The Problem with Ambiguous Endings in Horror

Is an ambiguous ending clever or just lazy?

Think of your favorite horror movie. Now ask yourself, why do you like it?

You will come up with a list of things that worked for the movie, starting with the cast, the storyline, the perfectly crafted twist, and the running time.

Now think of a movie you disliked.

The reason would be more about the clumsy plot than the ham acting.

Well crafted stories are the foundation of every movie. You like a movie because of the plot, because of how the story unfolded. The story is the main character but is often seen as the background actor.

The accolades are always given to the actors and the director. The writer usually gets a nod, and if the movie is successful, then another contract and perhaps an award.

A good story is what carries the movie, and a bad one often drowns one.

The worst tactics used by some writers is to craft an ambiguous ending.

It's pretentious, a trying-too-hard-to-look-smart gimmick.

If the audience didn't get it, they're at fault for not sitting down with a notebook and pen for jotting the details and drawing up meticulous maps to connect dots.

The story is artsy, niche, and esoteric...but let's face it, half-baked.

A good story flows. A superficial ones bobs up and down.

A recent movie that I watched but shall not name until I write the review, relied a lot on dreams and time loops. 

Is the character dreaming, is it real? Is she caught in a time loop? 

Of course, the movie didn't do well, and you could tell why in the first act. There were too many dream sequences and repetitive jump scares, and the characters took no accountability for their actions.

But it was still passable, and I was not throughly bored. Then the ending hit, and of course, the writer tried to be clever with how they had dropped a hint at the beginning. But they way things played out, it was definitely not a moment of pleasant surprise. It was the kind of reaction where one resorts to blurting WTH at the screen. As if it was the screens fault for showing such disappointment.

Time loops and dream sequences can be fascinating. I still remember TRIANGLE being one of my absolutely favorite time loop movies.

The sequences fell into place. It wasn't disjointed, and neither was it dumbed down for the audience.

The story wasn't only about a woman caught in a desperate loop. It was about a mother trying to save her child, something that was revealed only in the end. 

The important part to note is that this plot device could have failed miserably, yet the writer took great pains in making sure everything fell into place and the story didn't fray at the end.

And of course, there was PREDESTINATION. Another well-crafted movie that I feel didn't get its due. The acting was great, and the twist will make you gasp.

Predestination is yet another example of how good stories do not always get awards and box office success. But at least they are remembered long after the release.

The story could have failed at several points. It could have been called another instance where things "jumped the shark." Except it managed to make it through to the very end without leaving you perplexed.

A good story lives with you for a long time. And it's not always about the twist but more about how the plot flowed towards it rather than the twist jumping out like a playful dolphin. 

We don't want to see a dolphin in a movie about sharks.

Unless, of course, the twist is that it's a hybrid: part dolphin and part shark. 

And of course it would have to be part of some demented science experiment that turned the sharks even more aggressive because their cells didn't fuse with the dolphins, except for one unique shark who was easily mutated because of their special genes.

Getting back to ambiguous endings, it's great that filmmakers want their audience to be part of their project by inviting their version of it. 

But sometimes, all the audience wants is to be entertained. And a good story, with a reliable ending through a smooth transition, can do it.