Movies make audiences feel everything from joy, despair, and anxiety, to absolute horror. Some movies are so shocking that by their grand finale, audiences are left speechless as they see characters meet their tragic fates. 1960s cinema paved the way for movies that were mysterious, touched upon taboos of the time, and unsettled audiences from beginning to end. In honor of this revolutionary period in cinema, here are ten movies from the 1960s with extremely dark endings.
Psycho (1960)
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Psychois one ofHitchcock’s most acclaimed filmsfor a reason, it is dark and unsettling. It took audiences to places they had never been to before, testing their tolerance mentally and emotionally. Norman Bates is one of the most complex villains in cinema, presenting himself as an unassuming man with an undying devotion for his mother. In a plot-twist finale, it’s revealed that Norman suffers from split personality disorder, killing anyone that threatens the sanctity of Bates Motel under the guise of his mother.
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Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary’s Baby
The first in its class,Rosemary’s Babyhas Mia Farrow portraying Rosemary, a woman who feels something sinister is occurring behind the backdrop of her seemingly normal pregnancy. As Rosemary further explores the eerie happenings in her apartment complex, her increasingly menacing neighbors, and her husband’s deceptive behavior, she realizes she’s carrying the spawn of Satan. In an unexpected twist, Rosemary accepts her fate and embraces her newborn child, marking the beginning of the end for humanity.
The Birds (1963)
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Another Hitchcock filmon the list,The Birdsshows how a natural phenomenon can tear a community apart. Following the story of Melanie, Mitch, and his family, the group finds itself trying to steer clear of the deadly bird attacks taking place in their hometown, with the chances of survival decreasing with each brutal bird attack. In the iconic closet scene, Melanie is gravely wounded by the birds, with her unconscious body being driven away by Mitch as they take notice of the wasteland their idyllic neighborhood has become.
Night of the Living Dead
This 1968 George A. Romero movie is sure to get the hairs on audiences' skin crawling. Though the special effects for a movie of its time aren’t the best,Night of the Living Deadmanages to leave audiences disturbed with its ominous finale, where almost every main character perishes as the few survivors wander into the zombie apocalypse. Despite its several sequels with improved technical effects, nothing beats the original’s atmospheric moodiness and overall eeriness.
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Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are arguably the most iconic performers of Hollywood’s Golden Age of Cinema. That noted, their working together inWhatever Happened to Baby Janewas almost a taboo in and of itself considering their very public rivalry, them portraying sisters was the cherry on top of a disaster waiting to happen. Nonetheless, both actresses give electrifying performances as fading actresses, Blanche and Jane, who have lived together in their childhood home their entire lives following a tragic accident that leaves Blanche permanently handicapped.
As Jane’s mental health deteriorates, Blanche becomes the subject to countless physical and psychological tortures that turn her into a prisoner within her own home. In a beachfront finale, Blanche reveals that it was actually her that tried to murder Jane in the accident that resulted in Blanche’s career ending prematurely, along with the tragic fate of both sisters sharing a lifetime of resentment and bitterness.
The Children’s Hour (1961)
Audrey Hepburn wasn’t one to partake in heavy dramas during the first decade of her career, but come the late 1950s to early 1960s, she took on heavier roles such as Karen Wright inThe Children’s Hour. Lifelong friends and fellow teachers, Martha and Karen, are accused by a spiteful student of having an affair. What is first suspected to be a complete fabrication by the girl turns to Martha coming to terms with her sexuality, the taboos of the 1960s, and her ultimate decision to take her life in the film’s disheartening third act.
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Eyes Without a Face (1960)
Eyes Without a Face
Eyes Without a Facecuts deep as it shows the dysfunctional, abusive dynamic between father and daughter, Dr. Génessier and Christiane. Dr. Génessier is obsessed with restoring Christiane’s face following an accident that he caused. In the film’s dark finale, Christiane turns on her father by allowing his last victim to escape, meanwhile inciting her father’s demise as she releases his ravenous hounds on him.
Village of the Damned (1960)
Village of the Damnedtakes the concept of super-powered children to deliver a creepy story with an explosive finale. After a strange occurrence befalls a British village, the women become inexplicably pregnant and give birth to highly intelligent children that grow at an exponential rate. The plot thickens when the children exhibit telepathic abilities that correlate with unexplained deaths in the village. Desperate to put a stop to the children’s rampage, Dr. Gordon Zellaby devises a plan to temporarily block their telepathic abilities to lure them into a deathly trap, resulting in their explosive demise as they’re burned alive.
Wait Until Dark (1967)
In her last major motion picture before taking a nine-year hiatus from film,Wait Until DarkhasAudrey Hepburn giving the performance of a lifetimeas Susy Hendrix, a recently-blinded woman who finds herself in a survival of the fittest against three mobsters during a home invasion. Despite having all the odds stacked against her, Susy manages to use the one thing to her advantage, darkness, to defeat the intruders. In the film’s final scene, Susy is the only one left standing as her husband and the authorities walk into a home full of dead bodies.
Marnie (1964)
Oneof Hitchcock’s moreunderrated films,Marnie,has Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery portraying two individuals brought together by the unlikeliest of circumstances. Hedren portrays Marnie, a con artist who is blackmailed into marrying her boss, Mark, after he discovers one of her heists. As the couple further convenes, dark secrets about Marnie’s past come to surface, giving her husband insight into Marnie’s compulsion to steal, lie, and her fear of rain and the color red. In the film’s gut-wrenching finale, it’s revealed Marnie killed one of her mother’s lovers in self-defense when she was a child, repressing the memories as a coping mechanism that led her to adulthood deviancy.
