Shubhabrata Dutta
Movies with twist endings offer satisfaction unlike any other. No matter the genre, twists are always welcome, and the more surprising the twist, the higher the satisfaction. From ‘Citizen Kane’ (1941) to ‘Psycho’ (1960) to ‘Chinatown’ (1974) to ’The Sixth Sense’ (1999) to ‘The Prestige’ (2006), twist endings have allowed movies to up their ante in ways unimaginable. Keeping this in mind, we bring you the top twist-ending movies available on Hulu.
8. Clock (2023)
Directed by Alexis Jacknow, ‘Clock’ is a sci-fi horror film based on Jacknow’s 2020 eponymous short film. A mind-boggling movie, it follows 37-year-old Ella (Dianna Agron), who undergoes treatment to fix her biological clock, whose seemingly broken nature keeps her from wanting to have a baby with her husband, Aiden (Jay Ali). However, the treatment starts taking a toll on her, making her hallucinate and become unhinged. Amidst seeing a tall woman, a grandfather clock, and bugs, Ella becomes dangerous around others. Is there any way to stop her from feeling and behaving like this? Her surgeon, Dr. Elizabeth Simmons (Melora Hardin), can help. With a scary and tragic ending, ‘Clock’ looks at the pressures of conceiving from a horror angle and successfully so. You can watch the movie here.
7. No One Will Save You (2023)
Directed by Brian Duffield, this sci-fi horror revolves around Brynn, played by Kaitlyn Dever, a young girl living alone in her house while coping with the death of two very close people. The arrival of extraterrestrial entities suddenly compromises her human condition. What they aim to do is not known but they can surely make Brynn relive her traumas. They also have the other people in the neighborhood under their control. The aliens are scary, and there is no way to run because it’s an invasion. How can Brynn escape that? How can anyone escape that? The twist at the film’s end is the only way out, but it’s not up to Brynn. To find out what it is, you can watch ‘No One Will Save You’ here.
6. Anniversary (2025)
Jan Komasa’s ‘Anniversary’ is a political thriller focusing on the Taylor family and its interactions with Liz, its newest member, in that she is the fiancée of one of the Taylor children. Ellen, the matriarch of the Taylor family, recognizes Liz as her former student, who had a totalitarian outlook, something she challenged. Liz’s behavior seems to indicate that she has other plans in mind, and she has the Taylor family at the center of her web. She is slowly moving toward them, and as her new book, based on a one-party state, takes shape, it becomes clear that her plans with the Taylor family are anything but happy. With a striking twist ending that is devastating as well as captivating, ‘Anniversary’ blends psychology and politics in a rare manner. The cast comprises Diane Lane, Phoebe Dynevor, Kyle Chandler, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Madeline Brewer, and Mckenna Grace. You can watch ‘Anniversary’ here.
5. The Man in My Basement (2025)
A man about to lose his ancestral home is approached by another older man seeking to rent the former’s basement for a couple of months. Charles is confused about why Anniston wants to stay in the basement, although it will enable him to save the house from foreclosure. He agrees, and we see Anniston build a cell in the basement, inside which he will reside, with Charles serving his needs. While following Anniston’s orders, Charles finds out more and more about the house, although he is still in the dark about Anniston’s intentions. What does he really want? With powerful performances by Corey Hawkins as Charles and Willem Dafoe as Anniston, ‘The Man in My Basement’ is a gripping adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel. It is directed by Nadia Latif and can be streamed right here.
4. Mothers’ Instinct (2024)
‘Mothers’ Instinct’ is a remake of the eponymous French film, which is based on the novel ‘Derrière la haine’ by Belgian author Barbara Abel. The film explores the newly formed friendship between two mothers/neighbors, Alice Bradford and Céline Jennings. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurs that pulls the two apart, and the film showcases this vacuum in a psychologically unnerving manner, proving that when doubt and revenge take root, a “mother’s instinct” can perform the unexpected. Starring Jessica Chastain as Alice and Anne Hathaway as Céline, ‘Mothers’ Instinct’ is a captivating drama about the “perks” of motherhood, directed by Benoît Delhomme. You can watch it here.
3. Run (2020)
A mother-daughter relationship can be scary in a most humane manner. ‘Run’ relies on this thought and applies it effectively in a thought-provoking manner to give us a bone-chilling experience. Directed by Aneesh Chaganty, the film stars Kiera Allen and Sarah Paulson as daughter Chloe and mother Diane, respectively. Chloe is in a wheelchair due to congenital conditions and has been home-schooled by Diane. But when Chloe understands her mother’s strange behavior, she tries to dig and comes across a Change of Name Certificate with her mother’s name on it. She tries to look the name up, but finds the Wi-Fi disconnected. With time, Chloe grows more and more suspicious of Diane’s over-caring nature, which seems to point to the darkness that she has within. Is Diane really Chloe’s mother? Does Chloe even want to find the truth, or is it better to run? ‘Run’ has a compelling performance by Paulson and makes for a thrilling watch. You can do so right here.
2. Donnie Darko (2001)
A cult classic twisted sci-fi psychological thriller, ‘Donnie Darko’ is directed by Richard Kelly. It follows troubled teenager Donald “Donnie” Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose weird visions of a guy in a rabbit costume take a toll on not just his life but those of the people around him as well. As Donnie tries to make sense of what’s real and what’s not, the rabbit guy’s prophesied date of the world’s end nears. With elements of time travel and alternate universes, ‘Donnie Darko’ is a must-watch drama that is bound to mess with your brain, albeit not without giving you a kick out of it. It can be streamed here.
Related
1. American Psycho (2000)
Christian Bale’s chilling performance as the psychotic investment banker Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s ‘American Psycho’ is considered one of the greatest film performances ever. Bateman maintains a double life as a serial killer (by night). As maintainable as it seems, Bateman’s bloodlust slowly makes its way into his daily life, be it due to his paranoia, the perpetual increase in his violent behavioral patterns, or hatred toward his peers. While he continues his bloody spree, a private investigator tries to track him down by gathering evidence from one of the Bateman’s victims. As bizarre as the plot is, the twist at the end makes the movie one of the best movies with an ambiguous ending, especially since it changes the way we perceive the protagonist and his behavior. Based on the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis, ‘American Psycho’ is a must-watch psychological thriller that is equal parts engrossing, gory, twisted, dark, humorous, and unhinged. It can be streamed here.
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