3. The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
Horror satire The Cabin in the Woods is a layered film and as a result, it actually has more than one plot twist. Following a group of teens who find themselves hunted by supernatural (or not so supernatural, it turns out) beings, The Cabin in the Woods manages to make use of horror genre conventions even when satirizing them. The first twist is heavily hinted at throughout the film, with small morsels of exposition offered by the technicians overseeing and manipulating events, but the second makes for a far more unexpected development.
While attempting to evade the zombie killers attacking the cabin, Dana and Marty discover that all is not as it seems, making their way into a hidden underground facility where the night’s events are being orchestrated by a group of technicians. Setting monsters loose in the facility results in chaos, and Dana and Marty then learn that the night’s slaughter has been an attempt at a ritual sacrifice for the Ancient Ones, giant subterranean deities that threaten to consume the Earth. That’s twist number one. The second twist comes when Dana is told that the only way to save the Earth is to kill Marty, and she can’t do it. A colossal hand is seen emerging from the pit as the Ancient Ones awaken, and that’s all she wrote. Twist number two.
The first twist isn’t entirely unexpected – after all, the technicians have been hinting at the importance of the ritual throughout the movie – but that doesn’t make it any less great. However, it’s the second that really hits hardest, because Dana’s kindness (or weakness, depending on how you look at it) backfires spectacularly, and it seemingly brings about the end of the world. The shocking final shot of the Ancient One’s hand reaching out of the Earth is abrupt and unforgettable, and it makes The Cabin in the Woods‘ final plot twist really stand out among the film’s horror contemporaries.