The Most Controversial Movie Endings of All Time

Uncover the twists and turns of cinema's most unforgettable finales, from 'Gone Girl's cunning to 'Interstellar's cosmic wonder. Join us on a journey through these captivating, shocking and downright bizarre movie endings.

By Tom Andrew Last updated

Controversial and shocking movie endings

Welcome to our romp through the most jaw-dropping, eyebrow-raising, and sometimes downright bizarre movie endings of the past decade. These films have not only redefined storytelling but have also left their mark as cultural touchstones. Each finale is a unique blend of artistry and audacity, challenging viewers to rethink what they may once have typically expected.

Gone Girl (2014)

Reason? Twist
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Rotten tomatoes88%
iMBD79
Metacritic8.1
Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry

Carrie Coon

Carrie Coon

Kim Dickens

Kim Dickens

Patrick Fugit

Patrick Fugit

David Clennon

David Clennon

Lisa Banes

Lisa Banes

Missi Pyle

Missi Pyle

Directed by David Fincher

Hereditary (2018)

Reason? Bizarre
Image
Rotten tomatoes90%
iMBD87
Metacritic7.3
Toni Collette

Toni Collette

Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne

Alex Wolff

Alex Wolff

Milly Shapiro

Milly Shapiro

Ann Dowd

Ann Dowd

Pat Barnett Carr

Pat Barnett Carr

Mallory Bechtel

Mallory Bechtel

Brock McKinney

Brock McKinney

Jake Brown

Jake Brown

Morgan Lund

Morgan Lund

Christy Summerhays

Christy Summerhays

Bus Riley

Bus Riley

Directed by Ari Aster

The Shape of Water (2017)

Reason? Unconventional
Image
Rotten tomatoes92%
iMBD87
Metacritic7.3
Sally Hawkins

Sally Hawkins

Doug Jones

Doug Jones

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Richard Jenkins

Richard Jenkins

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer

Michael Stuhlbarg

Michael Stuhlbarg

David Hewlett

David Hewlett

Nick Searcy

Nick Searcy

Stewart Arnott

Stewart Arnott

Nigel Bennett

Nigel Bennett

Lauren Lee Smith

Lauren Lee Smith

Martin Roach

Martin Roach

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Get Out (2017)

Reason? Shock

Image
Rotten tomatoes98%
iMBD85
Metacritic7.8
Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya

Allison Williams

Allison Williams

Bradley Whitford

Bradley Whitford

Caleb Landry Jones

Caleb Landry Jones

Stephen Root

Stephen Root

Catherine Keener

Catherine Keener

Marcus Henderson

Marcus Henderson

Betty Gabriel

Betty Gabriel

LaKeith Stanfield

LaKeith Stanfield

Lil Rel Howery

Lil Rel Howery

Ashley LeConte Campbell

Ashley LeConte Campbell

John Wilmot

John Wilmot

Directed by Jordan Peele

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Reason? Devastation
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Rotten tomatoes85%
iMBD68
Metacritic8.4
Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.

Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth

Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo

Chris Evans

Chris Evans

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson

Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch

Tom Holland

Tom Holland

Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle

Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña

Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan

Elizabeth Olsen

Elizabeth Olsen

Directed by Anthony Russo

La La Land (2016)

Reason? Bittersweet
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Rotten tomatoes91%
iMBD94
Metacritic8
Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling

Emma Stone

Emma Stone

John Legend

John Legend

Rosemarie DeWitt

Rosemarie DeWitt

J.K. Simmons

J.K. Simmons

Amiée Conn

Amiée Conn

Terry Walters

Terry Walters

Thom Shelton

Thom Shelton

Cinda Adams

Cinda Adams

Callie Hernandez

Callie Hernandez

Jessica Rothe

Jessica Rothe

Sonoya Mizuno

Sonoya Mizuno

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Mother! (2017)

Reason? Controversial and Divisive
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Rotten tomatoes6.9%
iMBD76
Metacritic6.6
Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem

Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer

Brian Gleeson

Brian Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson

Jovan Adepo

Jovan Adepo

Amanda Chiu

Amanda Chiu

Patricia Summersett

Patricia Summersett

Eric Davis

Eric Davis

Raphael Grosz-Harvey

Raphael Grosz-Harvey

Emily Hampshire

Emily Hampshire

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Reason? Ambiguity
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Rotten tomatoes91%
iMBD87
Metacritic7.7
Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton

Emma Stone

Emma Stone

Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis

Edward Norton

Edward Norton

Andrea Riseborough

Andrea Riseborough

Amy Ryan

Amy Ryan

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts

Lindsay Duncan

Lindsay Duncan

Merritt Wever

Merritt Wever

Jeremy Shamos

Jeremy Shamos

Damian Young

Damian Young

Bill Camp

Bill Camp

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Snowpiercer (2013)

Reason? Unexpected
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Rotten tomatoes94%
iMBD84
Metacritic7.1
Chris Evans

Chris Evans

Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho

John Hurt

John Hurt

Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton

Jamie Bell

Jamie Bell

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer

Ed Harris

Ed Harris

Ewen Bremner

Ewen Bremner

Go A-sung

Go A-sung

Alison Pill

Alison Pill

Luke Pasqualino

Luke Pasqualino

Vlad Ivanov

Vlad Ivanov

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Interstellar (2014)

Reason? Complex
Image
Rotten tomatoes73%
iMBD74
Metacritic8.7
Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway

Jessica Chastain

Jessica Chastain

Michael Caine

Michael Caine

Bill Irwin

Bill Irwin

Ellen Burstyn

Ellen Burstyn

Mackenzie Foy

Mackenzie Foy

Casey Affleck

Casey Affleck

John Lithgow

John Lithgow

Wes Bentley

Wes Bentley

Directed by Christopher Nolan

The Mist (2007)

Reason? Shocking
Image
Rotten tomatoes73%
iMBD58
Metacritic7.1
Thomas Jane

Thomas Jane

Laurie Holden

Laurie Holden

Toby Jones

Toby Jones

Marcia Gay Harden

Marcia Gay Harden

Andre Braugher

Andre Braugher

William Sadler

William Sadler

Jeffrey DeMunn

Jeffrey DeMunn

Samuel Witwer

Samuel Witwer

Chris Owen

Chris Owen

Alexa Davalos

Alexa Davalos

David Jensen

David Jensen

Frances Sternhagen

Frances Sternhagen

Directed by Frank Darabont

Se7en (1995)

Reason? Horrific
Image
Rotten tomatoes83%
iMBD65
Metacritic8.6
Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow

Daniel Zacapa

Daniel Zacapa

John Cassini

John Cassini

Bob Mack

Peter Crombie

Peter Crombie

Reg E. Cathey

Reg E. Cathey

R. Lee Ermey

R. Lee Ermey

George Christy

George Christy

Endre Hules

Endre Hules

Directed by David Fincher

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