It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable a movie may make you, chances are you will be right back. In fact, sometimes you do back-to-back sessions in which you submit yourselves to excruciating experiences that leave you shaking, but in a weird “this is just escapism, and tomorrow everything will be fine” sort of way. But we don’t blame you. Genres, mediums, and careers have been born out of making people uncomfortable, andthrillersseem to be where it all begins.
There are numerous ways to create thrillers. They can be friendly, PG-rated adventures, disturbing, fictional, or evenbased on true stories. It all depends on the director behind the camera, who will design a scheme to have an impact on those who sit at the other end. Usually, when it comes to gritty thrillers, a blend of visual style and storytelling will be responsible for forcing you down the spiral of intrigue and mystery that’ll make you feel like what’s on the screen could actually happen to you.
However, those gritty thrillers don’t always carry a last blow to the heart. In fact, most of the time, thrillers end with a happy ending, as they often represent a harrowing journey that viewers need to get a break from. But when that last blow comes in the form of a bleak and dark ending, chances are you will suffer. As follows, these are the gritty thrillers with the bleakest and heart-wrenching endings you will never forget.
The following list is full of spoilers.
20Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver
In Martin Scorsese’s classic thriller, Travis Bickle (Dobert De Niro) is a PTSD-riddled war veteran who drives around New York City, trying to make a living as a taxicab driver. Bickle finds no reason in the gritty lifestyle of New York’s underworld, and every day he falls deeper into a desperate state of hopelessness and solitude. Sure, he meets Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign volunteer for a politician who’s running for president, but Betsy finds out about Travis' rotten state of mind. When he meets a young sex worker named Iris (Jodie Foster) and can’t find a way to help her, Bickle “explodes.”
New York City Is Anything But a Symbol of Hope in Taxi Driver
Taxi Driverends withTravis' rampage of destruction. He attempts to murder the presidential candidate, Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris), but fails. Then he decides he will kill Iris' pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel), because he finds there’s no other way to help her. The shootout leaves him injured, and when he desperately tries to commit suicide, he finds out he’s out of ammo. Through his delusional glance, we see he fantasizes about dying.
The ending then shows Travis falling into a coma, being considered a hero in the city, and even reconnecting with Betsy when he wakes up. The problem is that the effects of the city’s mechanics are much too strong, and Scorsese ultimately reveals Travis will always have a connection to his approach to destruction.You can rentTaxi Driveron Apple TV.
19Speak No Evil (2022)
Speak No Evil
Bjørn (Morten Burian), Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), and Agnes (Liva Forsberg) are a Dutch family of three on vacation in Italy. As it usually happens in real life, they meet another family that is also on vacation. Patrick and Karin are a seemingly perfect and attractive couple, whose son, Abel, was born without a tongue and can’t communicate.
However, they hit it off, and when it’s time to say goodbye, Patrick and Karin invite Bjørn and Louise to spend a couple of days at their house in the Netherlands. When Bjørn and Louise get back, they decide to accept the invitation and travel to the remote town where Patrick and Karin live. They should have given this more thought.
Speak No Evil’s Ending Is One of the Most Searing Moments in Modern Cinema
Speak No Evilis a very original European thriller that sailsinto horror territoryin the final act. Bjørn and Louise aren’t exactly in tune with the hosts' attitude and ways, but they decide to give it a shot.
The problem is when Bjørn finds out the truth about Abel, and Patrick and Karin show their true nature. In a nightmare-inducing scene, the innocent couple is separated from their daughter Agnes, who will become Patrick and Karin’s new daughter, and guess what? She won’t be able to speak in the future. Bjørn and Louise are killed in the most horrific of ways, and right after, the serial killers go on vacation to find another family of victims.StreamSpeak No Evilon Shudder.
18The Vanishing (1988)
The Vanishing
Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) are a young couple on a road trip in France. Saskia seems disturbed by recurring dreams but finds comfort in Rex. The problem is that when they stop for gas in a rest area, Saskia disappears without trace. Rex desperately tries to find her, but years pass before he gets a clue about where she might be. Someone contacts him and claims to have some answers, and Rex decides to meet up with the man who claims to have kidnapped her. Oh, answers will come alright.
The Nature of Evil
George Sluizer’s groundbreaking thriller,The Vanishing, is a spectacular sample of the genre that, decades after its release, still has the capacity to leave youin absolute distress. The movie ends on a very passive note as Rex and Raymond meet, and the killer slowly reveals why he does what he does. But still, he doesn’t say what he did to Saskia. Raymond drugs him and lets him know that he will experience Saskia’s end. Eventually, he finds out. He wakes up in a box, buried underground, as Raymond keeps on living his life with his family.You can streamThe Vanishingon The Criterion Channel.
17The Snowtown Murders (2011)
The Snowtown Murders
Based on the true story of the Snowtown murders in Australia in the 1990s,Snowtown(alternatively known asThe Snowtown Murders) tells the story of a 16-year-old boy named Jamie (Lucas Pittaway). He lives with his mother and his brothers, one of whom abuses him repeatedly. His mother’s boyfriend is also a monster, but eventually, an outside force drives him away. John Bunting enters the picture, becomes a father figure to Jamie, and accomplishes some balance in the community. The problem is that John’s true nature will soon arise.
The Vicious Acts of Monsters
Snowtownends as Jamie is already under the spell of John and his ideas. He can’t get away from him because he has already participated in a killing rampage. In the film’s final scene, Jamie convinces his half-brother, Dave, to buy a used computer.
Dave is one of the few “uncorrupted” characters in the film, which makes the conclusion even more harrowing. Jamie leads Dave into the hands of monsters and even becomes one as he closes the door of a room, as we can see the barrels where Australia’s notorious serial killers hid the bodies. There’s a very high chance thatSnowtownwill become a genre classic,even if it’s a film that’s incredibly hard to rewatch.you’re able to streamSnowtownon AMC+.
20 Gritty Westerns to Cut Your Teeth On
The following is a selection of western films that are a little grittier than the rest while offering a great overall impression of the genre.
16Se7en (1995)
Se7enfollows two detectives — David Mills (Brad Pitt) and Morgan Freeman (William Somerset) — dealing with a particularly cunning killer. Using the seven deadly sins as themes for his murders, the serial killer is driving law enforcement agents insane, as they’re unable to find clues about who could be the vicious culprit responsible. As envy and wrath are left on the roster, a man claiming to be the killer surrenders himself. He informs Mills and Somerset that his rampage isn’t over, but to reveal where the bodies are, they will have to meet some conditions.
“The World Is a Fine Place”
One of David Fincher’smost important filmsends as Mills and Sommerset are in the middle of nowhere with John Doe, following his orders. A courier arrives to deliver a box that Sommerset opens, before instantly running towards Mills and Doe. He pleads for Mills to lower his gun, as Doe has revealed that he felt envious of Mills' perfect life and family. As a consequence, he has killed Mills' wife and their unborn child, leaving her head in the box.
Knowing Mills will kill him because of his wrath, Doe is revealed to have completed the circle. When Mills fires, he not only kills Doe, but also emerges victorious. In the final scene, Sommerset delivers a very important line that he took over from Hemingway: “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.” He also says he agrees only with the second part.Buy or RentSe7enon Prime Video.
15Oldboy (2003)
Park Chan-wook’s gritty thrillerOldboyis the story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a successful executive whose personal life is chaotic. He’s always drunk and doesn’t care about his daughter’s birthday. When someone kidnaps him, he wakes up in an isolated hotel room. There’s only a television, and he gets food delivered through the pet door. He spends 15 years imprisoned, without a clue as to why someone has done this and framed him for the murder of his wife. Upon his unexpected release, Oh Dae-su will endeavor to uncover the causes of his ordeal.
Can You Imagine Your Worst Nightmare Coming True?
Woo-jin reveals to Oh Dae-su why he orchestrated the kidnapping. The reason is that Oh Dae-su witnessed him committing incest with his sister, Lee Soo-ah, and told everyone in class, leading to Lee Soo-ah’s suicide. The problem is that imprisonment wasn’t the only part of the plan. Woo-jin also reveals he managed to make Dae-su fall in love with Mi-do, the chef who has helped Oh Dae-su throughout the journey. In reality, Mi-do is Oh Dae-su’s daughter.
Struck by the news, Dae-su begs Woo-jin not to reveal anything to Mi-do. but the villain doesn’t exactly comply. Dae-su tries everything at his disposal to forget about his past life and the fact that the woman he loves is his daughter. Apparently, a hypnotist does so, and Mi-do finds Dae-su, but in the back of his mind, the truth will always remain untouched.StreamOldboyon Netflix.
14Blue Ruin (2013)
InBlue Ruin, Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) is a man who lives in his car and steals food and money in order to survive. Still affected by his parents' murder, Dwight decides to fully avenge their deaths when he finds out their killer is set to be released from prison. Dwight catches up with Wade and brutally kills him. The problem is what happens soon after, when more details emerge from the killings that took place 20 years ago.
Death Is the Only Rule
Jeremy Saulnier’sslow-burn, gritty masterpiecehas an unforgettable ending that’ll torment you for days. Dwight finds out Wade wasn’t responsible for his parents' deaths, and he made a mistake by starting a streak of murders that he’s unable to stop. The Clelands, now seeking revenge, claim they will kill Sam, Dwight’s sister. In a shootout, with more bodies dropping than you can imagine in an indie thriller, Dwight eventually dies, and Saulnier’s film ends on a very grim note of hopelessness. Suffice to say, revenge is always a harrowing cycle of violence.StreamBlue Ruinon Tubi.
13I Saw the Devil (2010)
I Saw the Devil
I Saw the Devilis the story of Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), an intelligence officer in South Korea, who finds out his wife has been killed by a prolific serial killer named Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik). He swears revenge, but when he comes upon the killer, he doesn’t kill him. Instead, he plants a tracker on the killer and starts a cat-and-mouse game that’ll make Kyung-chul regret coming close to Soo-hyun’s wife. But this doesn’t mean the killer won’t fight back.
The Best Action Thriller You’ve Yet to See
Aperfect revenge thriller,I Saw the Devilswiftly navigates to a climactic ending in which Kyung-chul decides to finally surrender to the police. But Soo-hyun has other plans, and kidnaps him in front of everyone. No one knows where the killer lives, so Soo-hyun decides to go there to torture the man to death. He installs a device on Kyung-chul’s body that will eventually behead him. This occurs as his family enters his home. Kim Soo-hyun wails as he realizes he has completed his job, as we’re left to wonder if all this additional suffering was truly worth it.StreamI Saw the Devilon Hulu.
12We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) lives by herself in a rundown house. She was once a successful woman, but after giving birth to her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), everything changed. Through flashbacks, we see her descent from being a promising mother to despising the existence of her son, who also shared similar feelings for her. But when she has a daughter and her family begins to take on a more normal shape, Kevin decides otherwise. There’s a reason why she’s a lonely pariah.
The Very Expression of Evil
Told in a flashback narrative,We Need to Talk About Kevinis adisturbing gritty thrillerthat reveals the purpose behind its title in a horrific ending. Kevin, in fact, had committed mass murder in his school. Not only that, he went ahead and decided to harm his mother by brutally killing his father and his sister, leaving Eva by herself. The film ends on a very bleak note, as Eva commits the ultimate merciful act by a mother: visiting her son in prison. She asks him why, and he doesn’t reply. The lack of answers is even more gut-wrenching. Swinton’s performance, which earned her Best Actress in a Leading Role nominations at the Golden Globes and the BAFTA Awards, makes this harrowing ending all the more upsetting.StreamWe Need to Talk About Kevinon Tubi.
11Kill List (2011)
Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley) are best friends. Once British soldiers, they are now retired, and make their living as hitmen. In a desperate attempt to win back his wife’s approval, Jay accepts an unconventional job. Together with Gal, they embark on a journey that will prove to be the most peculiar job they’ve ever undertaken: transforming from victims who relish death to navigating a wealthy man’s peculiar demands.
Embracing Your Destiny, Even If It’s the Worst You Ever Imagined
A bizarre anddisturbing thrillerby Ben Wheatley,Kill Listmay feel predictable up to a point, because early on you get the feeling that Jay and Gal’s mission isn’t exactly normal. However, the film spirals out of control in the ending, when the pair witness a human sacrifice. They confront the group, who strangely admire the fact that Jay is killing them. When they catch up, Gal suffers a horrendous attack, forcing Jay to kill him out of mercy.
When Jay reunites with Shel and Sam, his wife and son, the attackers arrive, and they knock him unconscious. When Jay wakes up, he’s surrounded by cultists, who make him face The Hunchback, a cloaked figure holding a knife. Jay fights back and stabs the creature to death. When the cloak is removed, it’s revealed that this was Shel with Sam strapped to her back. While in shock, Jay’s crowned the king of the cult.StreamKill Liston Shudder.
20 Horror Movies With More Than One Ending
Horror endings tend to be divisive, so in case you hated one of the following, there are actually alternate ways to finish them.
