Worst Unhappy/Downer Endings

[Rev. Powell]

.Surprised this one hasn't been mentioned-the 1968 NIGHT of the LIVING DEAD! Dam....he was so close to making it....!Dam!

I LOVE that ending!  It feels perfectly right, and it did shock me when I first saw it. 

[ER]

The very ending of Doctor Zhivago isn't bad, sort of uplifting, even, showing the dam, the water flowing down it, kind of David Lean's way of saying everything's gotten better, the river is washing away the horrors of the past rampant throughout the film, but that scene right before the end, where



(SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!)



Zhivago tries to get Lara's attention as he's on the bus and sees her on the street in Moscow, and fatally collapses just before he can get to her? Not only a downer but soooo frustrating every time I see it! Maddening! I hate that! Ultimate downer every last time.

[TheDope]

I totally agree with Sidehackers being one with a crappy downer ending - and a totally unnecessary one at that!  Hate those...GRRR...   

Another one that always gets me is the ending for Turner and Hooch, where










:::SPOILER::: 










Th bad guys kill the dog Hooch that Detective Turner (Tom Hanks) has learned to grow to love and respect.

That ending totally ruined the movie for me, no matter thatr they tried to make it better in the "later end scene", but still, why have that happen to begin with?  Again, GRRR.... 

[Rat-Bat-Spider]

Salo: The 120 Days Of Sodom is one of those movies where you hope against hope that goodness and virtue will win the whole way through the movie, but are reminded at the end that evil is tragic not because it merely goes against the nature of righteousness, but because it does so everywhere, all of the time, and it is largely unchecked. But, for the record, it is a great movie that everyone should see just once to drink from its deep well of sadness.

[Dave M]

I can't believe I forgot The Girl In Lover's Lane!
http://mst3k.wikia.com/wiki/The_Girl_in_Lovers_Lane

[bladerunnerblues]

Salo: The 120 Days Of Sodom is one of those movies where you hope against hope that goodness and virtue will win the whole way through the movie, but are reminded at the end that evil is tragic not because it merely goes against the nature of righteousness, but because it does so everywhere, all of the time, and it is largely unchecked. But, for the record, it is a great movie that everyone should see just once to drink from its deep well of sadness.

Everyone?!!No got dang way am I ever showing that piece of s**t to my loved ones..........

[Javakoala]

"Salo" is one of the few films that physically repulsed me. That takes a lot.  And then you get the ending that makes you want to hop in front of a crosstown bus.  Loads of fun.

The movie that broke my heart when I watched it and left me speechless (imagine that) and crying was "Breaker Morant".  I've wanted to go back and watch that movie time and again, but that ending keeps me from doing it. It makes my chest hurt just thinking about it.

[Rat-Bat-Spider]

The movie that broke my heart when I watched it and left me speechless (imagine that) and crying was "Breaker Morant".  I've wanted to go back and watch that movie time and again, but that ending keeps me from doing it. It makes my chest hurt just thinking about it.

Oh, man! The infamous "Handcock's funeral" scene gets me every time! A classic movie that deserves more respect than it has been getting. Perfect choice for a downer ending movie, as well.

And, yes, Salo pushes the boundaries of what we consider to be morality in film-making, but it is a movie not created in malice or misogyny: it does not take any joy in the acts of abuse that lie within. It is dispassionate in the sadism; that's what makes it tolerable, that's what makes it engrossing, that's what makes it art. It is not a pleasant film, or a film that can possibly endear you to it. But Pasolini was a great director, he created a well-made film, and in my opinion it is by no means the most deplorable movie that has been made.

Every now and again, to look into the sick heart of man, the wounded soul of the victim and the tandem spear of the assailant, to see what the coldest and most beastly of us are capable of, to witness the horror of evil and to have the grotesque facade of hope be shattered before our eyes, is not a bad thing. It reaffirms the good in us, and keeps us ever-fortified against the path of wickedness and hatred that is always set before us.

OK, rant officially over! Sorry! 

[Ryantherebel]

You those are are all good downer ending's that you're talking about, I looking for ones that are completely hollow and profoundly stupid.

[Doc Daneeka]

You those are are all good downer ending's that you're talking about, I looking for ones that are completely hollow and profoundly stupid.

Mortuary, first killing off all the best characters, then proceeding to kill all the rest of them just for the sake of being "a horror movie" XP

[Rev. Powell]

And, yes, Salo pushes the boundaries of what we consider to be morality in film-making, but it is a movie not created in malice or misogyny: it does not take any joy in the acts of abuse that lie within. It is dispassionate in the sadism; that's what makes it tolerable, that's what makes it engrossing, that's what makes it art. It is not a pleasant film, or a film that can possibly endear you to it. But Pasolini was a great director, he created a well-made film, and in my opinion it is by no means the most deplorable movie that has been made.

Every now and again, to look into the sick heart of man, the wounded soul of the victim and the tandem spear of the assailant, to see what the coldest and most beastly of us are capable of, to witness the horror of evil and to have the grotesque facade of hope be shattered before our eyes, is not a bad thing. It reaffirms the good in us, and keeps us ever-fortified against the path of wickedness and hatred that is always set before us.

OK, rant officially over! Sorry! 

I could argue that

As you say, SALO is dispassionate and neutral in its depictions of torture and sadism.  So was the source material, but it was intended for sexual arousal.  Sade got a boner writing this stuff for his own masturbatory pleasure while he was imprisoned.  Passolini chose to adapt Sade's pornographic novel literally.  I suspect that you are reading sympathy for the victims into the film; if the film doesn't take joy in degradation, it doesn't criticize it either.  The viewer chooses whether to identify with the victims or the victimizers.  Most of us choose the former, and therefore find the movie repugnant. 

I understand your reaction to it, but I wouldn't say SALO is a must see, or that it reaffirms the good in us.  In fact, I despise it (which is not to say I begrudge it the right to exist). 

It's my least favorite Sade work, because it has the least artistry (it's basically a list of progressive tortures) and doesn't give the reader the opportunity to argue with the author, which is the value of Sade.

I would even argue that the ending of SALO is not a downer, but the only part of the movie that's remotely uplifting.  There's a tremendous sense of relief that it's finally over, both for the victims and the viewer.

Sorry, I feel as strongly about SALO as you do--but in the opposite vector.

[Rat-Bat-Spider]

I understand your reaction to it, but I wouldn't say SALO is a must see, or that it reaffirms the good in us.  In fact, I despise it (which is not to say I begrudge it the right to exist).

It seems the movie is destined to divide people. All my friends are split down the middle on the film, and we've had more than a few discussions on its merits and flaws. Though I do not share your sentiments, it is a persuasive argument you give and I respect your opinion highly, Rev. Powell. Good show!

And how about Manos: The Hands of Fate? Talk about a hollow ending to that laughable abomination! Everyone's a concubine to The Master! I'm surprised Michael or Torgo or the police or the Make-Out Couple weren't in a diaphanous-robe-induced coma next to the bonfire as well.

[Sister Grace]

The Year My Voice Broke (1987)- this movie is one of my favorites, but the ending is so depressing...

The Proposition (2005)- sad ending, but a happy one wouldn't have worked

Permanent Midnight- this movie really depressed me...

[Frogger]

Troll 2 comes to mind when the song finds the mom being eaten.   Or perhaps Ghoulies. 

Each of the Ghoulies films I have seen seem to end with a "their will be a sequel" ending.

Yeah Troll 2 confused me, I wondered at first if it was a nightmare the kid was having but still WTF happened at the end.

The end of Siderhackers p**sed me off.

[Frogger]

I totally agree with Sidehackers being one with a crappy downer ending - and a totally unnecessary one at that!  Hate those...GRRR...   

Another one that always gets me is the ending for Turner and Hooch, where










:::SPOILER::: 










Th bad guys kill the dog Hooch that Detective Turner (Tom Hanks) has learned to grow to love and respect.

That ending totally ruined the movie for me, no matter thatr they tried to make it better in the "later end scene", but still, why have that happen to begin with?  Again, GRRR.... 

What did that film have to do with sidehacking except 5-10 minutes of stock footage near the start?

I take it back I am glad there was hardly any sidehacking.