Showing posts with label movie twist endings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movie twist endings. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Duplex twist ending

Danny Devito's The Duplex (2003) is a comedy starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore. This American Dream come true theme turns into a nightmare and this calls for drastic measures. Alex Rose (Ben Stiller) and Nancy Kendricks (Drew Barrymore) move into their dream home and they life begins to fall apart. One person keeps this couple from living their perfect life together in a fabulous duplex in New York City.

The Duplex features a twist ending that is tightly woven. Most viewers didn't suspect this twist until the exact moment this payoff played on the screen. If you haven't watched The Duplex yet, then avoid reading the twist ending below.


***Spoiler Alert***



Alex Rose and Nancy Kendricks purchase an amazing duplex in an eloquent neighborhood in New York City. Alex is an author, whereas Nancy works in publishing. There is one catch in this perfect beginning; the older woman who lives above and in their duplex is needy and irritating. 

The old woman is impossible to please. No matter how hard this couple tries to meet their landlord obligations, this old woman manages to overcome every obstacle put in her path. She causes a disbalance, eventually influencing this couple to get rid of her. However, the old woman is like an indestructible German tank unwilling to accept defeat. 

Alex and Nancy practically lose their jobs. They hire a hitman to murder the old woman, but the extermination plan is wrecked and this practically cost them to lose everything they own. Then, a fire breaks out and Alex chooses to save the old woman he and Nancy wanted so badly dead.  

The real estate agent finalized the deal. He convinces the couple to say goodbye to the old woman. When the real estate agent and couple see the old woman, she is sitting in the chair lifeless. The real estate agent checks her pulse and confirms she is dead.

Alex and Nancy have this disgusted look planted on their faces. The timing of her death was terrible. They could have retained the duplex, instead of losing out a bundle selling it early. 

The couple discuss the old woman, wondering if she's in heaven. They seem to put their hatred aside to honor this old woman. 

In the twist ending, the old woman is still alive. She is having dinner with her son and his policeman boyfriend, who terrorized the couple. On the mantle, we see a wedding photo on the mantle along with many others. We learn that these three people duped many couples to sell the duplex. It is a recurring theme for couples to purchase the duplex, and then sell once they couldn't take the torture anymore. 

The end. 





  

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Great Twist Endings to use in movie scripts

Dancing House, the famous twisting building in Prague cityAre you writing a movie script? Want to write a great twist ending? As you may know, M. Night Shyamalan has made a good living writing twist endings. Even though M. Night tries to detach from the Mr. Twist Endings signature label, his movies almost always feature a twist at the movie end. Ready to write great twist endings?

Twist endings and or plot twists are revelations that occur in the ending to change the entire outcome. In movies, twist endings make movie fans rethink the plot design. Recent movies such as Chernobyl Diaries, Intruders, The Woman in Black, Shutter Island, and Cabin in the Woods feature twist endings.

The later movie is debatable since many Cabin in the Woods supporters argue that Josh Whedon throws out many hints to warn viewers that his movie is making fun of the horror genre. In any case, Cabin in the Woods never warned viewers of.. close your eyes if you haven't watched yet ... nightmares, past horror characters, fears, and the end of the world.

According to most twist ending or plot twist definitions, the ending spins the plot into another direction to provide new truth. The serial killer is another person. Examples of movie spoilers are below:

  • Twisted (Samuel L. Jackson is the killer instead of Ashley Judd) 
  • The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis is a ghost)
  • Silent Hill (Rose and her daughter are dead)
  • Sleepaway Camp (Angela is a boy raised as a girl)
  • Psycho (1960) (Norman acts as his dead mother he killed - he is the killer)
  • The Game (Michael Douglas is in a game that seems too real - all staged up until he realizes his fate while following through the window)
  • Fight Club (Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are the same person - alter egos)
  • Shutter Island (Leo is a mental patient who lives in a fictional world - while working as U.S Marshall, he find that his wife murdered his children due to her depression - he kills his wife)
  • The Uninvited (Emily left a mental asylum to kill father's girlfriend - suggesting the girlfriend killed the mother in a fire she accidentally started. In the fire, the sister is also killed. The twist ending reveals the trickery involved in the plot)
  • The Usual Suspects (Kevin Spacey is the killer that uses content in the office to make up a false story - he is no crippled man - great twist ending)
  • Scream (two serial killers - one is Sidney's boyfriend)

When you experience movies with twist endings, the first thing most viewers claim is that I knew the twist would happen. Cabin in the Woods movie supporters informed us the predictable ending is obvious. Predicting endings can also serve as twist endings, though the screenwriter prefers to trick the viewers. 

How do you write great twist endings in your movie script? You can write out the twist ending first. This way, you can work backyard to tell the story. Another good screenwriting technique is to give small hints in small plot points throughout the story such as in Passengers movie. Watch the movie to get an idea of an effective twist ending with a major revelation to explain the entire plot. 

Great twist endings spin the plot into a new direction. Insert a surprise in the ending to show viewers a completely awesome twist. Psychological movies deliver great twist endings. Think back to Mr. Brooks ending in which Mr. Brooks calls Atwood to reveal Smith is not the Thumbprint killer. He asks Atwood the reason she chooses to become a detective rather than choose to be wealthy. The falling action is that Mr. Brooks daughter is like him - another killer with an alter ego such as himself. 

Want to write great twist endings? Watch movies with twist endings that compliment your movie genre. If you are planning a horror movie, watch horror movies with a twist. Enjoy psychological movies and psychological thrillers? Watch these types of movies to understand how the write shapes the twist from beginning to end. 

There is an art in writing twist endings? The twist ending relies on the setup. You are essentially revealing an untold truth to reshape the plot. M. Night Shyamalan is known as Mr. Twist Endings since his movies end with a twist. He presented his name as a billing on Devil. This movie features a twist ending that answers the questions presented in the setup.

Make sure you write twist endings that make sense. Throwing out a confusing ending will lose your audience. In our opinion, Cabin in the Woods has a bad twist ending. Avid fans will think otherwise that plot clues were available throughout the movie, and the movie end is an expected outcome. We suppose most movie viewers knew the ending would involve a dumb twist. We doubt it. A good writer wrote a bad ending. 

Practice writing short films with twist endings. A rule of thumb is to create a 10-20 page script. Once you get comfortable writing twist endings, then go after the full feature film. Write a twist ending that spins the plot. Flashbacks are the best writing technique to convey a twist ending. Write an awesome movie script with a great twist ending!  

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The Devil Inside twist ending


The Devil Inside generated $34.5 million in box office ticket sales in the first week of 2012. Nonetheless, the exorcism movie featured a horrible twisting ending which could possibly be the worst ever. The producer, director/screenwriter and co-writer assume the movie ending would be innovative.

As a result, The Devil Inside twist ending made a mockery of the horror movie genre. This twist ending analysis explores The Devil Inside twist ending. If you haven't watched The Devil Inside movie, then beware of movie spoilers. This article is my interpretation of the twist ending in the exorcism movie.

***Spoiler Alert***

At the hospital, Father Ben and Michael are in complete shock. In the previous scene, Father David blew his head off with the police officer's pistol. Ben and Michael then watched Isabella Rossi have a seizure. 

Isabella goes crazy and slices another woman's neck. She begins to bend her body backwards, obviously revealing she is possessed by her mother's demons. We never know the true identity of the demons. 

Ben calls another Father to help him to perform an exorcism. The moviegoing public are excited about the final exorcism most expect in exorcism movies. It is the moment we have been waiting to watch since The Rite movie. Most exorcism movies feature the best movie endings. 

Michael is frantically driving the car. Ben is watching Isabella in the back seat. Michael is shaken up, telling Ben he is shocked about what happened to the lady in the hospital room. They believe the woman is going to die. Isabella begins to speak in demon tongues. 

All of a sudden, Isabella chokes Michael. Ben pulls Isabella off Michael. The twist ending is Michael becomes possessed, It seems that Isabella transfered the demons to Michael. 

Michael removes his seat belt. He is ready to do something drastic. Ben is restraining Isabella the best he can, but never expects Michael to slam into another vehicle. 

Ben, Isabella and Michael are tossed around inside the car like action figures. We see them spinning around, unable to survive such a horrific crash. The twist ending is ending the movie without resolving the possession of Isabella. 

Ben, Isabella and MIchael die in the car accident. The case remains open to this day. Of course, The Devil Inside movie is a fake horror movie which is sloppy filmmaking. Compared to The Last Exorcism movie, the Devil Inside movie is a lazy exorcist movie with poor storytelling. 

The twist ending is executed as a marketing ploy to entice the moviegoers to visit The Rossi Files website. This exorcism movie features one of the worst twist endings ever. It is the worst decision hook the moviegoers with what they presume is the final exorcism to exorcise the four demons. 

Thus, we are treated to a horrible movie ending, The twist ending backfired on Paramount because the exorcism movie lost major box office business in the weeks to follow. It didn't take long for the bad word-of-mouth to get around. 

The Devil Inside twist ending frustrated the moviegoing public. We expected to watch a super movie ending. However, the poor execution throughout the fake documentary demonstrated that moviegoers are much more intelligent then the movie studio and the filmmakers make them out to be. 

A twist ending in an exorcism movie with no resolution (no last exorcism and or identifying the demons) is horrible filmmaking. The twist ending in The Last Exorcism movie is excellent, conveying an evil account of demonic possession that gives the moviegoer nightmares long after the initial viewing. 

The Devil Inside is a pile of exorcism crap with a horrible movie ending. The twist ending is unlike most horror movies. The filmmakers didn't care enough to respect the audience. In essence, The Devil Inside twist ending will future film halls with discussions about the worst twist ending in movies. 


Pre-order The Devil Inside DVD to watch the bad twist ending again.
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