In Sinister, Ethan Hawke's character uncovers horrifying snuff films, only for his daughter to become possessed and kill their family.
The Strangers sees Liv Tyler's character is relentlessly terrorized by masked murderers without ever learning their motive or being able to fight back.
Hereditary sees the demon Paimon successfully possesses a grieving mother and takes human form in an relentlessly dark ending.
While some horror movies conclude with the triumphant emergence of the Final Girl, other genre offerings depict evil triumphing over good.
Some truly great horror movies end with a sense of hope and triumph for the protagonist despite facing insurmountable odds, leaving viewers with a sense of catharsis and reflection rather than despair.
Some horror movies embrace this bleak twist, refusing to provide any resolution. These movies leave viewers unsettled and uncertain, while others employ this tactic in a more subtle manner. However, none of these approaches achieve the same horrifying impact as movies where the hero straight-up loses. These films utilize this bleak twist as a cheap surprise, but their endings are ultimately more effective when they obliterate any hope and let evil triumph.
For most of Sinister’s runtime, it looks like Ethan Hawke’s true crime author Ellison is playing with fire by staying in a haunted house with his family. When he uncovers boxes of snuff movies in the attic, Ellison discovers that the monstrous demon Bughuul has been possessing children and forcing them to kill their families. Miraculously, Ellison manages to get his family out of the haunted house before this fate befalls his children, only for Sinister’s brutal twist ending to reveal that moving only made things worse as Ellison’s daughter becomes possessed, drugs her entire family, and kills them.
2008's home invasion horror "The Strangers" is one of the subgenre's most painfully effective entries since the heroes have no idea why they are being targeted and no way to defend themselves. When Liv Tyler's Kristen answers the door to a mysterious stranger, she doesn't realize she and her boyfriend are in for a night of terrifying chases, torture, and eventual death at the hands of these masked murderers. Although Kristen might make it out alive, the heroes never kill the Strangers or unmask them, let alone learn why they attacked them.
For much of its runtime, An American Werewolf in London focuses on the plight of David, a hero struggling with his lycanthropy. While the tone of the horror-comedy is dark and humorous, viewers are unprepared for the tragic and heartbreaking death of the main character. Despite never finding a cure, David's story takes a devastating turn when he meets his end in the arms of his love interest, leaving a profound impact on the narrative.
1988's Spoorloos (The Vanishing) is a darkly comedic, darkly humorous horror movie that follows Rex, a man who becomes obsessed with his girlfriend's disappearance. When he finally meets her kidnapper, Raymond, the sardonic sociopath tells him he will show Rex what happened to her in a comedic, darkly humorous manner. Desperate to know, Rex ends up drinking the drugged coffee Raymond offers him and wakes up inside a coffin six feet below the ground, only to be revealed by Raymond to be alive and well. It's a darkly humorous, darkly humorous horror story that ends on a bittersweet note.
2007's Dead Silence sees its hero return to his small hometown and confront a curse that has lasted generations after it claimed the life of his wife. While this setup might sound familiar, what makes the movie notable is the hero's complete failure to defeat the demonic villain targeting him. By the time Dead Silence ends, the hero is dead and the villain's tormentor is more powerful than ever in a uniquely dark twist ending few viewers will see coming.1998's Fallen follows Denzel Washington's beleaguered detective as he attempts to work out the connection between a series of seemingly unrelated murders. When he discovers the culprit is a tormented soul trapped in a cycle of self-destruction, he manages to lure the soul out into a remote cabin before shooting them and himself to ensure they can’t escape. The soul then undergoes a horrifying transformation, morphing into a grotesque creature that becomes the embodiment of depravity. The movie's climax, in which the soul's twisted form jumps from one body to another, perfectly encapsulates the futility and despair of life, perfectly fitting Fallen's hopeless tone.
Before Mike Flanagan became famous for his ambitious Netflix horror shows, the writer/director created 2017's cult classic "The Killer Doll." This time-shifting chiller sees a pair of siblings try to uncover the mystery behind a cursed doll that killed their parents. The duo brings the doll back to the scene of the crime and, instead of destroying it for good, ends up tricked into doing its bidding. By the end, "The Killer Doll"s hero is blamed for his sister's death while the doll's powers are undimmed.
While the Child's Play movies vary in terms of quality, one thing that the franchise always has is a dark sense of humor. As such, it was no surprise when Chucky's 2013 comeback saw him pin a string of murders on Curse of Chucky's helpless heroine. What is more surprising is that he gets away with it, only for 2017's Cult of Chucky to reaffirm this bleak reality. By the end of this slasher sequel, Chucky successfully transfers his soul into another body, killing all the heroes and surviving to see another day.
2022's Smile is a dark horror drama that explores the psychological torment experienced by a woman who realizes she is being targeted by a paranormal entity that feeds off pain and fear. Despite her efforts to seek help from her boyfriend, co-workers, sister, and even her ex, no one can stop this entity from pursuing her, and few even believe that her ordeal is happening. Eventually, Rose faces off against the entity in a remote cabin and seemingly overpowers it, only to realize that her seemingly happy ending was all a mirage that forces her to let the demon possess her.
Ari Aster's 2018 debut Hereditary explores the gradual disintegration of the Graham family after a tragic accident takes the life of their youngest member, Charlie. While the teenage slacker Peter is initially the focus, the movie gradually shifts its attention to his grieving mother Annie in its final acts, revealing the devastating impact of her loss.