What's In the Box?: Se7en & 6 More Dark Thrillers With The Most Unpredictable Movie Twists
It’s now 30 years since the release of David Fincher’s beautifully bleak thriller movie, Se7en, and it’s safe to say the film has not lost an inch of its appeal over the decades. Even on a rewatch, that brutal twist at the end of the movie still hits like a sledgehammer.
To think that Fincher was only 32 years old when he made the gritty detective movie is unbelievable. Clearly, it was a sign of great things to come, as he’s gone on to become one of the consistent directors of the modern era since.
Fincher is a filmmaker who has truly mastered one of the most difficult yet impressive skills any creative can possess: the art of the movie twist. So much so that in this list of the best thriller movie twists of all time, we’ve had to include two of his twistiest tales, among the work of other greats.
WARNING: There will be discussion around plot twists ahead, but nothing spoiling what those twists are.
Se7en may be celebrating a big birthday this month, but there is nothing joyous about this macabre masterpiece. From the very first minute of the film, we’re met with relentless rain, grimy shadows, and graphic, gory corpses. It’s a story of two mismatched detectives – the young and ambitious Mills (Brad Pitt) and the reluctant, retirement-ready Somerset (Morgan Freeman) – as they hunt a ruthless serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his calling card.
What’s so interesting about the narrative structure of Se7en is that Fincher reveals to us who the serial killer is with two of the deadly sins still to go. That’s because the ultimate twist is still to come, as Mills asks the question he really doesn’t want an answer to: “What’s in the box?”
You can watch Se7en on Netflix right now, and whether you’ve seen it before or not, it’s an absolute must; just maybe not if you’re eating or if you’re particularly averse to blood and guts.
From ‘What’s in the box?’ to ‘What’s in his head?’, this Martin Scorsese thriller is one of the most wonderfully ambiguous movies of the 21st century. Shutter Island, a Dennis Lehane story that Scorsese adapts almost word for word, centres on the unravelling mind of Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates a missing persons case at an isolated and mysterious mental institute. By the end, we are forced to question whether Daniels is who he thinks he is, or if he is actually the focal point of a radical psychological experiment.
While Scorsese is best known for his mobster movies, I actually think Shutter Island is my favourite work of his. It’s so dark and complex – even a bit scary at times – and has one of the most profound ending lines you’re likely to hear, as Teddy Daniels ponders: “Which would be worse: to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?” Our entire moral compass is put to the test, which is a fascinating position to be in as a viewer.
My daughter and I saw this at the cinema not so long ago, and she had a very clear answer as to what is really happening in Shutter Island. I would argue it’s not important; it’s the journey to get there and the tantalising doubt that makes this movie so special, much like Inception, in many ways. Watch it on Prime Video and decide for yourself.
I still remember the first (and only) time I watched Oldboy. I grimaced at the torture and mistreatment of Dae-su Oh. I hooted and hollered at the epic action sequences, not least of all that iconic hallway fight. Then, I sat there slack-jawed and stunned to silence as the big reveal hit home – it’s a genuinely sickening, sadistic twist, but it might just be the best one on this list. To this day, it’s still one of the most impactful and oddly gratifying film-viewing experiences of my life. So much so that I’m almost afraid to watch Oldboy again and tarnish that.
I definitely will, though. This Park Chan-wook movie is truly one of the great thrillers of the last 25 years, maybe more. Now, with works like The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave, we know very well that the Korean director is a special talent, but at the time of Oldboy’s release, the world stood up and took notice; that’s for sure. Thankfully, there are so many ways to watch this, be it through BFI Player, Sky, or Shudder; so, there’s really no excuse not to give it a go.
Jordan Peele went from being a brilliant comedian to one of the most exciting voices in horror cinema overnight with the release of Get Out. The razor-sharp social commentary piece is delightfully dark and very, very intense, and the way it builds to its enthralling crescendo is intelligent, rich storytelling at its finest. Filled with symbolism and clever clues, Peele’s story is the kind that gets more and more rewarding every time you watch it.
This is a film driven by racial themes, as Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) meets the family of his girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), for the first time and discovers they have some horrible, deep-rooted secrets. Of all the movies on this list, I’d say Get Out is the most universal and accessible. It’s nowhere near as bleak or grisly, and in fact, it’s quite funny at times. If you like movies like Speak No Evil or Knock at the Cabin, you’ll have a good time with Get Out.
If you are actively seeking something bleaker than what’s been listed already, you cannot go wrong with The Mist. We know Stephen King loves crafting pitch-black, nightmarish tales that blur the line between horror and thriller, and The Mist is no different; in fact, it might just be the most brutal of them all. While the majority of the film focuses on social unrest and inhumane behaviour amid the supernatural phenomenon of an all-encompassing and dangerous mist, it’s the final moments of this Frank Darabont movie that really hit the hardest.
Like Oldboy, the twist in The Mist is the kind of moment that will leave you absolutely gobsmacked. But while the Park Chan-wook film has a surreal satisfaction to it, The Mist is just straight-up depressing. Don’t let that put you off, though. This movie is absolutely worth watching… You just might never want to watch it ever again once you do. You can find it on Plex for free right now, or rent it for a couple of quid on Apple TV.
Denis Villeneuve may be more interested in grand, sweeping sci-fi stories like Dune and Blade Runner 2049 these days, but when he tackles more grounded, gritty stories like Prisoners (and his other work like Incendies and Polytechnique), he produces something equally special. This winding mystery thriller centres on the kidnapping of two young girls and the lengths one parent (Hugh Jackman) and one detective (Jake Gyllenhaal) will go to solve the case and ensure justice is served.
Prisoners is pretty distressing at times, especially if you’re a parent yourself. But the payoff by the end is fantastic. It’s one of those plot twists that is almost a double bluff, really. I showed my daughter this film recently, and she said the twist was weirdly the thing she suspected the least, and that’s why she half-saw it coming. I think that paradoxical move is exactly what makes Prisoners such a gripping story. If you’ve watched films like Gone Baby Gone or You Were Never Really Here, you’ll have a good idea of the vibe you can expect here.
We promised you a double dose of David Fincher, and that’s exactly what we’re delivering with this bookender. While we could have picked from a number of his films, like Fight Club or The Game, it’s Gone Girl that gets the nod from me, for the sheer shock factor alone. When this movie came out, I went to see it at the cinema with zero knowledge as to what it was about. I genuinely thought it was going to be some kind of romance story (it kind of is, if you think about it), but it ended up being one of the most surprising, satisfying revenge stories I’ve ever seen.
The narrative flip Fincher makes halfway through Gone Girl, and the extreme places the story goes to towards the end are the kind of brave, bold choices few filmmakers would make. The performance of Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne is one for the ages, too. While Gone Girl is quite long at just under two-and-a-half hours, it’s a blistering watch that I think will appeal to a wide range of audiences. It’s on Disney+, too, just to make it even easier for you to dive into this truly wild ‘love’ story.
