A horror film’s ending might be the most crucial thing about it. Audiences want thoughtful twists and characters making powerful decisions and villains who wear masks that are more interesting than usual… but audiences also want a thoughtful final scene. When a story falls apart in the last act, it can leave a bad taste in fans' mouths, as the creative choices made should be leading somewhere exciting.
The horror trope “The End… Or Is It?” appears in many movies to mixed results. Sometimes, this can be irritating if it isn’t done properly. But other times, the trope is smart and helps audiences look forward to a sequel.
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According toTV Tropes, “The End… Or Is It?” trope is when a movie’s conclusion “reveals that a villain, monster or other major threat is still out there.” This is a problem for the main characters, of course, as audiences thought that they had won and now it’s clear that the fight isn’t over.
There are a few movies where this trope works really well. One of them isHalloween(1978), which is definitely the best example. Iffinal girl Laurie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis) really beat Michael Myers at the end of the first movie, there would be no beloved franchise andMichael Myers wouldn’t kill so much. Instead, Laurie thinks about “The Boogeyman” and whether he was real. She sees Michael seemingly disappear before her eyes, realizing that he is still out there in her town of Haddonfield, which is a chilling thought.
Without this proof that Michael is still around, the next few films would feel like they came out of nowhere. It’s hard to convince audiences that a horror villain has come back from the dead as the result is always corny, not scary. There’s nothing worse than when a story seems to have been wrapped up and then a sequel comes out years later changing things entirely. It makes sense thatHalloweenwould go this route. Even though fans debate the new trilogy, this original ending does show that Michael is a Boogeyman who can’t be fought easily, which does create a frightening atmosphere throughout every film.
Sometimes “The End… Or Is It?” can be frustrating as there’s an understandable debate about whetherhorror movies need satisfying endings. For example, in the case ofGet Out(2017), Rod Williams (Lil Rey Howrey) and Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) escape from the horrible Armitage family and drive away to safety. That is exactly the ending that audiences are looking for. Other times, a horror film has what seems to be a solid conclusion where everything is wrapped up in a box but there are still more sequels in theslasher franchise, proving that the terror isn’t actually over. One of the best examples isScream(1996) when Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) beats the killers Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) and Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) shares the story in a news broadcast. All seems to be well in Woodsboro… untilScream 2(1997), of course, when another Ghostface rears their ugly head.
If this trope isn’t used well, it can feel cheap and like the movie didn’t get a proper ending.Cherry Falls(2000) is anunderrated teen horror movie, but the use of this trope doesn’t do it any favors. Brittany Murphy’s character Jodi learns that Leonard Marliston (Jay Mohr) as the killer and while she thinks that he has been caught, she seems him behind a school bus, suggesting that he will kill again. After the terrible experiences that the characters in this movie have, along with the fact that this is aslasher without a sequel, it feels like Jodi should get a happy ending.
Most of the time, this horror trope is used to set up sequels, and it’s hard to argue that’s a bad idea. This is done in the Netflix filmThe Babysitter(2017) when Cole (Judah Lewis) is fine, but Bee (Samara Weaving) hurts a firefighter, proving that she is still out there. The trope is also used inI Know What You Did Last Summer(1997) when Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is taking a shower in her dorm and the killer shows up. The mostunderrated horror movie sequelswouldn’t exist without a proper set-up, and it makes sense that audiences know that the killer/villain isn’t dead and the evil isn’t finished and there is more danger coming.
Like many horror tropes, “The End… Or Is It?” can be frustrating but it can also be smart, creative, and compelling. Amigious endings can sometimes be carefully done, like at the end of the 2011 thrillerMartha Marcy May Marlenewhen Elizabeth Olsen’s character isn’t sure if her escape from a horrible cult has been successful. At the very least, this horror trope is thought-provoking.
