What's the most downer movie ending you've ever seen? - Page 10

DavidBrett · 06-19-2012, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robeiae

Also, the downer ending that just had to be: John Carpenter's The Thing.

You mean it 'just had to be' because the ending is given away five minutes into the movie for everyone who speaks Norwegian? I wish I was joking...

http://www.cracked.com/article_19210...-tv-shows.html

Back on subject, a movie with a downer ending? Hmm... Oh! Knowing! What the hell kind of absurdist 180 'twist' was that?!

The ending to the original Night of the Living Dead was surprising, but hardly a downer IMO. It was supposed to be symbolic/metaphoric about the state of race relations, or something... The only thing depressing about it for me that it created the awful 'black guy always dies (first)' horror movie cliche. So predictable...

Zoombie · 06-19-2012, 10:32 AM

Um...I think you have it backwards, DB. Night of the Living Dead was so landmark because Ben was A) black and B) the HERO, while the white family man was the huge douchebag of the film? Ben survives where everyone else dies horribly...which is a reversal of the normal trend in horror movies that the black guy dies first.

And then he dies too. Because Night of the Living Dead remains one of the most astoundingly tight, awesomely directed and written horror films ever made. Seriously, I could talk for hours about how much I love it.

Now...for me, the most downer film ending ever would be the ending of this video. (Warning, violent and sad with blood and zombies)

Which is, ironically, the beginning of the video! Now, you might say, "Pff, that's not a movie, that's an ad for a video game!"

To which I rejoinder by saying...

A) It tells a cohesive story in a short format. Films can do this.

B) It was made by a completely different set of people than those who made the game.

C) It has almost NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GAME IT WAS MADE FOR.

So, while it is a terrible trailer (well, it's a good trailer, but a dishonest one), it is also the best short zombie film ever made.

Yes, even better than the one at the end of Super 8.

Archerbird · 06-19-2012, 11:48 AM

House of Sand and Fog, wtf. That's seriously depressing.

I've never read the book and now I'm pretty sure I won't ever.

DavidBrett · 06-19-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoombie

Um...I think you have it backwards, DB. Night of the Living Dead was so landmark because Ben was A) black and B) the HERO, while the white family man was the huge douchebag of the film? Ben survives where everyone else dies horribly...which is a reversal of the normal trend in horror movies that the black guy dies first.

And then he dies too. Because Night of the Living Dead remains one of the most astoundingly tight, awesomely directed and written horror films ever made. Seriously, I could talk for hours about how much I love it.

Maybe I am wrong - my Film Studies tutor had a LOT if weird ideas regarding movies...

Katrina S. Forest · 06-19-2012, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pandaponies

I vote for Grave of the Fireflies. People look at it and are all, "Oh, it's a cartoon, how depressing could it possibly be?"

...........

Oh, gosh, that movie is depressing. There isn't a speck of hope in it. It's just a downward spiral of sad things. There isn't even a real villain to hate. It's an excellent movie, I strongly recommend it, but I can never watch it again. (I can't even look at the "drop" candy whenever I see it an Asian candy store. Seriously, that candy company should be able to sue for lost sales.)

I've heard the anime Now and Then, Here and There compared to Grave of the Fireflies, but in my mind, at least Now and Then makes you feel like things *might* get better. Actually, I recommend that above Grave of the Fireflies. You'll leave without hating humanity.

comped · 06-19-2012, 05:03 PM

Nah. THE most depressing film endings are in this order:

1. the anime of the books based off the US atomic bombing in Japan.
2. Les Miserables (EVERYONE (minus two kinda main characters, and 2 villeins) DIES!

comped

DidiBlue · 06-20-2012, 11:19 AM

Two of the most depressing ones I can think of for me are Open Water and Revenge (with Kevin Costner). I'm sure there are some more, but they've probably already been mentioned. Sorry if these ones already have.

pandaponies · 06-20-2012, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by comped

Nah. THE most depressing film endings are in this order:

1. the anime of the books based off the US atomic bombing in Japan

Do you have a title for this? Because it sounds like it might actually be Grave of the Fireflies, what Katrina S. and I are talking about.

Katrina - Thanks for the recommendation, might look that up, because YEP, Grave of the Fireflies pretty much obliterates all will to live. /wrists

I'm pretty sure I just stared at the screen in shock and horror for like five minutes after it ended. I don't intend to ever watch it again either. Don't want to subject my already fragile psyche to it again. :P

Katrina S. Forest · 06-20-2012, 04:21 PM

If you're in the US, you can watch all 13 episodes of Now and Then on Hulu:
http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there

A ton of crap still happens to the characters, and it's not all warm and fuzzy in the end, but like I said, there's hope. I think I scared my anime club when I recommended it, as I was kind of known for watching magical girl anime and nothing else. ^_^

I still haven't seen Les Miserables. Actually, now that I think about it, there's a lot of iconic films I haven't seen. (Runs off to go be more cultured.)

thebloodfiend · 06-20-2012, 04:52 PM

My sister wouldn't let me finish watching Now and Then. We got to episode 5 before she forbade me from ever playing it again. I might finish watching on my own time.

Grave of the Fireflies is probably the saddest movie I've ever watched. Les Mis was entertaining, but I didn't think it was particularly sad.

bearilou · 06-20-2012, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebloodfiend

My sister wouldn't let me finish watching Now and Then. We got to episode 5 before she forbade me from ever playing it again. I might finish watching on my own time.

I didn't even get as far as episode 5 before I quietly put it back on the shelf, never to be viewed by me again.

Alexys · 06-20-2012, 05:21 PM

I believe there is at least one other anime that qualifies as "based on a book about the US atomic bombing in Japan": Barefoot Gen (which I admit I've never actually seen, only heard of).

Grave of the Fireflies, though . . . yeah. Only movie that's ever caused me to cry hysterically. For half an hour after it was done. And I don't even like kids.

Now and Then, Here and There's ending is positively upbeat by comparison.

comped · 06-23-2012, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexys

I believe there is at least one other anime that qualifies as "based on a book about the US atomic bombing in Japan": Barefoot Gen (which I admit I've never actually seen, only heard of).

YES! that was the books/movies that I was thinking of!

comped

callalily61 · 06-23-2012, 04:47 AM

I don't know if the movie is as horrifically wrist-slitting as the play, but 'Night, Mother. It's a 2-character play and I saw it in a small theater. The author has the MC tell the other MC how she will end the evening. The play progresses through family angst, arguments, reminiscences, etc. MASSIVE AND COMPLETE SPOILER: The MC, the daughter, says at the beginning that she's going to kill herself. She lives with her mother, and tells her mother what to do and who to contact after she does it. [insert 90 minutes of drama, during which the mother disbelieves, then argues, then continues on as tho everything will be all right in the morning] At the end, the daughter says "'Night, Mother," runs into her room and locks the door. The mother leaps into action, screaming, banging on the door, freaking out. Then: BANG! Then silence. The entire small theater sat there in the same stunned silence. The mother, leaning against the door, sinks down on the floor, sobbing. After a minute, she gets up and does exactly what her daughter told her to do: Call her son and wash out the pan they'd made hot cocoa in. Then the stage went black. Nobody applauded. We just sat there, horrified and drained. The lights came up and the woman playing the mother looked out at us, puzzled. The daughter came out from behind the door, the same expression on her face. Finally someone started to clap, then slowly the rest of us stood and applauded for several minutes.

If the movie is half as powerful and you can handle the intensity, I recommend it. But watch it on a sunny day or with your best friend--anything to counteract it.

BigWords · 06-23-2012, 04:49 AM

The Barefoot Gen manga is much, much worse than the movie. The images get stuck in your head, no matter how hard you try to shake them... There's one edition with a very descriptive foreword which will keep you awake for days - a massively important text, but one which really ought to come with a warning.

callalily61 · 06-23-2012, 04:59 AM

Thanks, everyone, BTW. I like my manga and anime to be action-filled and violent, often horrifying, with a touch of humor and romance if possible. BUT with non-wrist-slitting endings. I still remember reading the graphic novel When the Wind Blows and being depressed for days. That was about 15 years ago.

I've heard Grave and Barefoot are brilliant, but I won't be seeing them.

dclary · 06-25-2012, 05:02 AM

Biggest downer ending ever: The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro. Quite literally everybody dies in the end.

reiver33 · 06-25-2012, 05:47 AM

Murphy's War (1971) - Peter O'Toole. I'd read the book and the film has a radically different ending (everybody dies) - which came as a real shock.

J.S.F. · 06-26-2012, 08:58 AM

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but Se7en had to have the most horrifying and depressing, yet absurdly logical, ending I've seen. I've never been a Brad Pitt fan but when he wants/doesn't want to look in the box and knows (or is pretty sure) what's in there, it really spooked me. A good movie--sick--but good.

RudyValentina · 07-01-2012, 11:21 AM

I have to agree with City of Angels, very depressing at the end. Also, Forest Gump was a bummer ending for me, after all the years he yeared to be with Jenny she goes and dies months after they get married and he's alone again ( ok, with son, but still depression ).

night-flyer · 07-01-2012, 11:27 AM

A.I. Artificial Intelligence. I never thought I'd feel so sad over a robot...

BigWords · 07-01-2012, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by night-flyer

A.I. Artificial Intelligence. I never thought I'd feel so sad over a robot...

Watch the full first season of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, then try and tell me you didn't feel a tug at your heart when the shit hits the fan - [massive, massive spoilers] the moment when the Tachikoma which has been reassigned to the old folks home, rushes into battle with a dud missile taken from one of the former soldiers, and is promptly torn apart by the massive mech's superior firepower, anyone who has even the slightest emotional attachment to them from the preceding events should be utterly distraught. It stands as one of the most effective scenes with robots ever filmed, and even though it is "just a cartoon" it is a moment which is more powerful than any other SF I have seen on television. There are other robots which I would have thought were more skillfully handled than the overly-mawkish and sentimental Spielberg kid, but it seems popular elsewhere as well...

FWIW, I'm still annoyed that Kubrick went and died before he could have shot AI himself, leaving the abysmal Eyes Wide Shut as his final film. Ugh.

night-flyer · 07-02-2012, 08:20 AM

The robot kid was very sad, BW :P

Okay, I'll try to find the one you're talking about, I rarely watch cartoons, but if you say it's sad, then I'll check it out. I have faith in your judgement, most of the time.

abbie in wonderland · 07-09-2012, 03:27 AM

Radio flyer. I didn't get the ending as a kid but now...too sad.

CatharsisChild · 07-09-2012, 03:52 AM

To Live and Die in L.A. anyone?

"You're working for me now."

06-19-2012, 10:32 AM	#227
Zoombie Hwee kaptoored eet for kayhosssssss Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Eye of Terror Posts: 36,617	Um...I think you have it backwards, DB. Night of the Living Dead was so landmark because Ben was A) black and B) the HERO, while the white family man was the huge douchebag of the film? Ben survives where everyone else dies horribly...which is a reversal of the normal trend in horror movies that the black guy dies first. And then he dies too. Because Night of the Living Dead remains one of the most astoundingly tight, awesomely directed and written horror films ever made. Seriously, I could talk for hours about how much I love it. Now...for me, the most downer film ending ever would be the ending of this video. (Warning, violent and sad with blood and zombies) Which is, ironically, the beginning of the video! Now, you might say, "Pff, that's not a movie, that's an ad for a video game!" To which I rejoinder by saying... A) It tells a cohesive story in a short format. Films can do this. B) It was made by a completely different set of people than those who made the game. C) It has almost NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GAME IT WAS MADE FOR. So, while it is a terrible trailer (well, it's a good trailer, but a dishonest one), it is also the best short zombie film ever made. Yes, even better than the one at the end of Super 8. __________________ Shattered Sky: Draft 6, done! Worldshard: 85,000/85,000 (Draft 1: DONE!) River⁷: 25,000/??,000 words Read my blog: Quantum Spin Plates Tweets from the Future: Follow my characters. BUY MY BOOK HERE!

06-19-2012, 11:48 AM	#228
Archerbird Nightowl Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 1,598	House of Sand and Fog, wtf. That's seriously depressing. I've never read the book and now I'm pretty sure I won't ever. __________________

06-20-2012, 11:19 AM	#232
DidiBlue Penmonkey Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: The Moon Posts: 59	Two of the most depressing ones I can think of for me are Open Water and Revenge (with Kevin Costner). I'm sure there are some more, but they've probably already been mentioned. Sorry if these ones already have. __________________ Deidre Blue Author of Erotic Fiction Blog Twitter Smashwords

06-20-2012, 04:21 PM	#234
Katrina S. Forest Wait, didn't I kill that character? Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Querying Central Posts: 1,559	If you're in the US, you can watch all 13 episodes of Now and Then on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/now-and-then-here-and-there A ton of crap still happens to the characters, and it's not all warm and fuzzy in the end, but like I said, there's hope. I think I scared my anime club when I recommended it, as I was kind of known for watching magical girl anime and nothing else. ^_^ I still haven't seen Les Miserables. Actually, now that I think about it, there's a lot of iconic films I haven't seen. (Runs off to go be more cultured.) __________________ My synopsis thinks it's so tough. Come on over and beat it down. "So we must daily keep things wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust; we must write when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy" -Madeleine L'Engle

06-20-2012, 04:52 PM	#235
thebloodfiend Cory Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 3,564	My sister wouldn't let me finish watching Now and Then. We got to episode 5 before she forbade me from ever playing it again. I might finish watching on my own time. Grave of the Fireflies is probably the saddest movie I've ever watched. Les Mis was entertaining, but I didn't think it was particularly sad. __________________ fireflies - underground voices - nov '11 goodreads thebooklantern my wip

06-19-2012, 05:03 PM	#231
comped Why Me Worry? Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 212	Nah. THE most depressing film endings are in this order: 1. the anime of the books based off the US atomic bombing in Japan. 2. Les Miserables (EVERYONE (minus two kinda main characters, and 2 villeins) DIES! comped

06-20-2012, 05:21 PM	#237
Alexys Took a wrong turn at the Pleiades Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: On the wrong planet. ;P Posts: 82	I believe there is at least one other anime that qualifies as "based on a book about the US atomic bombing in Japan": Barefoot Gen (which I admit I've never actually seen, only heard of). Grave of the Fireflies, though . . . yeah. Only movie that's ever caused me to cry hysterically. For half an hour after it was done. And I don't even like kids. Now and Then, Here and There's ending is positively upbeat by comparison.

06-23-2012, 04:47 AM	#239
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 25,461	I don't know if the movie is as horrifically wrist-slitting as the play, but 'Night, Mother. It's a 2-character play and I saw it in a small theater. The author has the MC tell the other MC how she will end the evening. The play progresses through family angst, arguments, reminiscences, etc. MASSIVE AND COMPLETE SPOILER: The MC, the daughter, says at the beginning that she's going to kill herself. She lives with her mother, and tells her mother what to do and who to contact after she does it. [insert 90 minutes of drama, during which the mother disbelieves, then argues, then continues on as tho everything will be all right in the morning] At the end, the daughter says "'Night, Mother," runs into her room and locks the door. The mother leaps into action, screaming, banging on the door, freaking out. Then: BANG! Then silence. The entire small theater sat there in the same stunned silence. The mother, leaning against the door, sinks down on the floor, sobbing. After a minute, she gets up and does exactly what her daughter told her to do: Call her son and wash out the pan they'd made hot cocoa in. Then the stage went black. Nobody applauded. We just sat there, horrified and drained. The lights came up and the woman playing the mother looked out at us, puzzled. The daughter came out from behind the door, the same expression on her face. Finally someone started to clap, then slowly the rest of us stood and applauded for several minutes. If the movie is half as powerful and you can handle the intensity, I recommend it. But watch it on a sunny day or with your best friend--anything to counteract it. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

06-23-2012, 04:59 AM	#241
callalily61 The Girl in the Steampunk Hat AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Non carborundum illegitimi Posts: 25,461	Thanks, everyone, BTW. I like my manga and anime to be action-filled and violent, often horrifying, with a touch of humor and romance if possible. BUT with non-wrist-slitting endings. I still remember reading the graphic novel When the Wind Blows and being depressed for days. That was about 15 years ago. I've heard Grave and Barefoot are brilliant, but I won't be seeing them. __________________ <-- We're links to our Amazon pages!

06-25-2012, 05:02 AM	#242
dclary Survivor Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 12,960	Biggest downer ending ever: The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro. Quite literally everybody dies in the end. __________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hard Hobbit to Break: A hobbit from the Shire, lost in Los Angeles. Big Fat Loser Diet: My weight loss journal. Website a Week: A challenge to design a new website every week. DavidWClary.com: Keep up with all the other DWC sites here

06-25-2012, 05:47 AM	#243
reiver33 Monolithic Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dumfries, south-west Scotland Posts: 697	Murphy's War (1971) - Peter O'Toole. I'd read the book and the film has a radically different ending (everybody dies) - which came as a real shock. __________________ Only Forward

06-26-2012, 08:58 AM	#244
J.S.F. practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Osaka Posts: 1,453	I don't know if anyone's mentioned it, but Se7en had to have the most horrifying and depressing, yet absurdly logical, ending I've seen. I've never been a Brad Pitt fan but when he wants/doesn't want to look in the box and knows (or is pretty sure) what's in there, it really spooked me. A good movie--sick--but good. __________________ "A choice to be made, the price to be paid." --The Tower ----- Blog over at writerwannabe.weebly.com. Mr. Taxi on submission. Twisted will be out in March, 2014, and Lindsay versus The Marauders will be out July, 2014, both courtesy of Regal Crest Publishing. Sequels to LVTM are in the editing stages. Death Bytes is here! Go to ExtasyBooks.com or DevineDestinies.com for more info.

07-01-2012, 11:21 AM	#245
RudyValentina New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 13	I have to agree with City of Angels, very depressing at the end. Also, Forest Gump was a bummer ending for me, after all the years he yeared to be with Jenny she goes and dies months after they get married and he's alone again ( ok, with son, but still depression ).

07-01-2012, 11:27 AM	#246
night-flyer One cow, two cows, three... Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 31,628	A.I. Artificial Intelligence. I never thought I'd feel so sad over a robot... __________________ <--blog twitter & fb (for a friend) WIP- One of Us, SF/Horror

07-02-2012, 08:20 AM	#248
night-flyer One cow, two cows, three... Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 31,628	The robot kid was very sad, BW :P Okay, I'll try to find the one you're talking about, I rarely watch cartoons, but if you say it's sad, then I'll check it out. I have faith in your judgement, most of the time. __________________ <--blog twitter & fb (for a friend) WIP- One of Us, SF/Horror

07-09-2012, 03:27 AM	#249
abbie in wonderland off with their heads! Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: texas Posts: 58	Radio flyer. I didn't get the ending as a kid but now...too sad. __________________ Quiet Creek--- YA Thriller. Had completed an entire rough copy and hated it so it was scrapped. Restarting never felt so good

07-09-2012, 03:52 AM	#250
CatharsisChild Redesigned. Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Port Royal, South Carolina Posts: 415	To Live and Die in L.A. anyone? "You're working for me now."

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