25 Awesome Movies Where Bad Guys Win At The End
And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Some movie endings are satisfying because the heroes save the day, but the ones where the bad guys come out on top tend to stick with you longer. They are darker, messier, and often a lot more memorable.
This list rounds up 25 movies where the villains, antiheroes, or just plain terrible people get the final word. From sci-fi classics to psychological thrillers, each one turns the usual happy ending upside down in a different way.
Major spoilers are ahead, and the endings are the whole point.
It goes without saying that you will encounter some major spoilers ahead:
1. Watchmen (2009)
Warner Bros. Pictures (via IMDB)2. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Lucasfilms3. Fallen (1998)
Warner Bros. (via IMDB)
4. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Lionsgate
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
United Artists (via IMDB)
These villains are crafted so well that they keep us glued to the screen. We simply love to hate them and can’t get enough. But, as we mentioned before, it takes a lot of effort to create a bad guy who will win without sinking the movie at the box office.
In general, we want the good guys to win, always. So we will dislike the movie if we see a character we don’t like emerging from the battle as a winner. That’s why it is so challenging to create a bad guy that we love to hate.
And, of course, a character that would make us think the movie is excellent even though the ending is different from what we subconsciously desire.
6. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (1999)
20th Century Fox
7. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Orion Pictures (via IMDB)
8. No Country For Old Men (2004)
Miramax Films
9. Fight Club (1999)
20th Century Fox (via IMDB)
It’s a lot like OP refusing to give their brother their deceased father’s watch.
10. Saw (2004)
Lions Gate Films
11. Taxi Driver (1976)
Columbia Pictures
12. The Green Mile (1999)
Warner Bros.
13. Primal Fear (1996)
Paramount Pictures (via IMDB)
14. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Warner Bros. (via IMDB)
15. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Gramercy Pictures (via IMDB)
16. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Warner Bros.
17. Hannibal (2001)
MGM Distribution Co. (via IMDB)
18. Se7en (1995)
New Line Cinema
19. Memento (2000)
Newmarket
20. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Marvel Studios
21. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Continental Distributing
22. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Warner Bros. (via IMDB)
23. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
New Line Cinema
24. The Omen (1976)
20th Century Fox
25. Shutter Island (2011)
Paramount Pictures
These are genuinely excellent movies, and you should definitely watch them.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list. Who doesn’t love these characters? Darth Vader or Hannibal Lecter, who is your favorite?
Want another brutal sibling moment? Read about the fight over whether OP should let their sister win family game night.
