A chance conversation last week led to me reminiscing about my favourite twist-ending films.

I hardly need add that there will be many a spoiler present in today’s column, so if you spot the name of a film that you would eventually like to watch (without me ruining it for you first), it might be an idea to skip over to the next paragraph.

Now that the formalities are over, on to the solid stuff. I very much suspect that the first bona fide twist-ending I saw was good, old The Sixth Sense. I went in there not knowing that I was to expect a twist – as far as I was concerned, it was just a good, old-fashioned ghost story with the added benefit of Bruce Willis, whom I actually liked at the time. When the great reveal about his character happened, I swear it was like I was hammered to my seat.

The Sixth Sense heralded a host of other twist movies. Some of these films worked, but this list never again included another film by M.Night Shyamalan, much to my disappointment. I’ve always had a weakness for the director, probably because I think his name is so cool, more than because of his filmography.

One of my favourites on this list, although it’s usually more lauded in the revenge genre than the surprise one, is Oldboy (the 2003 Chan-wook Park offering, not the 2013 Spike Lee remake). Filmed beautifully in typical Korean style, i.e. with a feeling of doom and existential angst throughout, it is strange, eerie and moving.

The plot revolves around a man who finds himself mysteriously imprisoned for a long period of time in one room. When he escapes, he exacts revenge and, in the process, falls in love. Only problem is that this love turns out to be yet another part of the web of lies he has been living – and when the truth (and his eventual reaction) are revealed, Shyamalan’s “I see dead people” ending pales in comparison.

Next on the list is The Descent. All throughout the film, things proceed very normally and, apart from the fact that it’s one of the most freaky films I’ve ever seen, there’s nothing else to make it stand out.

Six (I’m not too sure on the number, it’s been a while) girl friends go potholing heavens know where, get stuck miles underground and strange things start coming out of the dark. The fact you don’t actually see these strange things until the film is almost over contributes immensely to the fear factor, but what makes the movie remarkable is its ending.

Against all odds, one survivor makes it out of the caves alive, she manages to get to her car, starts it and... suddenly wakes up to find that she had simply passed out in the cave and in reality is still forever trapped down there. The ending was considered so cruel that it had to be changed for American cinemas.

American Psycho makes it on the list despite the fact that I’m not sure the ending qualifies as a bona fide twist, but simply by dint of the fact that Christian Bale is rather incredible in it. When you have a movie that presents a series of murders, after which you find out these were only a figment of someone’s disturbed imagination, whether you call it a twist or not matters little. It is a small slice of cinematographic brilliance.

I won’t go back to The Mist because I wrote about it not too long ago. And Planet of the Apes might deliver one of the best shocks to the system at the end, but I happen to dislike the franchise intensely.

Anything involving primates freaks me out, probably because, in reality, they are so close to humans that I can see the potential of this scenario happening in real life.

The ending was considered so cruel that it had to be changed for American cinemas

Instead, I’ll move on to Soylent Green, which must be one of the most depressing, yet brilliant, films ever. The fact that it’s over 40 years old does nothing to diminish from its impact as one of the best dystopian stories ever told, and the final revelation – ‘Soylent Green is people’ – has made it emblazoned on many a T-shirt.

To describe it simplistically, one lone man takes on the all-powerful corporation, called Soylent Green, that is the sole food producer in the country. But what exactly is in the food? The afore-mentioned tagline provides a clear reply.

There are so many other brilliant twist movies – Fight Club (a fun look at dominant alter-egos), Psycho (seriously? It was a man in drag, all along?), The Usual Suspects (I guessed the identity of Keyser Soze immediately, which put a damper on things somewhat).

In the meantime, I await the next offering.

rdepares@timesofmalta.com