2022 is having its share of terrifying horror movies with surprising wholesome endings, from Halloween Ends to Nope. Although one of the most recurring trademarks of the genre is making use of brutality and hopelessness to end the story with a final gut punch, some movies manage to scare viewers and offer their characters the ending they deserve.
Ending a horror film on a happy note doesn't make it any less frightening, but it ensures that the story doesn't fall flat with only gratuitous cruelty and barbarity. Redditors share their favorite picks for movies that deliver a wholesome ending.
The Lost Boys (1987)
Gunnslinger33 suggests, "Lost Boys?". The Lost Boys is one of the movies that best capture the essence of the 1980s, touching on different generations and how they react to the fantastic, the unknown. Sam is the younger one, a teenager trying to figure out what's right. Michael is at the peak of youth, with nerves on edge and a thrill for the danger that new experiences might bring about. And finally, there's Lucy, the mother, who tries to get a grip on her life before it's too late.
Newcomers in a coastal Californian town, all these different generations are affected by a common threat: a gang of bloodthirsty vampires. The movie could easily go in a completely different direction but instead chooses to tie in all these plot lines with the single wholesome thing that keep them all together despite all the differences: they're family.
Spring (2014)
ArtxVanderlay claims, "Spring is great and has truly a wholesome ending." In fact, the movie pretty much verges on becoming a straight-up romance film, following a young American who flees to Italy and ends up falling in love with a woman harboring a horrifying secret.
The film builds up its horror elements with a mysterious first half, maintaining an enthralling femme-fatale aura revolving around the protagonist's love interest until it's revealed she's actually an ancient creature that has done the nastiest things to keep her human form and her immortality. Until love gets in the way, of course, leading up to a beautiful conclusion to a terrifying love story.
Ready Or Not (2019)
One of the best "Eat The Rich" satires, Ready Or Not utilizes horror to a welcoming extreme, balancing gore and suspense with a hilarious set of characters and over-the-top situations. In the film, an innocent bride's wedding night takes a dark turn when she gets caught up in her husband's sick family game, becoming prey in a mansion full of dark secrets and psychopaths.
One Redditor states, "love Ready Or Not, was expected to be meh but really glad how it turned out." The seemingly harmless, witty bride manages to outsmart every pretentious villain that crossed her path, and the result is another iconic scene in the "good for her" cinematic universe.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Shaun Of The Dead is a hilarious horror satire by Edgar Wright, following an ordinary man carrying out an uneventful life until the dead return to life and threaten to destroy his monotonous routine.
thisjohnd states, "Shaun of the Dead. Shaun gets his romantic relationship and still finds time to play video games with his best undead mate." Even with all the comedic gags, the British comedy has a bleak atmosphere throughout and could easily end on a depressing note, but even the saddest moments pay off with joy in the end. For example, Shaun's best friend becomes a zombie, but they still manage to get across and find a human-zombie balance in their friendship.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Happy Death Day does justice to the time-loop trope with an unconventional slasher set-up. In the film, a selfish and stuck-up young woman finds herself repeatedly reliving the day of her murder, running against time to gather enough clues and figure out who is the person behind her death.
ABBOTTR0N1X calls Happy Death Day "possibly the most wholesome horror movie around." The ending of the film calls up to the feel-good energy of similar comedies such as Groundhog Day, where kindness and sensibility give the character a second chance to become a better person.
The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is the first of three movies featuring the couple of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. In the film, the two set out to a chilling farmhouse in order to help a family tormented by evil spirits, contemplating the most terrifying case of their career.
alpanzell6 claims, "The Conjuring movies end on a hopeful note." The main reason for that lies in the heartwarming relationship between Ed and Lorraine as the two know their love will always persist regardless of the evil forces that threaten their life. In the first movie, the comfort and joy shared by the couple after they succeed in their mission are also evidenced in the relief and joy that unites the family they managed to save.
Get Out (2017)
Manz109 states, "Get Out was pretty wholesome, could’ve easily gone down the bad ending route but it didn't." The film follows a young black man, Chris, going on a trip to visit his white girlfriend's parents. What starts off as an awkward, yet promising celebration quickly gives in to disturbing revelations when Chris begins to suspect his girlfriend baited him into a trap.
It's funny how Jordan Peele had everything in his hands to offer viewers a devastating conclusion to Get Out. When the police car approaches in the end, anyone can only expect the worst; a brilliant showcase of how socially aware the movie is and how effective it plays with its audience. The alternate ending featuring Chris being arrested and surrounded by other black men is powerful but too bitter after everything the character went through.
Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist is a horror movie that often doesn't necessarily feel like one, balancing a moving family drama with a gripping story about vengeful spirits and cursed objects. It's the kind of film with plenty of effective scares, but grounded in a familiar narrative about sticking together and good vs evil.
The ending is sweet and funny, as 1ManifestDestiny1 mentions, "I love when they get to the motel and the dad puts the tv outside the room," referring to the pivotal moment in the film in which the family's youngest daughter is abducted through the TV to a ghost dimension controlled by evil forces.
Titane (2021)
MyloParadox suggests, "Titane." 2021's Palme D'Or winner is a controversial body horror movie that presents the bizarre story of a troubled woman attracted to cars in a brutal killing spree, seeking refuge at a depressed firefighter's home after impersonating his missing son.
Brutal and devastating on the surface, Titane gradually turns into a delicate story about love, trust, and how sometimes even the cruelest people only need somebody to rely on. Although the movie does end with a heartbreaking moment, the final scene also offers a brilliant arc of redemption for both its protagonists.
Fear Street (2021)
Charistoph mentions, "the Fear Street trilogy." One of Netflix's most exciting ideas was to release one Fear Street movie for three weeks in 2021, offering fans a puzzling horror narrative that only got darker as it progressed. In the trilogy, a group of teenagers becomes the recipient of an ancient curse that has haunted their town for generations.
The final Fear Street movie delivers plenty of surprises and twists with heroes and villains exchanging roles and masks falling off. After a terrifying final confrontation against the evil forces that haunted them throughout the three movies, the brave group of teenagers manages to uncover the truth behind the curse and finally free their town from it.