The Best Movie Plot Twists of All Time

Nothing turns a film from a fun movie-night watch to a truly memorable viewing experience quite like a good plot twist. From the moment two storylines converged in the 2011 romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, to that slow clap in Primal Fear, we’re talking about our favorite curveballs in movie history.

Primal Fear
Primal Fear is first on our list because it may be the most jaw-dropping plot twist of all time. The courtroom thriller follows defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) as he tries to prove the innocence of Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a 19-year old altar boy accused of murdering a Catholic archbishop (Stanley Anderson). 

Vail argues that Aaron is guilty by reason of insanity. He has dissociative identity disorder, and his other personality, “Roy,” is responsible for his violent outbursts. To prove this, Vail lets prosecutor Janet Venable (Laura Linney) interrogate Aaron, hoping for a dramatic courtroom moment between Roy and Venable. As expected, Aaron, as Roy, attacks Janet in court, leading to Aaron getting a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

After winning the trial, Vail goes to see Aaron in his cell, where Aaron claims that he doesn’t remember what happened in court. Then, at the end of the visit, Aaron slips up and asks Vail to tell Janet that he hopes her neck is okay. On his way out, it all clicks for Vail, and he turns around to confront Aaron. Aaron begins slow clapping, and, plot twist, admits that he doesn’t have dissociative identity disorder, he has been Roy all along, and he also killed Linda (Azalea Davila), the woman the archbishop made have sex with Aaron and other men.

The Sixth Sense
In The Sixth Sense, Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a frightened, withdrawn little boy who communicates with spirits, seeks the help of child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). The two bond quickly, and Malcolm is able to help Cole accept and navigate visits from spirits with unresolved problems. Meanwhile, Malcolm is trying to save his marriage to Anna (Olivia Williams), and heal from the guilt over the death of his patient Vincent Grey (Donnie Walhberg).

After Cole suggests Malcolm try talking to his wife while she is asleep, Malcolm returns home and finds his wife sleeping on the couch, the couple's wedding video on in the background. As she sleeps, Anna drops Malcolm's wedding ring, and he realizes he had not been wearing it, revealing the twist ending of the film: Crowe himself was actually killed by Vincent and was dead the entire time he was working with Cole. Following Cole's advice, Malcolm tells his sleeping wife that he loves her, and that she was “never second.” Finally, both are free to move on.

Get Out
The 2017 American psychological horror film, written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut, is commonly cited by critics as one of the best films of the 21st century.

Get Out follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a black man who is navigating a new relationship with his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). On a weekend trip to meet Rose’s parents, Chris uncovers several dark secrets about her family, and learns that Rose’s claim of him being her first black boyfriend is not true. As he tries to leave the house, he is stopped by Rose and her parents, and Rose’s mother knocks him out using hypnosis.

Chris wakes up strapped to a chair, and, in a shocking plot twist, learns Rose’s family transplants their brains into other people’s bodies, granting them preferred physical characteristics and immortality.

After a long and bloody journey, Chris finally escapes from the house. A dying Rose claims that she still loves Chris with the hope that he will save her. Chris sees through the deception and starts to strangle her as a cop car pulls onto the scene. Chris’ friend Rod comes out of the car and rescues him, leaving Rose bleeding out on the road.

Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorcese, the mystery thriller, set in 1954, follows U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a murderer who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

Throughout the investigation, Teddy experiences migraines, war flashbacks of his experiences as a U.S. Army soldier, and vivid dreams of his wife Dolores, who was killed in a fire set by arsonist Andrew Laeddis. Teddy explains to his partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), that he took the case to find Laeddis, believing he is on the island.

The long and twisty saga concludes with Daniels — and the audience — making the shocking discovery that he is not an investigator at all, and that the false identity was constructed by Daniels to ease the painful reality that he killed his wife after she murdered their children. 

Crazy, Stupid, Love
There’s a reason a Reddit post called the surprise reveal at the end of this 2011 romantic comedy “among the best twists/payoffs in movie history.”

One of the most charming relationships in the film is that of Cal Weaver (Steve Carrell), a middle-aged man going through a divorce with the love of his life, Emily (Julianne Moore), and Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). After the two meet at a bar, the unlikely pair strike up a friendship, with the womanizing Jacob helping Cal to update his style and get back on the dating scene. 

All’s fine and good until worlds collide at a Weaver family gathering. When Cal’s daughter Hannah (Emma Stone) shows up with her boyfriend, Cal learns that the woman Jacob has been seeing is his first-born daughter. Cal is appalled that Jacob is dating Hannah, and forbids her from seeing him. By the end of the film, Cal and Emily are back together, and Cal offers his blessing to Jacob, realizing that he truly loves his daughter.

Orphan
After the loss of their unborn baby, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) adopt a seemingly angelic little girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). But when a dangerous series of events unfolds, Kate begins to suspect that Esther isn’t quite as innocent as she seems. 

As it turns out, not only is Esther responsible for the sinister series of events, but she’s also a 33-year-old woman. Thanks to a hormone disorder that stunted her growth, Esther is able to cause trouble and write it off as childhood mischief. And that’s not even where the plot twists end: Esther also attempts to seduce John, and when she fails, kills him. The film closes with Kate facing off with Esther on a frozen lake, which results in middle-aged Esther's death.

Knives Out
Knives Out isn’t just the movie that made a chunky white cable knit sweater, worn by Chris Evans, famous (although who could forget that cultural moment). It’s also a universally-acclaimed whodunit with a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for its brilliant use of writer-director Rian Johnson's stellar ensemble. 

When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate, the inquisitive Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. The mystery isn’t how Harlan died — that is revealed to audiences very early on. Harlan’s nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas) accidentally gave him a lethal dose of morphine, and the antidote was mysteriously missing from her medicine bag. Knowing that she would be blamed for his death, Harlan gave Marta careful instructions to be seen leaving the house, then return later so that she could go downstairs disguised as Harlan — making his hour of death after Marta had already left.

Before the morphine overdose could kill him, Harlan slit his own throat to make his death look like a suicide rather than an accident. In reality, Harlan’s grandson Ransom conspired to have Marta “accidentally” kill his grandfather, hoping to inherit his grandfather’s fortune. Long story short, Ransom unwittingly confesses to his crimes, winds up in jail, and Marta inherits Harlan's house and fortune.