Top 10 Biggest Unsolved Mysteries in Horror Movies

Plot holes or intentional mysteries? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those hanging plot threads or ambiguous endings to some classic scary movies. Additionally, a SPOILER ALERT is now in effect. Our countdown includes mysteries from movies "It Follows", "“The Awakening”, “Christine” and more! Welcome to Viralworld Magazine, and today we’re counting down our picks for those hanging plot threads or ambiguous endings to some classic scary movies. For the record, we won’t be addressing answers brought up in novelizations, sequels or remakes. Additionally, a SPOILER ALERT is now in effect. Which horror movie loose end still haunts your dreams? Let us know in the comments! #10: Why Is Christine Possessed? “Christine” (1983) The story of the LeBay family’s history of death does come up within John Carpenter’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “Christine.” However, the brothers’ names are switched, and it’s heavily implied that the Plymouth Fury was evil right off of the assembly line. King’s source novel leans more towards Christine being possessed by the spirit of Roland LeBay, while the film version of the car, as iconic as it is, feels demonically sentient. We never really learn why, though, and instead this Christine speaks more towards one of the songs featured heavily in the film: #9: Why Is the Painting a Trigger? “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage” (1970) The Italian giallo cycle of violent murder mysteries were never known for their solid logic. “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage” is one of the early highlights from this cycle, and exemplifies this sort of “style over substance” aesthetic that fans of this genre absolutely love. Case in point? The ending coda where writer-director Dario Argento (an absolute legend), tries to explain the killer’s trigger, but we’re just left with more questions. It’s established that a gallery painting of an assault triggers memories of a real-life attack, but the reasoning feels purely visual, without any concrete explanation. Do we mind? Not really - we’ve actually come to expect this sort of dream logic from gialli, and wouldn’t want it any other way. #8: Is Florence Dead? “The Awakening” (2011) The finale of the 2011 horror film “The Awakening” possesses an ending that’s fairly ambiguous, depending on your point of view. The lead character, Florence Cathcart, winds up being poisoned, yet the audience witnesses her asking for medicine prior to losing consciousness. We later see Florence walking down school hallways, yet nobody acknowledges her existence. She then runs into another character named Robert, who is able to see ghosts. Since Robert is the only character who speaks to Florence at this time, are we supposed to infer that the medicine didn’t do its job? Or did she survive? advertisement #7: Who Is Billy? “Black Christmas” (1974) The 1974 proto-slasher classic “Black Christmas” is a classic of absolute, nail-biting suspense. Much of this tension is due to the character of Billy, whom we never see fully, yet hear throughout the film. His profane taunts and unhinged rambling creates a picture in the audience’s minds, a picture of a killer that just has to get his comeuppance, right? Well, wrong, actually, because “Black Christmas” ends with Billy within the sorority house, with only the echoing sound of a telephone ringing in our ears. The 2006 remake attempts to create a backstory for Billy, but if you ask us? The mystery is what makes the OG Billy all the more disturbing. #6: What Does the Entity Want? “It Follows” (2014) 2014’s “It Follows” is absolutely one of the best modern horror movies, but that doesn’t mean that it has all of its mythology on lock. For starters, we’re never really made privy to what the evil entity in the film actually wants. “It Follows” establishes early on that the entity is passed on through sexual contact, and relentlessly stalks its victims. But why though? The film is honestly so stylish, and possesses such a great score, that we’re willing to just forget about wanting a reason. The ending of the film is equally ambiguous, although we can justifiably assume that Jay and Paul have put some distance between them and the entity… but how much? #5: What Is ACTUALLY Happening? “The Blair Witch Project” (1999) It’s one of the most famous horror movie endings of the late nineties, but we’re still waiting for a proper answer to exactly what’s going on with “The Blair Witch Project.” The myth of the Blair Witch is given some weight and gravitas via the footage that comprises “Blair Witch’s” first act. We then get that ending, where the Witch’s punishment seems to be going on with Mike standing in the corner and Heather screaming until the camera feed cuts. It’s all very mysterious and atmospheric, and we love it. Just don’t tell anybody how confused we are. #4: Was It All in Patrick’s Mind? “American Psycho” (2000) This one’s tough, because the finale of “American Psycho” implies that the carnage committed by Patrick Bateman may not have taken place. Instead, all of the violent crimes could potentially be explained away as fantasies within Bateman’s disturbed mind. However, “American Psycho’s” director Mary Harron has been quoted as not being on board with this explanation. Paul Allen may be very much alive, but perhaps Bateman’s assault on the sex workers actually took place? This is despite a scene early in in the nightclub where the bartender doesn’t seem to hear Bateman’s violent outburst against her. Maybe it’s all up to interpretation? “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) It’s one of the most iconic voiceover quotes in horror movie history - the announcement in George Romero’s original “Night of the Living Dead” where persons who have recently died have been returning to life and committing acts of murder. The actual reasons for the living dead’s rise are left quite ambiguous, however, with only the passing mention of a space probe from Venus theorizing some sort of radiation poisoning. In the end, it doesn’t really matter why the dead have returned, because we’re willing to go along with any explanation. However, the intentional lack of solid answers just makes the carnage in “Night of the Living Dead” feel more visceral and random. #2: Is Childs the Thing? “The Thing” (1982) We have to admit that the ambiguous ending to John Carpenter’s “The Thing” is one of the reasons why this reimagining of “The Thing from Another World” still works so well today. It builds upon paranoia and suspense, while also playing into the Thing’s assimilative properties. Believe it or not, the television version of “The Thing” actually helps destroy this mystery via a more definitive coda that features a disembodied voice-over. However, Carpenter’s original vision leaves us with MacReady and Childs in a stare-off, waiting to die in the cold. Still, some fans feel that Childs’s consuming of alcohol means that he actually ISN’T the Thing, which makes the mystery feel even deeper for us. It’s perfect. #1: Jack’s Status “The Shining” (1980) Horror legend Stephen King infamously disliked writer-director Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic vision of his novel, “The Shining.” This is despite this 1980 adaptation existing today as one of horror cinema’s most notable and influential hits. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Kubrick’s film tidies everything up in neat fashion. Far from it, actually, since many fans continue to debate the themes and intentions behind his intentionally obtuse vision. The ending in particular offers no answers as to why Jack Nicholson’s Jack Torrance is present within a photo at the Overlook Hotel from 1921. The possession is clear, sure, but nothing is what it seems in “The Shining,” and fans absolutely adore coming up with their own theories as to exactly what is going on.