Plot Twist Examples

Natalie Bright

Need some inspiration to shock and delight your readers? Most often seen in mysteries and suspense thrillers, think about using plot twists in your own work. Here are a few of the most recognizable, and now it’s up to you to put a completely new spin on it for your story.

1. I Am Your Father

How about those family secrets? Luke discovers his arch-enemy Darth Vader is his father. What a shocker!

    2.  Reveal of the Villain

The person who kills Marion in the shower at the Bates Motel isn’t the overbearing Mrs. Bates, but her son Norman.

    3.  It’s All Just a Dream

In the movie A BEAUTIFUL MIND, a mathematician with schizophrenia had been hallucinating the entire time. The important people in his life are not real.

     4.   Not Really Dead and Bet You Think You’ve Seen the Last of Me

How many times did you suspect the character is dead, and then he comes back to try to kill the hero one more time, or it’s a set-up for the next movie or book in the series? We thought Gandalf fell off the bridge, but he makes a surprise comeback.

You have to touch upon your plot twists so that it makes sense narratively, as in THE SIXTH SENSE. Watch the movie again and pay attention to those subtle clues that David is really dead.

     5.  The Surprise Villian

In TOY STORY 2, Stinky Pete is the antagonist who stopped Woody’s escape plan. In FROZEN, Anna is rescued by Hans and then he leaves her to die to take over the kingdom.

Remember, a plot twist must be narratively sound, unexpected, and it’s best to foreshadow it in some way.