Everyone loves a good twist, as long as it is done right, that is. Whether it is the “He was dead the whole time” twist in The Sixth Sense, “I am your father” from Darth Vader, or learning that Tyler Durden isn’t real at the end of Fight Club, a good twist can become as large a talking point as a film is in its entirety. Focusing on British cinema, there is no denying the country has delivered some of the best twists in film history, as well as some of the best horrors, thrillers, and dramas that perfectly nail that dark turn in the more modern scope of cinema.
These ten already phenomenal films caught us off guard with their twist endings. As many of these movies are not widely known, we will keep them as spoiler-free as possible; besides letting you know that there is a twist to be found within.
Here are 10 great British movies with a dark twist that you need to add to your must-watch pile.
10
‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ (2004)
Optimum Releasing
Dead Man’s Shoes stays dark throughout, with it being one of the most viscerally brutal revenge tales ever, as one man openly stalks a group responsible for the death of his brother. Don’t believe us? Watch the monologue in which he first confronts them, “Sonny Confronts Richard,” as the intensity of his hatred is palpable. That said, this tale of one man returning home to fight his brother’s bullies is a profoundly emotional and shocking journey that culminates in a rather dark twist.
We won’t say precisely what it is. Still, the movie builds to the moment rather brilliantly, with Paddy Considine’s Richard’s escalating events matched by moments of brutality his brother suffered at the hands of a gang of local punks. Also, if you want to talk about some of the most underrated movies of the 2000s, this British thriller by Shane Meadows remains overlooked, a masterpiece that does not really fit comfortably into one genre box.
9
‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
British Lion Films
It is a bit difficult to call the ending of 1973’s The Wicker Man a twist, as it is now so deeply ingrained in pop culture, helped by the “Not the Bees” remake starring Nicolas Cage, and is also more a build-up to a singular event. Still, the visceral shock of those final moments of Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) as he faces an inconceivable, horrid fate remains shocking decades after the movie’s release.
The movie, which is now a familiar plot of an outsider entering a community with its own distinct beliefs and rules, is somewhat cliché. Still, films like Midsommar, The Blair Witch Project, and Kill List (to name a few) would arguably not exist without the groundbreaking Robin Hardy movie that essentially created the folk horror genre. Even if the story and its twist feel familiar through cultural osmosis, there is no excuse not to check out what remains one of the best horror movies of all time.
8
‘Kill List’ (2011)
Optimum Releasing
2011’s Kill List sparked interest in British cinema (beyond your Guy Ritchie-ish crime thrillers) among fans of horror and dark thrillers, only to become somewhat forgotten over time. Still, Kill List remains as one of the most revered folk horror movies to come out of Britain since The Wicker Man, thanks to its tense atmosphere and shocking revelations. The story follows ex-soldier–turned–hitman Jay (Neil Maskell) and his partner Gal (Michael Smiley), who take on an ongoing job they would usually avoid due to financial hardship.
Kill List is about constant escalation, with each job becoming more disturbing than the last, including one of the most gut-wrenching reveals ever committed to screen. The twist ending, which places Jay and Gal into a much darker, broader conspiracy, certainly hits hard, but the entire movie is a dark ride through some of the darkest corners of humanity and the British countryside.
7
‘Sightseers’ (2012)
StudioCanal
When the dark British wit hits, it makes for a pretty spectacular comedy. Sightseers, at its core, is a road-trip movie about two quintessential British tourists, Tina (Alice Lowe) and Chris (Steve Oram), hitting up the many landmarks and quaint museums across the country. Yet, where the turn comes is when one of them, Chris, shows his true colors and is willing to justify murder against anyone who does not respect refined British sentiments.
The growing relationship between Tina and Chris paints a picture of confusion on Tina’s part as she tries to rationalize her love for her only romantic partner and the murders he commits, and it is the source of much of the movie’s humor. Their developing relationship leads to a shift in dynamic that offers a wonderfully bleak yet humorous twist near the end of the film.
6
‘Tyrannosaur’ (2011)
StudioCanal
Fans of British cinema already knew that Olivia Colman was a future global star, long before her Oscar-winning performance in 2018’s The Favourite. In Tyrannosaur, Colman gives one of the best performances of her career as a kindhearted charity shop worker, Hannah, who has a chance encounter with the grizzled, quick-to-anger Joseph (Peter Mullan). The two form a unique friendship, one that reveals both their vulnerabilities.
The twist comes from what each slowly reveals to the other, particularly the abuse that Hannah suffers at the hands of her husband, which drew her to Joseph in the first place. It is a pretty devastating reveal with profound implications, raising a sense of moral ambiguity that will have audiences contemplating the movie days after watching it. The film, directed by Paddy Considine who starred in Dead Man’s Shoes, also exists in that space of highly overlooked cinema due to it not fitting nicely into a singular genre and some pretty dark and uncomfortable subject matter being explored.
5
‘Triangle’ (2009)
Icon Film Distribution
Delivering an engaging story focused on time travel is a challenging endeavor for many filmmakers, either getting lost in the science of it all or folding under the weight of its misuse. Triangle is a film that, on paper, should not work, using time loops, slashers, and a bit of the supernatural to tell its story of cyclical death upon a cruise ship. Yet, the execution here is utterly gripping, with some surreal imagery that will stick with viewers long after; a woman trying to escape only to stumble upon a pile of bodies, all of them her.
Triangle is one of the movies that likes to keep audiences guessing, and while a twist here seems inevitable, it lands in a pretty impotent and devastating way. Purists looking for accurate time-travel movies may scoff at the setup here. Still, for those seeking a clever horror movie that bends genres to deliver an unforgettable finish, Triangle is a must-watch.
4
‘The Duke of Burgundy’ (2014)
Artificial Eye
Peter Strickland is a director whose films almost always feature some dark twist, yet with a visceral, artistic flair that keeps each of his works engaging. The obvious choices here would have been Berberian Sound Studio or In Fabric. Still, we want to highlight the lesser-championed erotic drama The Duke of Burgundy to give readers a broader range of genres to pick from. Plus, the movie itself is a deeply fascinating character study, backed by strong performances.
Centered around the affluent Cynthia (Chiara D’Anna), and her submissive lover Evelyn (Sidse Babett Knudsen), The Duke of Burgundy chronicles sexual obsession and ritual to the point of one seeming to get off in losing their entire identity and sense of self in servitude to another. Throughout, there is an undeniable unsettling element to this contract, but its psychological depth slowly unwinds, culminating in a twist that reveals the true nature of the troubling relationship.
3
‘The Innocents’ (1961)
20th Century Fox
Inspired by Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, The Innocents has become a somewhat familiar story; notably, Nicole Kidman’s The Others, also inspired by the book, shares much in common with this British classic (don’t worry, the twists in both films are different). Here, governess Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) is hired by an estate to care for two children, only to be confronted by a series of supernatural events shortly after her arrival.
The film is a landmark in the genre of gothic British cinema, and would prove to be highly influential, from its atmosphere/ visuals to its story and approach to horror. This alone makes it worth a watch, but those looking for a twist ending will also find a wonderfully bleak and shocking revelation to cap off the final moments of an already phenomenal film.
2
‘Censor’ (2021)
Vertigo Releasing
As time goes on, fewer and fewer horror fans are going to be aware of what a “Video Nasty” is, let alone its impact on the genre and the discourse around horror and censorship. That is, unless filmmakers like Prano Bailey-Bond find ways to explore the period in Britain when owning movies became illegal unless they met a particular moral code.
The story here is straightforward yet full of nuance once you dig in; a censor, Enid Baines (Niamh Algar), believes she sees her missing sister in one of the films she is reviewing for approval, setting off a downward spiral as her investigation takes her down dark rabbit holes. As she moves forward, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur, but it is the movie’s final moments that really make an impact with a cruel twist to Enid’s plight. Censor is one of the most incredible movies to come out of the 2020s for genre fans who have been obsessed with horror for decades; an absolute must-watch.
1
‘A Dark Song’ (2016)
IFC Midnight
Presenting a sort of cruelty through repetition, one woman, Sophia Catherine Walker, contracts with a man who has mastered the dark arts, Joseph (Steve Oram), and becomes a highly abusive partnership. Their initial goal of contacting Sophia’s deceased daughter becomes increasingly complex, and while the movie is a bit of a slow burn, it keeps audiences guessing.
The twist comes after a series of escalating incidents, yet it remains a shocking revelation. Technically an Irish-British co-production, A Dark Song was released without much fanfare, perhaps not comfortably fitting the horror genre given its focus on the bizarre contract and rituals, with a lot of, admittedly, uncomfortable treatment of Sophia’s character (don’t worry, it makes sense as the movie goes on). Still, the 2016 indie certainly deserves more eyes on it.
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