It’s the shock of seeing Norman Bates , knife in hand, clad in his mother’s clothes, grinning maniacally in the swinging lamplight. It’s a supposedly dead husband rising from a bathtub with terrifying saucer contact-lenses. It’s finally connecting “I see dead people” with Bruce Willis being shot at the beginning of “The Sixth Sense.
” When movies pull the rug out from under us, it’s one of the greatest thrills that cinema can provide. As Hollywood continues to reboot countless old properties, it’s easy to think that the days of original and surprising storytelling are long behind us. But these films prove that Hollywood still has a few tricks up its sleeve, ones that have kept us talking for years, and have cemented their place in film history.
Beware of spoilers! Here are the 33 best plot twists of the 21st century. Kate Erbland, Samantha Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, Jude Dry, William Earl, David Ehrlich, Ryan Lattanzio, Jenna Marotta, Noel Murray, Chris O’Falt, Jamie Righetti, Christian Zilko, and Zack Sharf also contributed to this list. [Editor’s note: This list was published in May 2022 and has been updated since.
] 33. “The Visit” (2015) Easily M. Night Shyamalan’s most playful, funny film, 2015 found-footage horror “The Visit” also contains one of the director’s best and most satisfying reveals.
The setup is simple: Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould are two kids making a movie about their stay at the home of their grandparents (Deanna D.