scene referencing Jacob Elordi’s bathwater, IIYKYK—but the thrills that play out throughout this bonkers film from Emerald Fennell about a lonely college student (Barry Keoghan) who moves in with his classmate’s family ice the cake.
'Saw' (2004)
Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover
More than being the first installment in a gruesome horror series about a serial killer nicknamed Jigsaw that has now spanned two decades, Saw truly makes you think, right up to the "OMG" ending that you later realize was staring you right in the face the whole time.
'Secret Window' (2004)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro
Secret Window embodies all of the things you’d expect of a movie based on a Stephen King story—it’s creepy, it’s foreboding, and there’s a mystery to be solved by Mort Rainey (Johnny Depp), and consequently, the viewer. Namely, how did the short story he wrote two years ago wind up in the hands of another writer, but with a completely different ending? A hint: No matter what your guess may be, this one’s plot twist ensures you’re probably way off base.
'Se7en' (1995)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow
This crime thriller sees Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman team up as detectives investigating murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. You'll be shocked to find out what's in the box sent to Pitt's character of David Mills at the end—and even more shocked to find out that it's not even the real twist.
'Shutter Island' (2010)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams
Deputy U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) comes to Shutter Island to solve the disappearance of Rachel Solando, but his investigation takes a turn for the bizarre when his past intertwines with the present. It all ends in a 10/10 plot twist that movie buffs still praise more than a decade after the film’s release.
'A Simple Favor' (2018)
Starring: Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding
Blake Lively leaves us desperately trying to sort through the clues her A Simple Favor character Emily leaves behind in the wake of her sudden disappearance. Did she run away to escape her marriage? Did she run afoul of someone dangerous? And is she ever coming back?
'The Sixth Sense' (1999)
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg
With one of the most famous plot twists in cinematic history and an iconic tagline to boot (who hasn't heard Haley Joel Osment's breathy admission of "I see dead people?"), The Sixth Sense put M. Night Shyamalan on the filmmaking map in 1999. More than two decades later, its premise of a child psychologist (Bruce Willis) who takes on a particularly challenging case in a 9-year-old who sees ghosts still holds up.
'Skincare' (2024)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez
Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is on the precipice of greatness, having built a high-profile skincare business that’s about to go national with the launch of a new product line. Yet just when she’s toeing the finish line, a series of unexpected—and in some cases, terrifying—roadblocks emerge, from the NSFW emails sent from her business account to the slashed tires on her car. The person behind it all, however, will be the biggest shocker of all.
'Sorry to Bother You' (2018)
Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Terry Crews
A telemarketer finds a magical key to advance his career, but as he progresses up the chain of higher salaries, he falls under the spell of corporate greed. The developments along the way will make you scratch your head at first, but stick with it long enough, and its strangeness will start to make sense.
'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
In the history of films, we'd argue that there's never been a more gnarly plot twist than the one Darth Vader dropped with the 1980 premiere of the second film in the initial Star Wars trilogy. Need a hint? "I am your father," ring any bells?
'Us' (2019)
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss
Jordan Peele's second thriller cemented his place as king of the big reveal. It stars Lupita Nyong'o as a grown woman who experienced trauma in her childhood after wandering away from her family and entering a funhouse with mirrors. As an adult, she's got her own family to focus on, but her past is coming back to haunt her—and it's got some help in the form of some gruesome dopplegängers.
'Vanilla Sky' (2001)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee
Truthfully, you’ll spend most of Vanilla Sky’s two-hour-21-minute run time trying to figure out what is happening. Playboy David Aames (Tom Cruise) lives it up at a party, then sits in jail with a mask. There's also a jealous Julianna (Cameron Diaz) and a sweet Sofia (Penélope Cruz) vying for his affection. But no matter what explanation you come up with for the madness unfolding before your eyes, it won’t hold a candle to the actual twist that occurs.
'The Village' (2004)
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Jesse Eisenberg, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt
All is not as it seems in this film's small village, where no one ever comes or goes; after all, it was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The town's inhabitants, played by Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, and Bryce Dallas Howard, are in for a shock at the end, along with the viewer.
