The 26 Best Movies With Plot Twists You'll Never See Coming

Arguably, the best movies are the kind that reel you in with nail-biting suspense, only to leave you stunned with a shocking revelation in the third act. We're talking about movies with major plot twists, the kind of films that will leave you thinking, "WTF just happened?" long after the credits roll. 

If you like to be thrown in a loop at the end (or in the middle) of a really good film, look no further than this list of the best plot twist movies. Ahead, in no particular order, you'll find the best 26 thrillers, dramas, and mystery movies that you'll be thinking about for days after watching. Expect to see classics like Citizen Kane and Psycho on this list, alongside modern greats like Jordan Peele's Get Out and Us. And don't worry—we've only provided the barest plot details so as to not spoil the twist, because what would be the fun in that? Just be prepared to have your mind blown. 

'Parasite'

Starring: Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-shik, Jeong Ji-so, Kang-Ho Song

Parasite swept the Oscars the year it came out, even though many Americans hadn't seen it yet. But now that it's on Hulu, no excuses! We won't be saving the surprise for long...

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'Gone Girl'

Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Emily Ratajkowski

The Gone Girl twist is probably the most talked-about plot twist in modern film history. And, boy, is it well-earned.

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'The Village'

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Jesse Eisenberg, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt

All is not what it seems in one small village in the middle of nowhere. There ain't no twist like an M. Night Shyamalan twist.

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'Shutter Island'

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow

Let's be honest, Leo's got range. If you're not sure you can make it through a horror movie to get to the massive twist at the end, do it for him.

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'Get Out'

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lakeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener

An instant horror classic, director Jordan Peele delivered an incisive social commentary that kept us guessing the entire film.

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'Ex Machina'

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Sonoya Mizuno, Corey Johnson

Honestly, this cast is killer. Forget the twist (even though it's a good one), we just love to see Oscar Isaac busting out some moves on the dance floor.

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'The Sixth Sense'

Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Donnie Wahlberg, Olivia Williams

"I see dead people." If you think that iconic line is creepy, wait until you get to the twist (and if nobody's ruined it for you yet—run, don't walk).

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'Citizen Kane'

Starring: Orson Welles, Ruth Warrick, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane

No spoilers, but "Rosebud" is definitely the OG movie plot twist.

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'Gone, Baby, Gone'

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Amy Ryan

Ben Affleck's Boston-based directorial debut throws us for a loop when two P.I.s dig into a kidnapping case.

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'Memento'

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky

It's not hard to suspect a plot twist when a movie's main character has short-term memory loss. It's even more likely when Christopher Nolan is directing the film.

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'Arrival'

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma

Aliens cause a mega time warp during first contact in this award-winning sci-fi film.

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'Fight Club'

Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, Jared Leto

The first rule of Fight Club is....don't talk about the plot twist at the end of Fight Club.

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'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' 

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams

So maybe it's not a huge surprise now, but "I am your father" was a HUGE twist back when this Star Wars film premiered in 1980.

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'Atonement'

Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch

We didn't think Atonement could break our heart any more, but the plot twist ending found a way. At least we have baby Saoirse Ronan to make things better.

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'Us'

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahidi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Peele's second thriller cemented his place as king of the final, shocking reveal. 

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'Coco'

Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Rene Victor, Jaime Camil

This sweet Pixar film about the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos has an end reveal that left audiences of all ages sobbing and a twist I didn't see coming. 

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'Planet of the Apes'

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, Linda Harrison

The twist at the end of this sci-fi classic has been referenced hundreds of times (including remakes) but the 1968 original film is still a fun ride.

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'Knives Out'

Starring: Ana de Ármas, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield

There are so many twists in Rian Johnson's family murder caper that everyone who thought they figured it out was fooled.

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'The Prestige'

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo

In this tale of two dueling magicians, all their secrets are revealed.

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'Psycho'

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, John McIntire

Alfred Hitchcock's film may be famous for its shower scene, but the final twist is even bigger.

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'Se7en' 

Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow

This crime thriller sees Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as detectives investigating murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. You'll be shocked to find out what's in the box and even more shocked to find out that's not even the real twist. 

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'American Psycho' 

Starring: Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux, William Defoe, Reese Witherspoon, Chloë Sevigny

A wealthy businessman leads a double life as a serial killer in NYC... At least that's what he believes. 

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'Saw' 

Starring: Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover, Ken Leung

The first installment in the gruesome horror series features a plot twist that is staring you right in the face for the entire duration of the film. 

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'Prisoners' 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Terrence Howard

When two young girls go missing, a father takes matters into his own hands to find the kidnapper. 

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'Sorry to Bother You' 

Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews

A telemarketer finds a magical key to success in his career, but as he progresses with higher salaries, he falls under the spell of corporate greed. 

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'The Others' 

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston, Fionnula Flanagan

A series of spooky events leads a mother to believe her house is haunted, but it turns out things are a lot darker than they seem. 

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