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Horror Has a Third Act Problem

Clear Critique

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Why do so many great horror movies fall apart in the third act? A horror movie can spend an hour building mystery and suspense, only to throw it all away once everything is revealed or the action ramps up. Today I discuss why audiences are often disappointed by horror movie endings, what mistakes cause the problems, and what the best horror films do differently. Why did films like Longlegs, Jordan Peele's Us and the new Resident Evil struggle in the finale? Which films did it right? Be sure to comment with your thoughts and enjoy the rest of the
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Intro: 0:00
Escalation Fallacy 0:15
Bad Twists 3:25
Over-explaining 6:18
A Perfect Getaway 8:36

#residentevilmovie #horrorfilmanalysis #horrormoviereview

All content is for commentary purposes only and is protected under Fair Use

20 Comments

@ClearCritique Creator 6 days ago Pinned

Any especially good or bad horror third acts you want to shout out?

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@mekabare 2 days ago

I'd say Annihilation's third act is in fact it's best act. Nothing is explained, just enough is shown to feed some curiosity about the Veil, the climax leaves you scared and then baffled. And the end just makes you theorize for the next 48 hours. Absolutely love it.

@mikeoppart 2 days ago

The Ring had an amazing ending. We think the whole thing is resolved, then at the last couple minutes we find out we've been viewing the situation totally wrong. This isn't an ordinary "break the curse" story

@lbb-fufufrenzy4360 2 days ago

Smile 2 had a nice ending in my opinion. I feel like it did it the other way around. Cranked up everything during the whole movie just to end it in a sort of quiet and very cruel way.

@Mrbooguyaga 6 days ago

I feel like The Wailing had the best horror movie ending. Had you guessing damn near the whole movie and great reveal at the end.

@Keeper7589 3 days ago

"Jacob's ladder" by Adrian Lyne is, in my opinion, a good example of a third act perfectly executed.
I was blown away by the final twist, and the way it changes the whole perspective of the story.

@matthewhartman6377 2 days ago

I wish you would have the name of the movie clips you’re showing in the bottom corner. If you could maybe do that for future videos, it’d be greatly appreciated! Otherwise, great vid! Earned a subscriber

@adonm6998 1 day ago

Was telling my partner about this. So many movies shit the bed near the end. They dont know how to wrap up the plot in a satisfying way

@emjazz11atd 2 days ago

You mentioned exposition and I immediately thought of Perkins and Longlegs…and then you shows Longlegs. One of the most tragic third acts in a horror movie…..could have been a horror classic

@matthewparkes879 4 days ago

Kill List. Third act of horror heaven.

@JayCravesAttention 2 days ago (edited)

one of my favorites 3rd acts and endings this decade is Bring Her Back for many of the exact reasons you mentioned lol

the whole movie is pretty much a tension packed build up, and I love how the 3rd act plays out. instead everything blowing up in the usual corny way, it tightens its tension filled grip even more and never lets up, theres a nice little twist with Oliver that recontextulizes multiple moments, and it doesn't end the way you expect it too. it subverts expectations and goes out quietly and somberly, with an ending that genuinely had majority of my theater in tears.

@DuaneYaiser 2 days ago (edited)

This is exactly why so many horror movies disappoint me. It's like going to a haunted house attraction during Halloween, but you're having so much fun you stay all night ... Then they turn on the normal lights, the custodial staff sweeps up, and you see the "monsters" wiping off their makeup, walking to their cars with their backpacks and talking about meeting up at the diner.

@nettewilson5926 12 hours ago

Sooooo true. A tight ending is so important to the overall quality of a story.

@runarvollan 21 hours ago

Lebensraum (2003) has the best buildup and tention in act 3

@ivandksd 15 hours ago (edited)

Lake mungo comes to my mind as a great ending. It's a roller coaster of little scares. Then it slows down. Then there is this intense disturbing moment. And then in the end it's calm and really sad.

@Scopecreep_garage 5 days ago

Man, I have been saying for years that horror movies fall apart in their third acts. It was very vindicating to see this video pop up. So many movies get off to such a strong start and then just completely betray themselves in the end.

@UltraViolet_J18 3 days ago

I was about to say “no wait, silent hill is perfect!” But then I remembered why I’ve only played each game once…

@Move_I_Got_This-b3v 6 days ago

Stephen King movies are known for having the best build ups with flat endings.
But that's ok, it's like most rollercoasters, the biggest thrills are never at the end.
"It Comes at Night" tried the no ending bit and just let the movie build suspense with no ending.
People hated that ending.