Top 10 most haunting endings in horror movie history
By Jeremy Dick
via Warner Bros
Not every horror movie has a happy ending, and some are so freaky they could traumatize you for years. Here are our top 10 prime examples!
Looking to sleep with all the lights on tonight? One of these films ought to do the trick!
As you can surmise by this point, this is a list about the freakiest horror movie endings, ever. Obviously such a list is heavily opinionated, and chances are, I may omit a film or two. If that’s the case, feel free to call me out for my blasphemy.
Meanwhile, see how many titles on my list you agree with…
10. The Shining (1980)
Though Stephen King himself isn’t a big fan of Stanley Kubrick’s feature film adaptation, most horror fans hold it in high regard. Jack Nicholson expertly plays the part Jack Torrance, of an overworked father losing his marbles while staying with his family at the Overlook Hotel. Once fully nuts, Jack goes on a rampage, attempting to slaughter his wife and son because the “ghosts” in the hotel told him to.
By the end of the film, Jack chases his family outside into the blistering cold of the snow. His son and wife eventually escape, leaving Jack to freeze to death in the blizzard. The look on Jack’s stone cold dead face is something that still sends shivers up my spine to this day. It’s made even creepier by the final image shown, of Jack hanging out at the Overlook back in the 20s. So… were the ghosts real? Was Jack crazy? With no real answer given, the ending may stick with you for a long time.