There are plenty of shocking finales in Hollywood history, but it takes a special kind of climax
to make someone leave the theater in a fit of rage.
These movie endings all sparked major controversies, sometimes for the silliest of reasons.
Major spoilers ahead.
When 10 Cloverfield Lane arrived in 2016, people wondered if this sci-fi flick would
have any connection to the J.J. Abrams produced monster movie Cloverfield that'd come out
eight years before.
Was it a sequel or a prequel?
Did it take place in the same universe?
Would there be any aliens?
As moviegoers quickly found out, there were most definitely aliens, but not everyone was
happy when the evil ETs showed up on screen.
"Oh, come on."
The space worms first appear after our hero Michelle escapes from an underground bunker.
For most of the movie, she's been held captive by Howard, a murderous conspiracy theorist
who thinks aliens have taken over the world.
And when Michelle finally makes her way to the surface, she discovers Howard was right.
Seconds after defeating her warden, Michelle is forced to fight against invaders from another
galaxy.
This fiery finale ticked off quite a few moviegoers, as many thought the climax was overblown and
out of place.
Some said the movie "self-destructed" in the last few minutes, while others argued Michelle
didn't need to fight any extraterrestrials as she'd already beaten Howard.
On the other hand, other critics say the scene is essential for Michelle's character arc.
Now that she's seen the alien foe up close, her decision to join the resistance has real
meaning.
She now knows from firsthand experience what dangers lie ahead, so when she drives toward
the invasion, we understand she's finally overcome her fear, and she won't run away
this time.
But regardless of your opinion on the ending, can we all agree that John Goodman was way
scarier than any alien?
"I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology."
Directed by Nicholas Meyer, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan features one of the saddest
death scenes you'll ever see in a sci-fi movie.
After going toe-to-toe with Khan, the crew of the USS Enterprise is in serious trouble.
There's a super weapon about to go off, and Captain Kirk can't escape the blast in time
because the ship's warp drive has been seriously damaged.
And that's when Spock decides to save the day.
Putting the needs of the many ahead of the needs of the few, Spock exposes himself to
deadly radiation in hopes of repairing the ship.
"No human can tolerate the radiation that's in there."
"As you are so fond of observing, Doctor, I am not human."
While his plan works out and the Enterprise escapes intact, our pointy-eared hero dies
a tragic death, separated from Kirk by a pane of glass.
It's a heartbreaking scene, and if you're not getting a bit misty-eyed right now, it's
probably because you're a Vulcan.
"How do you feel?
How do you feel?"
"I do not understand the question."
Of course, fans back in 1982 weren't just upset about Spock's demise.
They were downright furious.
News of Spock's death leaked pretty early during the filming of Wrath of Khan, resulting
in a major outcry from fans.
According to executive producer Harve Bennett, the filmmakers received "a hundred thousand
letters" pleading for Spock's life.
One Trekkie took out a magazine ad demanding that Paramount spare the Vulcan, and some
fans were so upset that they started harassing actor Leonard Nimoy, actually threatening
the man and his family.
Hoping to throw fans off, Meyer and company added a scene early in the film in which Spock
fakes his death during a training sequence, and honestly, that probably only made it hurt
even more when the Vulcan finally gave his trademark salute for the final time…well,
until Star Trek III: The Search for Spock came out, anyway.
When The Devil Inside hit theaters in 2012, there were multiple reports that audience
members began jeering and shouting in anger after the credits started rolling.
So what kind of ending would cause moviegoers to unleash their inner demons?
Well, The Devil Inside is a found footage film about a killer named Maria who's possessed
by four demons.
Her daughter, Isabella, is making a documentary about her murderous mom, and eventually, the
film culminates with an exorcism where the demons decide to leave their host and inhabit
our heroes.
As a result, things take an unfortunate turn as Isabella and her friend are speeding down
a busy highway.
Suddenly, her possessed buddy turns into oncoming traffic, and the movie cuts to black.
And that's when a title card pops up, reading, "The facts surrounding the Rossi case remain
unresolved.
For more information about the ongoing investigation, visit www.TheRossiFiles.com."
Really, the site was just a bizarre bit of viral marketing, but moviegoers thought they
would have to visit the site to find out how the story ended.
That wasn't actually the case, but nevertheless, people felt cheated, prompting a whole lot
of outrage from furious horror fans.
Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven has a terrible approval rating on Rotten
Tomatoes, and a lot of that hatred has to do with an ending that comes straight out
of The Sixth Sense.
Supposedly set in the real world, you know, a place where ghosts don't exist, this 2013
romance focuses on a battered wife named Katie.
She's on the run after stabbing her husband, and she eventually winds up in a new town
where she befriends a local woman named Jo and falls in love with a hunky widower named
Alex.
As you've probably guessed, Katie and Alex wind up together, but moments before the credits
roll, the couple discovers a stack of letters written by Alex's dead wife, Carly.
They also find a photo of his old flame, and surprise, she looks exactly like Jo.
Yeah, that's right.
Katie's friend Jo is the ghost of Alex's wife, returned from the afterlife to play matchmaker
for her hubby.
As twists go, this one is completely nuts, especially considering there weren't any apparent
supernatural elements in the movie until the end.
In fact, the finale was so bonkers that one critic wrote that the twist "will make you
want to punch the movie in the face."
"You bitch!
You bitch!"
Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, The Interview follows a talk show host and
his producer as they visit North Korea to, well, interview Kim Jong-un.
But before they reach Asia, they're recruited by the CIA to assassinate the dictator.
Initially reluctant, they finally do the deed when Kim decides to launch his nuclear weapons.
As Kim sits in a helicopter, James Franco and Seth Rogen blast him to kingdom come with
a tank, and we watch in slow-mo as the bad guy's face catches on fire.
Originally, Kim's death was way more violent.
His entire head exploded, sending "chunks of skull" everywhere.
This did not sit well with the CEO of Sony, who insisted that Rogen tone down the gore.
But that was just the start of what would become an international incident.
The madness really began when North Korea stated that releasing The Interview would
be an "act of war."
Things only got worse when a North Korean-backed group called the Guardians of Peace hacked
Sony, began releasing private emails, and demanded the studio shut down the controversial
comedy.
"Oh no, it's happening."
And this is where things got kind of scary.
The Guardians of Peace followed up their hacking attack with terrorist threats.
As a result, five major theater chains decided to drop The Interview, and Sony initially
declined to release the movie online.
Sure, the movie eventually did make its way into theaters and streaming services, but
it's kind of weird to think that decades from now, film students will still be talking about
how a ridiculous Seth Rogen movie sparked an international incident.
"They hate us!"
"They hate us because they ain't us."
"Kim!
You got it buddy!"
"Okay!
Alleyoop!"
Even though Do the Right Thing came out nearly 30 years ago, it's just as relevant today
as it was in 1989.
Set during a vicious summer heat wave in New York City, this Spike Lee joint focuses on
a small neighborhood divided by race.
The film takes place over the course of a single day, and we watch as an argument between
a pizza shop owner and two customers escalates into a violent showdown.
The madness starts when an NYPD officer kills a young African American man.
In response, the main character starts a riot that destroys the aforementioned pizza parlor.
"Hey!"
It's a devastating climax, one that leaves audiences shaken to the core but empathetic
toward all the characters and where they're coming from.
Well, that's what was supposed to happen anyway.
Unfortunately, a lot of people misunderstood the movie and worried Do the Right Thing would
incite real-life riots.
One reviewer at the time wrote:
"The end of this movie a shambles, and if some audiences go wild, [Lee is] partly
responsible."
Other critics apparently felt the same, way with one going to far as to say that the movie
could have political ramifications.
Naturally, this didn't sit well with Lee, who told Rolling Stone:
"I don't remember people saying people were going to come out of theaters killing people
after they watched Arnold Schwarzenegger films."
