Not every movie has to have a happy ending and, in some cases, a tragic finale makes sense. Someone in a popular online forum asked, “What movie ending is horribly depressing?” Here are the top 12 movies with depressing endings.
1 – My Girl (1991)
“I saw My Girl in the theater. No one expected that — they thought it was going to be another comedy from that kid in Home Alone,” one person said. “My biggest memory from that movie was walking up the aisle and seeing tissues on the ground from people wiping their tears.”
Another person added, “As painful of a watch as it is, I’ve always really loved this movie. My Girl is pure pain juice, but I adore it.”
2 – The Green Mile (1999)
One movie lover admitted, “I watched it once and it broke me. I’ve never watched it again.” Another agreed, sharing, “My husband and I just watched it for the first time last month and I was devastated by the ending. I’m not sure why it impacted me so hard.”
3 – No Country for Old Men (2007)
One person shared, “No Country for Old Men. Nobody wins except maybe Anton.”
Another film lover agreed. “It’s such a good commentary on how sometimes, despite the effort, motivation, and ethical behavior, good people lose, and lousy people face no consequences,” they said. “It’s an excellent film, and the monologue at the end by Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic.”
4 – Requiem for a Dream (2000)
One person suggested Requiem for a Dream as the “best movie no one ever wants to watch twice.” Another added, “I think I may have heard it on the commentary track as ‘a movie nobody should see, but everybody should watch.’ The music makes it uniquely stressful.”
5 – Memento (2000)
One movie watcher noted, “Memento is a singular movie to me where I thought it was brilliant — and I never want to watch it again.”
Another person said, “The ending lines are burned forever into my mind. ‘I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can’t remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world’s still there. Do I believe the world’s still there? Is it still out there?… Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I’m no different.’”
6 – Pay It Forward (2000)
Pay It Forward was mentioned by some movie fans. “I worked at Blockbuster the summer when it came out on VHS/DVD. This guy comes in to rent it and, making small talk, he tells me he’s renting it to watch with his kid. And I must have given him a look because he asked if I watched it. I said yes. He asked if it had a happy ending, and I said, ‘No.’ So, he put it back and rented a comedy.”
7 – The Fox and the Hound (1981)
Someone quoted The Fox and the Hound, writing, “We’ll always be friends, won’t we?” Another movie fan responded, “Just READING that hurts my heart. Ugh!”
Another noted, “People always talk about how Disney movies always go for the happily ever after ending. But if anything, this movie does the exact opposite. It gives us a very mature ending that relates more to reality. Sometimes the meaningful friendships we build with people don’t last, but sometimes that’s not always bad.”
8 – Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
A film lover said, “Bridge to Terabithia. I saw that movie as a kid and rewatched it last year, and again, I cried like a baby.”
Another noted, “The trailer is misleading. It makes you think it’s a happy-go-lucky fantasy movie for kids.” A third person said, “I was NOT prepared for that in the slightest. My best friend and I sat in shock.”
9 – American History X (1998)
“The ending of American History X hit me pretty hard the first time,” one movie fan said. Another noted, “The original ending is bleaker. It shows Edward Norton looking in the mirror and then starting to shave his head.”
10 – Seven (1995)
“Seven is the one that popped into my head right away,” someone wrote. “That was horrible, and there are no warm and fuzzy feelings with that ending, ‘What’s in the box?’” Another agreed, saying, “Yeah. That was brutal. I wasn’t expecting anything like it.”
11 – Stand By Me (1986)
Stand By Me hits hard for many movie fans. “Listening to the narrator talk about how friends fade into obscurity and only memories remain becomes more relatable every time I watch it,” one person said. Another said the end quote “gave me goosebumps.”
12 – The Mist (2007)
“The Mist. I think it’s why they made an alternate ending,” one person said. Another movie fan added, “If I remember, the movie ending was much darker than the original Stephen King story.”
A third acknowledged, “Stephen King said he preferred the movie ending and wished he had thought of it.”
Source: Reddit.
