The ending to a horror movie is essential to get right as it seems to capture the mood of the entire story. Some endings feature the hero triumphing over evil; some are more downbeat, spelling doom for the main characters. Then there are those horror movie endings that are designed to be unclear.
These ambiguous endings can be quite effective even if they leave the audience with some questions. It allows the audience to continue the story in their head or imagine possibilities that will send more chills down their spine. Is the hero truly safe, or is there more to this story than there seems? Those are the types of questions these endings inspire.
A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
After being stalked in her dream by the murderous Freddy Krueger, Nancy Thompson takes away his powers by acknowledging that he's only a dream. Not only does this defeat Freddy, but all of Nancy's friends are brought back to life.
However, the happy ending is cut short when the car Nancy is driving gets possessed and Freddy's arm is seen grabbing Nancy's mother. It's unclear what is going on here. Is Nancy still dreaming? Is it her mother's dream? Is Freddy in the real world? It remains a mystery as none of the many sequels ever addressed this.
Krampus (2015)
For those looking to mix a little horror into their Christmas movies, Krampus is a fun holiday treat. It follows a dysfunctional family that becomes targeted by the ancient monster Krampus who abducts them one by one.
In the end, the whole thing seems like it was just a young boy's nightmare only to open a present on Christmas morning from Krampus. As the family slowly recalls the truth, the camera pans out to reveal they are being watched inside a slow globe. Was this a warning that Krampus is still watching them, or are they trapped in the snow globe as punishment?
The Crazies (2010)
Based on one of George A. Romero's earlier movies, The Crazies is a massively underrated horror remake about a town overrun with a virus that turns people into mindless killers. While the infected are certainly dangerous, the real threat is the military, who will do anything to contain the spread.
The movie ends with the two remaining heroes making it out of their town just as it is destroyed. But as they make it to a new town, it is revealed they are being watched from a satellite and a new containment process begins, suggesting this problem is far from over.
The Host (2006)
Before making the Oscar-winning thriller Parasite, Bong Joon-ho gained attention with the Korean monster movie The Host. It follows a father attempting to find his daughter who was taken by a horrific monster.
In the end, the monster is set on fire before jumping back into the river it first emerged from. Though the daughter sadly dies, the father begins caring for a young orphan who was also taken by the monster. The movie ends with him waiting on the edge of the river with a gun in case the monster returns.
The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is one of the most acclaimed horror movies of all time. It stars Jack Nicholson as a family man staying in a secluded hotel with his family before the dark spirits of the hotel drive him down a dark path. After trying to kill his young son, the father ends up freezing to death in the cold.
The final shot of the movie shows a photo in the hotel of a celebration taken in 1921 featuring the father. This seems to suggest that either his spirit has become part of the hotel or that he holds some sort of supernatural connection to this place.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The found-footage trend really began with the groundbreaking The Blair Witch Project. It follows a group of documentarians who travel deep into the woods to investigate an old folk legend only to encounter a lot of creepy stuff.
The movie ends with the camera crew finding a house in the middle of the woods. Inside is their friend who vanished eerily, staring at the wall before the camera is knocked away. It was an ending that captivated audiences with the terrifying possibilities of what happened to those people.
Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
Long before his time in the DCEU, Zack Snyder made his directorial debut with this wild and exciting remake of Dawn of the Dead. The movie followed the original's premise of a group of survivors trapped in a mall with hordes of zombies outside.
Finally, the survivors decide to make a run for it, leaving the mall and making it to a boat to hopefully sail to safety. As the credits roll, footage shows the survivors arriving on an island only to find it overrun with zombies, leaving their fates unknown.
Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)
Most fans only know Halloween III as the one without Michael Myers but it is actually a pretty compelling, weird horror movie. It follows an evil plot to unleash a curse through the airwaves on Halloween night that will kill any child wearing the popular masks from an evil toy company.
The hero of the movie discovers the plot and attempts to have the commercial that will activate the curse taken off the air. While he succeeds with a few channels, one channel is going ahead with the airing. The movie ends with the man screaming for them to take it off the air but it is unclear if he succeeds.
It Follows (2014)
In It Follows, a girl named Jay finds out she has been cursed to have an unrelenting supernatural force stalk her until it kills her. The curse can only be seen by her and just looks like a normal person slowly walking towards its target.
With the help of her friends, Jay seems to kill the spirit. The movie ends with her walking down the street with her boyfriend with an unknown figure walking behind them. Is it just someone going for a walk, or does Jay still have the curse?
The Thing (1982)
Many consider John Carpenter's The Thing to be the greatest horror movie ever made thanks to its amazing effects and incredible tension. It centers on an isolated arctic research center where the inhabitants are hunted by a creature that can take the form of living things.
The movie ends with the hero MacReady seeming to kill the creature. Stuck out in the freezing cold, one other survivor, Childs, emerges. The movie ends with the two men staring at each other in a tent unaware if one of them is the alien.