The 10 Worst Horror Endings of the Last 10 Years, Ranked

Most great horror movies have that added benefit of scaring viewers from beginning to end. Most of the time, their three perfect acts of rising tension and terror, then lead to an ultimately horrifying climax. Well, in the best movies, that is. Horror, as most of us know, is littered with disappointing endings from time to time.

This genre isn’t perfect, especially in recent years, with a few notable stinkers besmirching the genre with their lackluster conclusions. Horror has been notorious for weak, mediocre finales for years, but the last decade has seen some lowlights. From convoluted reveals to disappointing resolutions, the following horror movie endings represent the bottom of the barrel from 2015 to 2025, ranked by how disappointing they were and how much they affected the legacy of their respective movies. Get ready to not shiver in terror, because these flat finales aren’t likely to even excite.

10

‘Cobweb’ (2023)

Starting off is 2023’s Cobweb, a genuinely solid but flawed psychological horror thriller from director Samuel Bodin. While it’s got a decent cast, featuring Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr, an eerie sense of dread and chilling atmosphere, but unfortunately, this one mostly falls apart by its third act, resulting in a bummer finale that didn’t quite fit well with the rest of the story.

It has a pretty unique and nail-biting premise about a boy becoming suspicious about his parents when he hears the ghostly voice of his sister throughout the house. The tension comes mostly from not knowing what the parents are capable of or what their actual secret is. That is, until the last third switches things up with a confusing genre shift and a new antagonist. It comes across as forced and not as compelling as what was already established before. It’s a weak whisper that should have gone out with a thunderous roar.

9

‘It: Chapter Two’ (2019)

Image via Warner Bros.

Andy Muschietti‘s mainstream version of Stephen King‘s It was a monster box-office success and with critics and audiences that helped define horror in 2017. But unfortunately, it came with one glaring issue that most fans of King’s original novel were worried about, and that was adapting and refining the second half. Sadly, in 2019, their fears were confirmed as, although a commercial darling, It Chapter Two wasn’t well received, and its conclusion did not improve.

While It Chapter Two doesn’t feature the absurdity and terrible creature effects that its 1990 miniseries predecessor suffered from, the ending was undoubtedly disappointing, ending this terrifying roller-coaster of a film series on such a low note. It’s somehow rushed and slow-paced at the worst of times and doesn’t keep the audience’s attention for long. Most frustratingly, it gives a sad and undignified demise for Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), who’s just defeated with a few harsh criticisms. Overall, it’s an anti-climax that didn’t provide a much-needed satisfying ending to one of King’s most popular books.

8

’47 Meters Down’ (2017)

Image via Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

2017’s 47 Meters Down was a much-needed boost to keep the idea that shark movies are still so incredibly terrifying. It had a unique concept, semi-decent effects, and the cast was led by Mandy Moore and Claire Holt. Truly, this had the making of a modern hit, right? Unfortunately, while most of it is solid, it suffers from an incredibly divisive finale that will either have your head scratching or leave you fuming.

At its heart, 47 Meters Down is a survival film, and we invested time in seeing whether the two leads would make it out of their situation. It seemed that way at first, as the character Lisa makes it to the surface with her injured sister Kate. But, in a cruel twist, the rug is pulled in the last few minutes as their harrowing escape was all a hallucination from nitrogen narcosis, and Lisa is still at the bottom of the ocean. A lot of people find it cheap and manipulative, and it especially doesn’t help that it feels like a straight ripoff of Neil Marshall‘s original UK ending to The Descent.

7

‘Speak No Evil’ (2024)

Image via Universal Pictures

A Hollywood retelling of one of the most shocking and brutal international horror movies in recent memory, James Watkins‘s Speak No Evil is a semi-decent horror thriller with a few great scares, genuine suspense, and, of course, a captivating antagonistic performance by James McAvoy. But there’s no looking past that this film completely misses the point of the original.

Granted, it’s an American adaptation, and shouldn’t be shot-for-shot to the 2022 Danish film. But switching out that film’s bleak and utterly disturbing ending for a generic final battle where Mackenzie Davis‘s character final girl’s her way to defeating the bad guys completely misses the point of the original’s message about the dangers of excessive politeness and avoiding conflict. It’s just another run-of-the-mill slasher movie, an ending that most of us have seen a thousand times and know none of the protagonists are really in danger. Sometimes, it’s ok just to stay true to what the original meant, even if it is quite unsettling.

6

‘I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House’ (2016)

Image via Netflix

Osgood Perkins has established himself as the new face of horror filmmaking in recent years, with recent hits like Longlegs and The Monkey. However, he struggled to find his footing early on, as his ambitious 2016 project, I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, was a notorious snooze fest that failed to kick up at any point, especially the ending.

It ends, just like most of the film, on a whimper, as it’s not scary or fully resolved. While some could argue its ambiguity complements the tone and atmosphere, it just feels underwhelming and hard to follow, especially when not much of the story is easy to keep the viewers’ attention. While it’s ultimately up to anyone’s view on this ending, it’s undeniably not the conclusion that gives anything close to being a satisfying payoff.

5

‘Halloween Ends’ (2022)

Image via Universal Pictures

The downer finale that ultimately nailed the coffin shut for the Halloween franchise, for now at least, Halloween Ends is an embarrassing and incredibly disappointing conclusion to David Gordon Green‘s mostly stellar reboot trilogy. A film with hardly any decent scares, suspense, genuine character building, or even Michael Myers for that point, it’s a blunder that’s often considered one of the worst horror movies in recent memory.

The ending is a whole different story, as it caps off Michael’s and Laurie Strode’s decades-long rivalry on a low note. It’s an anti-climax that was poorly set up and barely has any stakes involved as it’s pretty obvious the plot’s not going to have it end in Michael’s favor. The fighting feels off and uninterested, and just the way Michael is killed feels underwhelming and forced, almost like it needs to be done, so this disaster can finally come to an end. Truly, the franchise needs another reboot after this mess.

4

‘Founders Day’ (2023)

Image via Dark Sky Films

Perhaps one of the most forgettable slashers in recent memory, 2023’s Founders Day is a lackluster mess with almost nothing going right with it, especially the ending. From the annoying slasher clichés and run-of-the-mill plot to the unintentionally hilarious over-acting, it seems this couldn’t possibly get any worse, but the ending is the cherry on top that truly can be nauseating.

The third act is full of bland and nonsensical killer reveals, finishing off with a head-scratching and completely frustrating ending where the last killer somehow convinces the final girl to join him in his poorly laid-out plan of changing their city for the better. It’s absurd, makes absolutely no sense, and hardly seems warranted, especially after all the harrowing troubles the main character was put through. It’s one of those weird twist finales that feel forced and just in to cheaply subvert the audience.

3

‘The Turning’ (2020)

Image via Universal Pictures

The late author Henry James probably wouldn’t have signed off on this mediocre adaptation. Based on his iconic horror novella, The Turn of the Screw, 2020’s The Turning is a bland, forgettable, and ultimately pointless adaptation that fails to honor the source material. In particular, its finale will have general audiences disappointed and book fans furious.

Though, to give credit, The Turning still captures the ambiguity of the book about whether the ghosts are real or if it’s all in the governess’s head; in fact, it even tries to go further. But it’s a head-scratching and unsatisfying conclusion that cuts right at the best part. It differs heavily from the original ending and just feels like a clichéd, abrupt ending created to trick the audience, rather than give them something for all their investment in this story. Overall, it’s one of the biggest letdowns of this decade so far.

2

‘Truth or Dare’ (2018)

Image via Universal Pictures

Blumhouse isn’t best known for having the most satisfying horror payoffs. Least of all, arguably one of its weakest failures, Truth or Dare, is a generic supernatural horror flick, a dull mess of uncreativity and frustrating characters, who all suffer generic and underwhelming deaths. But, really, what makes it stand out in the worst way is the ending. And boy, is it a doozy.

The ending features two unlikable final characters as they make the incredibly awful decision by intentionally cursing the entire world with the demonic game they were forced to play, potentially causing countless deaths in the process. It’s a baffling, unsatisfying, and incredibly infuriating finale that leaves out so many questions and makes you wonder why we were supposed to root for these characters in the first place. It’s a mean-spirited downer conclusion that feels like it was just put in for shock value.

1

‘The Open House’ (2018)

Image via Netflix

Honestly, any list mentioning even parts of the worst horror movie moments in the last decade is going to include 2018’s The Open House. Truly, one of the worst horror movies of all time, this sleep-inducing, unscary mess is one disaster after another. It lacks suspense and terror, gripping characters, and most of all, an ending to bring any of it home.

It ends with the main character, played by Dylan Minnette, being killed off unceremoniously by the mysterious killer stalking him and his mother throughout the story. While if done with a decent build-up and a reason to feel for this character, this ending might have worked. But, boy, does this completely waste all of its potential, and it just comes across as rushed, uninspired, and hard to sit through. This ending helped make The Open House one of the most unwatchable horror movies ever, and it stands as the worst ending of the last decade.

The Open House

Release Date

January 19, 2018

Director

Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote

Writers

Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote