WARNING: The following article lists endings to several recent and older films. Therefore you probably should read this list in order to avoid watching these films. You’ll just end up spending $14 on a movie ticket to watch the kid in front of you text on his blackberry for two hours and then get a crappy ending to boot!
There has been a common “twist” ending employed in numerous films over the years that has been rearing its ugly head ever more increasingly. From B horror movies to big budget Oscar contenders, this ending is maddeningly used over and over again. It’s enough to make any cinema lover have a total snap with reality and lose their mind! It’s become the go-to ending for lazy screenplay writers the world over. Now we have all come to expect the M. Night Shyamalan twist ending- Bruce Willis is a ghost, blah, blah, blah. I’m not talking about those clichéd endings. This is a very specific sub genre of movies that feature a twist ending. I am of course referring to films in which one or more of the main characters is imaginary and all in the head of the other character- ala Tyler Durden in Fight Club.
Ever since Fight Club made a big cinematic splash in 1999, movie makers have gone psycho with this previously interesting twist. There are a lot of films out there that you may think are All in Your Head Movies (AIYH movies as the kids say). However, for our purposes, we shall define these films as those in which the main character is mentally insane and imagining someone else doing things that he or she is in fact themselves responsible for. They can’t be dead (living in the afterlife or as a ghost) and it can’t have all been a dream. So with that in mind sit back, relax, grab yourself some popcorn and enjoy this list of All in Your Head Movies… unless.. wait a minute? ..No! It can’t be! Maybe you already read it.. because you wrote it.. you are ME. Woaaaah.
Fight Club
This is the classic upon which all other recent AIYH movies must live up to. This film came out before this twist ending was all the rage and thus gets a pass on using the cliché. Most movie goers didn’t see this ending coming and when it was revealed that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is all in the head of Edward Norton’s character it was truly amazing. The best part was the dizzying flashback showing us how Norton’s character was really Durden; even fighting himself in the parking lot! Project Mayhem! Unfortunately after Fight Club it’s all downhill.
Secret Window
“You stole my story..” and two hours of my life. This is the line that the imaginary AIYH character John Shooter mumbles over and over again to Johnny Depp’s character, a writer who has locked himself away in a wooded cabin to finish his novel. Only Depp can’t get any writing done because the crazed yokel farmer keeps showing up claiming to have been plagiarized by the author. In retaliation the farmer supposedly kills Depp’s dog and burns down his soon to be ex wife’s house amongst other atrocities. The film isn’t half bad and some audiences might even be gripped with the suspense of this Stephen King inspired thriller only to suffer the let down of a textbook AIYH movie ending. We are treated to the full shabang complete with a spinning room and flash backs showing us what really happened sans the weird farmer guy.
High Tension
This brutal French horror film tells the story of a young woman, Marie, who goes to stay with her female friend’s family in the country side. While there the happy house is soon visited by a depraved serial killer and Marie witnesses the large man murdering the parents. What follows is a bunch of great, gritty slice and dice kill scenes. Up until the ending this is an awesome slasher flick that would be on any gore hounds short list. Therefore it’s sad for me to report that no other film defines how stupid the logic of an AIYH movie can be. It is revealed that Marie is actually the serial killer and is indeed the one that took out her friend’s family and committed the numerous other kills and acts of violence throughout the film. However there is no way Marie could have possibly done all of the things depicted in the film- especially the car chase in which her killer alter ego tries to push her off the road. AIYH fail!
A Tale of Two Sisters / The Uninvited
This is a tale of two all in your head movies. A Tale of Two Sisters was a great piece of South Korean horror- enough so that it had the honor of being turned into a miserable, watered down American remake: The Uninvited. While the original Korean film treats its “AIYH-ness” much more artfully and subtly, its American sister goes for the jugular bludgeoning its audience with an insane plot that would make Tyler Durden blush. The Uninvited follows the story of a young girl who comes home after spending time in mental institution for suicide following the death of her mother in a house boat fire. Once home, she and her sister are scared that their new step mom is to blame for their mother’s death, and indeed may be a danger to them and their father. No one will listen to their warnings, mainly due to the fact that the sister DIED in the fire and is all in the crazy girl’s head. This one gets props for concluding with the traditional series of flashbacks showing the main character that she is alone, doing everything by herself and without her sister.
Hide and Seek
This is like watching one of your favorite actors star in a skin flick. DeNiro! Oh come on, please God no. Why? Alas, Robert De Niro starred in an AIYH movie alongside a young Dakota Fanning. DeNiro’s character is a doctor who, after the death of his wife, moves to the country side with his young daughter. (A lot of AIYH movies involve living in remote areas where people can’t call you out for your imaginary friends.) While in their new home Fanning starts playing with a malevolent “Charlie” who De Niro thinks is all in HER head. After “Charlie” kills his lady friend we discover that the joke’s on him because “Charlie” is really De Niro. He created this split personality in order to kill his cheating wife and deal with his guilt. I wonder if “Charlie” was also responsible for biting this finger?
Shutter Island
I should have known better; I called this one as an All in Your Head movie just from watching the trailer. Alas. I couldn’t pass up a dreamy Leonardo DiCaprio movie. First of all, it takes place at a creepy mental hospital: the first thing that occurred to me is that Leo is the one who is crazy; this whole business of being a US Marshal in search of a missing patient is a sham. The one thing that is different about this movie is that the crazy character is aided in his delusions by others. The psychiatrists have put together an elaborate ruse to try and break him of his psychosis stemmed from murdering his wife who had killed their children. “Rachel Solando,” the patient Leo’s character was sent to find and briefly meets was, in fact, all in his head. His US Marshal partner “Chuck” is not really a US Marshal but a psychiatrist trying to help him. A Martin Scorsese film, this is the AIYH directorial equivalent of DeNiro slumming it in Hide and Seek.
The Machinist
Christian Bale lost over 60 pounds to star as a machinist who is suffering from insomnia. The scrawny, haggard man is tormented by “Ivan” whom no one else seems to be aware of. “Ivan” causes an accident at the factory causing a man to lose an arm in addition to kidnapping a boy. In the end “Ivan” is nothing more than an AIYH character sent to help Bale’s character cope with committing a hit and run accident where a boy was killed. The Machinist is a disturbing, well shot film but the inclusion of the AIYH plot twist earns it, its place on this dreaded list.
The Other
The poster says “please don’t reveal the secret of The Other.” I guess if you’re reading this it’s too late. My bad! This 1972 horror movie follows the story of twins Niles and Holland, one good and one a “mischief maker.” As you can imagine the mischief intensifies, with Holland causing their cousin to die on a pitch fork, an old woman to have a heart attack and their mother to fall down the stairs and become paralyzed. Now, a good twin and a bad twin is a sure sign of a AIYH movie and it is soon revealed that Holland is all in the head of sweet natured Niles. In fact (much like The Uninvited) Niles’ twin Holland has been dead since March.
Black Swan
No movie so shockingly exemplifies how terribly the All in Your Head ending can ruin an otherwise great film as this Oscar nominated picture does. Halfway through Black Swan I started to get that sinking feeling. “Don’t do it.. don’t do it!” I pleaded in vain to the screen. Finally we are all treated to what we knew was coming: Natalie Portman’s character has been completely imagining all the terrible (and HOT) things that Mila Kunis’ character has been doing. Now some in the AIYH movie fan community might argue that this doesn’t count since Kunis’ character actually exists outside of the other ballerina’s warped brain. However during the times when Portman is fighting with herself and.. ahem.. doing other things with herself, there is no one there- that character is all in her head. If Black Swan takes Best Picture this year it will truly be an All in Your Head movie milestone.
My one question is, if this is constantly happening in film, how many times does this actually happen in real life? Are there scores of people out there living with their imaginary friends and don’t know it? Are my friends all just stuffed animals lined up on the wall of my mental institution cell? Better yet, what are some of your favorite All In Your Head movies? ..That is if you actually exist.
There has been a common “twist” ending employed in numerous films over the years that has been rearing its ugly head ever more increasingly. From B horror movies to big budget Oscar contenders, this ending is maddeningly used over and over again. It’s enough to make any cinema lover have a total snap with reality and lose their mind! It’s become the go-to ending for lazy screenplay writers the world over. Now we have all come to expect the M. Night Shyamalan twist ending- Bruce Willis is a ghost, blah, blah, blah. I’m not talking about those clichéd endings. This is a very specific sub genre of movies that feature a twist ending. I am of course referring to films in which one or more of the main characters is imaginary and all in the head of the other character- ala Tyler Durden in Fight Club.
Ever since Fight Club made a big cinematic splash in 1999, movie makers have gone psycho with this previously interesting twist. There are a lot of films out there that you may think are All in Your Head Movies (AIYH movies as the kids say). However, for our purposes, we shall define these films as those in which the main character is mentally insane and imagining someone else doing things that he or she is in fact themselves responsible for. They can’t be dead (living in the afterlife or as a ghost) and it can’t have all been a dream. So with that in mind sit back, relax, grab yourself some popcorn and enjoy this list of All in Your Head Movies… unless.. wait a minute? ..No! It can’t be! Maybe you already read it.. because you wrote it.. you are ME. Woaaaah.
Fight Club
This is the classic upon which all other recent AIYH movies must live up to. This film came out before this twist ending was all the rage and thus gets a pass on using the cliché. Most movie goers didn’t see this ending coming and when it was revealed that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is all in the head of Edward Norton’s character it was truly amazing. The best part was the dizzying flashback showing us how Norton’s character was really Durden; even fighting himself in the parking lot! Project Mayhem! Unfortunately after Fight Club it’s all downhill.
Secret Window
“You stole my story..” and two hours of my life. This is the line that the imaginary AIYH character John Shooter mumbles over and over again to Johnny Depp’s character, a writer who has locked himself away in a wooded cabin to finish his novel. Only Depp can’t get any writing done because the crazed yokel farmer keeps showing up claiming to have been plagiarized by the author. In retaliation the farmer supposedly kills Depp’s dog and burns down his soon to be ex wife’s house amongst other atrocities. The film isn’t half bad and some audiences might even be gripped with the suspense of this Stephen King inspired thriller only to suffer the let down of a textbook AIYH movie ending. We are treated to the full shabang complete with a spinning room and flash backs showing us what really happened sans the weird farmer guy.
High Tension
This brutal French horror film tells the story of a young woman, Marie, who goes to stay with her female friend’s family in the country side. While there the happy house is soon visited by a depraved serial killer and Marie witnesses the large man murdering the parents. What follows is a bunch of great, gritty slice and dice kill scenes. Up until the ending this is an awesome slasher flick that would be on any gore hounds short list. Therefore it’s sad for me to report that no other film defines how stupid the logic of an AIYH movie can be. It is revealed that Marie is actually the serial killer and is indeed the one that took out her friend’s family and committed the numerous other kills and acts of violence throughout the film. However there is no way Marie could have possibly done all of the things depicted in the film- especially the car chase in which her killer alter ego tries to push her off the road. AIYH fail!
A Tale of Two Sisters / The Uninvited
This is a tale of two all in your head movies. A Tale of Two Sisters was a great piece of South Korean horror- enough so that it had the honor of being turned into a miserable, watered down American remake: The Uninvited. While the original Korean film treats its “AIYH-ness” much more artfully and subtly, its American sister goes for the jugular bludgeoning its audience with an insane plot that would make Tyler Durden blush. The Uninvited follows the story of a young girl who comes home after spending time in mental institution for suicide following the death of her mother in a house boat fire. Once home, she and her sister are scared that their new step mom is to blame for their mother’s death, and indeed may be a danger to them and their father. No one will listen to their warnings, mainly due to the fact that the sister DIED in the fire and is all in the crazy girl’s head. This one gets props for concluding with the traditional series of flashbacks showing the main character that she is alone, doing everything by herself and without her sister.
Hide and Seek
This is like watching one of your favorite actors star in a skin flick. DeNiro! Oh come on, please God no. Why? Alas, Robert De Niro starred in an AIYH movie alongside a young Dakota Fanning. DeNiro’s character is a doctor who, after the death of his wife, moves to the country side with his young daughter. (A lot of AIYH movies involve living in remote areas where people can’t call you out for your imaginary friends.) While in their new home Fanning starts playing with a malevolent “Charlie” who De Niro thinks is all in HER head. After “Charlie” kills his lady friend we discover that the joke’s on him because “Charlie” is really De Niro. He created this split personality in order to kill his cheating wife and deal with his guilt. I wonder if “Charlie” was also responsible for biting this finger?
Shutter Island
I should have known better; I called this one as an All in Your Head movie just from watching the trailer. Alas. I couldn’t pass up a dreamy Leonardo DiCaprio movie. First of all, it takes place at a creepy mental hospital: the first thing that occurred to me is that Leo is the one who is crazy; this whole business of being a US Marshal in search of a missing patient is a sham. The one thing that is different about this movie is that the crazy character is aided in his delusions by others. The psychiatrists have put together an elaborate ruse to try and break him of his psychosis stemmed from murdering his wife who had killed their children. “Rachel Solando,” the patient Leo’s character was sent to find and briefly meets was, in fact, all in his head. His US Marshal partner “Chuck” is not really a US Marshal but a psychiatrist trying to help him. A Martin Scorsese film, this is the AIYH directorial equivalent of DeNiro slumming it in Hide and Seek.
The Machinist
Christian Bale lost over 60 pounds to star as a machinist who is suffering from insomnia. The scrawny, haggard man is tormented by “Ivan” whom no one else seems to be aware of. “Ivan” causes an accident at the factory causing a man to lose an arm in addition to kidnapping a boy. In the end “Ivan” is nothing more than an AIYH character sent to help Bale’s character cope with committing a hit and run accident where a boy was killed. The Machinist is a disturbing, well shot film but the inclusion of the AIYH plot twist earns it, its place on this dreaded list.
The Other
The poster says “please don’t reveal the secret of The Other.” I guess if you’re reading this it’s too late. My bad! This 1972 horror movie follows the story of twins Niles and Holland, one good and one a “mischief maker.” As you can imagine the mischief intensifies, with Holland causing their cousin to die on a pitch fork, an old woman to have a heart attack and their mother to fall down the stairs and become paralyzed. Now, a good twin and a bad twin is a sure sign of a AIYH movie and it is soon revealed that Holland is all in the head of sweet natured Niles. In fact (much like The Uninvited) Niles’ twin Holland has been dead since March.
Black Swan
No movie so shockingly exemplifies how terribly the All in Your Head ending can ruin an otherwise great film as this Oscar nominated picture does. Halfway through Black Swan I started to get that sinking feeling. “Don’t do it.. don’t do it!” I pleaded in vain to the screen. Finally we are all treated to what we knew was coming: Natalie Portman’s character has been completely imagining all the terrible (and HOT) things that Mila Kunis’ character has been doing. Now some in the AIYH movie fan community might argue that this doesn’t count since Kunis’ character actually exists outside of the other ballerina’s warped brain. However during the times when Portman is fighting with herself and.. ahem.. doing other things with herself, there is no one there- that character is all in her head. If Black Swan takes Best Picture this year it will truly be an All in Your Head movie milestone.
My one question is, if this is constantly happening in film, how many times does this actually happen in real life? Are there scores of people out there living with their imaginary friends and don’t know it? Are my friends all just stuffed animals lined up on the wall of my mental institution cell? Better yet, what are some of your favorite All In Your Head movies? ..That is if you actually exist.
It could be argued that Chicago partially falls into the AIYH catagory. A good portion of the musical and dance numbers can only be described as Roxie being delusional.
The Dark Half kind of takes AIYH literally. Well, I guess it's more like Some In Your Head.