Everyone loves a good twist ending. When done well, it can make viewers completely reevaluate a film and discover things they hadn’t considered. Some, like M. Night Shyamalan‘s The Sixth Sense, deal with revelations about the protagonist or the world they inhabit. Others focus on a more sinister element: the villain.
A good villain often drives the plot of his film. Some of the best and most memorable antagonists hide in plain sight, keeping their motives or identity a secret until it is time to strike. Many movies across multiple genres have utilized twist villains to great effect, the mystery adding gravitas to the story. Spoilers to follow.
10 ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ (2001)
The Harry Potter series is likely not the first franchise people associate with twist villains. Still, for many kids growing up in the early 2000s, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was one of their first introductions to the concept of a surprise baddie.
The twist is a classic case of misdirection. Harry and his friends know that someone is trying to steal the sorcerer’s stone, and they spend most of the movie believing their moody Potions’ teacher, Severus Snape, is the culprit. In reality, the culprit is their mild-mannered Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Quirrell, who has been fused with the evil Lord Voldemort. It’s effective and reasonably surprising, especially considering the first Potter movie is very much a kiddie adventure.
9 ‘Nope’ (2022)
Not every twist villain is an evil mastermind with a secret agenda. For most of Nope, Jordan Peele’s acclaimed sci-fi horror, audiences believe the Haywood siblings are facing off against a UFO. However, they soon discover that the airborne being, nicknamed Jean Jacket, is actually a predatory and territorial organism that only attacks those who directly look at it.
This revelation allows for a captivating game of cat and mouse between Jean Jacket and the Haywoods. The conflict dominates the film’s third act and ties neatly into the lead characters’ background as horse trainers. Nope is among the 21st century’s best sci-fi horror movies and another feather in Peele’s cap.
8 ‘Oblivion’ (2013)
An underrated gem from Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion is among the most underrated sci-fi movies. The film features Tom Cruise as Jack Harper, a repair technician working on a dilapidated Earth following a war against aliens. He supposedly repairs drones to hunt down the scavengers, remaining alien invaders.
Jack eventually discovers that this reality is a lie. A dangerous alien AI took over the world, using clones of the original Jack Harper to invade Earth. The mission commander he reports to is the alien AI manipulating him, and the ones he believed were the scavengers are actually the last human survivors.
7 ‘Prisoners’ (2013)
Denis Villeneuve’s harrowing crime film Prisoners treats most characters with moral ambiguity. Even the protagonists can be monstrous when given the chance, particularly Hugh Jackman‘s Keller Dover, a father whose daughter has gone missing. Throughout the film, Dover does many things that could be considered villainous, attempting to find his daughter’s kidnapper; however, his enemy is whom he least expects.
Holly Jones first appears to be a depressed woman who endured an unspeakable tragedy, losing her son to cancer. To the world, she appears to be kind but reclusive. In reality, however, she is a dangerous serial kidnapper who abducts children to scorn God for taking her son. Academy Award winner Melissa Leo delivers a haunting performance as the deranged Holly, standing out in a cast full of standouts.
6 ‘Scream’ (1996)
Wes Craven‘s gloriously meta-horror comedy, Scream, is best known for its satirical send-up of the slasher genre. However, the film also functions as a murder mystery, keeping the identity of the dangerous killer known as Ghostface a secret until the end.
While originally thought to be a single killer, it is revealed that the role of Ghostface is split between two people: Billy Loomis, the mastermind behind the killings, and Stu Macher, his accomplice. Their efforts are thwarted by Billy’s girlfriend and final girl, Sidney Prescott, but not before they rack up a considerable body count.
5 ‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
Some mystery villains find ways to eliminate themselves from the suspect list, and Jim Phelps, IMF Mole, did exactly that in the first Mission: Impossible film. When a mission goes wrong, leaving almost everyone on the team seemingly dead, including Phelps, superspy Ethan Hunt finds himself framed as a mole in the IMF.
After a film filled with tense scenes, riveting action sequences, and shocking discoveries, Hunt learns that Phelps is not only alive but also the mastermind who set him up. The reveal isn’t as shocking as it could be, especially because notorious bad guy actor Jon Voight plays Phelps, but it’s still a satisfying twist for those who aren’t looking for it. Hunt eventually brings him to justice, but not before facing off against him on the roof of a train.
4 ‘Hot Fuzz’ (2007)
A hilarious and expertly crafted film by Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz proves that twist villains work in comedies just as well as dramas. When dedicated cop Nicholas Angel arrives in the pleasant country town of Sandford, he realizes something is amiss when an alarming number of violent “accidents” occur. What he doesn’t realize is that the town’s biggest public figures are in on it, committing heinous murders to eliminate people they don’t consider fit to live in their perfect village.
The twist itself is exceptionally executed, with Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent selling the banality of the villains’ motives with expert humor. Still, what makes this twist stick is the epic and ridiculous final action sequence it inspires, in which Angel fights his way through the town, rounding up the despicable townies one by one.
3 ‘Knives Out’ (2019)
In late 2019, writer-director Rian Johnson released one of the decade’s most memorable films. Knives Out is a well-constructed, thrilling, and often hilarious take on the whodunnit genre that earned Johnson a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Oscars. A whodunnit is nothing without its villain, and Chris Evans shines as trust-fund kid and murderer Ransom Drysdale.
Ransom may not be the most shocking twist villain, but his deviously meticulous master plan is a joy to unfold. His big reveal and subsequent downfall are among the most satisfying scenes in the film, with Evans going all-in on the character’s odious behavior.
2 ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995)
The Oscar-winning crime drama The Usual Suspects deceives audiences from the beginning. The film follows the police as they interview Verbal Kint, the lone survivor of a shooting involving several known criminals. Kint describes how they were coerced into doing a job for the enigmatic Keyser Söze. However, the film’s end reveals Kint’s entire story is a lie, and he was Keyser Söze all along, manipulating the entire operation.
Unlike other villains, Kint stands out because he gets away with his crimes. His ability to fool everyone in the film, including the police, makes him a truly frightening antagonist. The Usual Suspects features one of cinema’s most memorable endings, and while it hasn’t aged great because of those involved with it in front of and behind the camera, it remains one of the best thrillers from the 90s.
1 ‘Psycho’ (1960)
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to go through life without having the twist of Alfred Hitchcock‘s 1960 masterpiece, Psycho, spoiled. However, when the movie premiered, Hitchcock worked hard to keep its shocking reveals secret. Needless to say, audiences were blown away by the film’s twisting narrative.
Viewers are conflicted by Norman Bates from the moment they meet him. Initially, they believe he is a pitiful and weak-willed young man covering up the murders of his deranged, overbearing mother. The final act reveals that Bates killed his mother years ago and developed a murderous alternate personality based around her. Under this other persona, Norman commits the murders, and the film ends with the “Mother” side of his psyche taking full control.
