It doesn't matter whether it's an Oscar front-runner, a superhero blockbuster, or an indie classic, a movie that meticulously crafts an unexpected plot twist capable of leaving audiences in a state of shock has a certain ability to linger on the mind. Not only do these movies stun viewers with their surprise endings, but many of them actively foreshadow what is coming, leaving spoilers out in plain sight which become glaringly apparent when the movie is rewatched.

There are many ways in which movies can spoil their own endings, be it through clever and deliberate exposition, visual cues in the opening credits sequence, and even being clearly stated in dialogue prompts which are easily overlooked as the audience's focus is drawn elsewhere. In a modern world where moviegoers love to be duped, these movies proved to be masterful in exposing their own endings in the sneakiest and most elaborate of fashions.

16 'The Shining' (1980)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

While plenty of movies have teased their endings earlier in the story, few have done it in a more forward fashion than The Shining. The Stanley Kubrick horror classic follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his family as they agree to occupy the remote Overlook Hotel throughout the winter months only to find the isolation affecting them as young Danny (Danny Lloyd) experiences haunting visions while Jack gradually loses his grasp on sanity.

During his interview upon arrival at the Overlook, Jack is told directly about a previous winter caretaker who killed his wife and two daughters with an ax. Jack’s indifferent reaction to the story is chilling enough, but Ullman’s (Barry Nelson) tale proves to be almost prophetic as Jack does attack his family with an ax in The Shining’s iconic climax.

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15 'Saw' (2004)

Directed by James Wan

A defining staple of early 21st-century horror, Saw was a celebrated, heart-pounding horror that also managed to kick-start one of the best horror franchises ever. Made on a minuscule budget, it follows two men who awaken chained in a dingy bathroom with a dead body between them where they soon learn they are part of a deranged serial killer’s game.

The end of the film, where the corpse – actually John Kramer (Tobin Bell) – arises and is revealed to have been the killer, was a truly shocking moment, but it wasn’t one that hadn't been hinted at. Much earlier in the film, when Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) is discussing the terminal brain cancer of his patient John Kramer, the camera allows audiences a glimpse at Kramer’s drawings which showcase his plans for the reverse bear trap, thus stating who the killer actually is.

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14 'Black Swan' (2010)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

An agonizing look at obsession in the arts and how people suffer for their passions, Black Swan has come to be revered as a masterpiece by Darren Aronofsky. The psychological drama follows Nina (Natalie Portman), a devoted ballerina whose chance to become the studio’s prima ballerina for their production of “Swan Lake” is jeopardized by a new rival in the form of Lily (Mila Kunis).

The film’s ending sees Nina successfully dance the final ballet with a fatal injury after having experienced a dissociative episode that completely distorts her view of reality. Eagle-eyed viewers could have foreseen her downfall though, as earlier in the film there was a rapid-fire montage which, when slowed down, depicts merging faces and multiple Ninas.

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13 'Interstellar' (2014)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Many would mount the argument that Interstellar is Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece. A divine sci-fi spectacle loaded with character-driven drama, it follows a former NASA astronaut as he must leave his family behind to seek a new home world for humanity as Earth succumbs to a devastating blight.

In the film’s opening sequence, a young Murph (McKenzie Foy) wakes her father up from a nightmare and says that she thought he was the ghost; the mysterious entity which has been knocking books off her bookshelf of late. By the end of the film, it is revealed that Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) was indeed the "ghost" in Murph's room, as he finds himself in a five-dimensional space where he uses the bookshelf to communicate valuable information to his daughter through Morse code on the hands of her watch.

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12 'Hot Fuzz' (2007)

Directed by Edgar Wright

While many films have used innovative film techniques and contemplative metaphors to tease how characters may end up, Hot Fuzz was refreshingly honest in its hints to the audience. The iconic Edgar Wright comedy follows an over-achieving London police officer who, having outperformed his fellow officers and ruffling some feathers in doing so, is re-assigned to the countryside where he uncovers a murderous conspiracy.

In protest of the initial relocation, Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) complains to his superiors that they can’t just make him disappear, to which the response is “yes I can. I’m the chief inspector.” In the countryside setting, it is revealed that the town’s chief inspector, Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), was the villainous mastermind who had been making people disappear all along.

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11 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

The opening scene of Reservoir Dogs is highly celebrated and rightfully so. With its swift dialogue and fantastic characters, it saw Quentin Tarantino introduce his trademark directorial style at its vibrant best immediately. It also teased the dynamic of the group of robbers that would play out as the movie unfolded.

Despite the scene feeling like a casual introduction to the characters, it uses the issue of Mr. Pink’s (Steve Buscemi) refusal to tip waitresses as an analogy for the film at large. Mr. Pink establishes that he only looks out for himself, Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) showcases his hard-edged compassion and grounded morality, while the biggest hint comes when Joe (Lawrence Tierney) returns to the table and asks who didn’t tip, leading Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) - who audiences later learn is the police informant - to rat out his colleague in an instant.

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10 'Midsommar' (2019)

Directed by Ari Aster

A huge horror hit from recent years which also served as Florence Pugh's major breakout performance, Midsommar excelled as an eerie folk horror which cemented Ari Aster as a master of modern horror just one year after he released Hereditary. It focuses on a group of friends who, at the invitation of a classmate, travel to Sweden to attend a historic midsummer festival in a remote community. However, the paradisiacal setting gradually becomes a haunting nightmare of Pagan rituals.

While Midsommar is rife with hidden details, one detail stands out in particular. An early shot in Midsommar displays a mural that, upon deeper inspection, conveys the entire plot of the movie through its distractingly endearing imagery. Midsommar simply benefits from repeat viewings for audiences to fully realize all the information that has been presented to them.

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9 'Skyfall' (2012)

Directed by Sam Mendes

The third of Daniel Craig's Bond movies, Skyfall is widely celebrated as one of the best films in the extensive Bond franchise thanks to its incredible action scenes, strong characters, and its willingness to take narrative risks. With MI6 threatened by cyberterrorists, M (Judi Dench) must rely on 007 for protection as a vengeful ex-agent from her past resurfaces to destroy her.

One of the film's most shocking moments came when Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) does actually prove to be successful in killing M, with one of his henchmen mortally wounding her before she dies in Bond's arms. However, the film's opening credits teased her fate with Dench's credit appearing as the camera pans across a tombstone in an obvious though easy-to-miss moment given the stylish punch of the intro.

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8 'The Usual Suspects' (1995)

Directed by Bryan Singer

The Usual Suspects tells the story of Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), the lone survivor of a deadly heist, as he relays the events to an interrogator who is trying to piece together the identity of an ominous crime boss, Keyser Söze. Through nonlinear storytelling, audiences are forced to connect the dots via flashbacks to uncover the mystery.

The film's renowned and satisfying ending reveals that Keyser's secret identity was Verbal all along and much of what viewers just witnessed was made up in an attempt to escape the interrogation unscathed. There are plenty of discernable holes in Verbal's story, including his account of the death of a peer which viewers see for themselves he was not actually present for. The pieces are all there, whether the audience is able to detect them or not.

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7 'The Prestige' (2006)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Despite years and years of fans celebrating the film, The Prestige remains Christopher Nolan's most underrated movie, as the gripping mystery thriller follows the escalating feud between two rival magicians in 1890s London. Spurned on by a passionate and personal hatred for one another, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) go to extreme lengths to best the other, with an obsession over a teleportation trick seeing the rivalry turn violent.

Throughout the twisty narrative, audiences can never quite be sure of who has the upper hand, but The Prestige's opening narration, describing the three-part setup for a magic trick, also presents the trajectory of the movie. It is easy to overlook on first viewing, especially when the magicians' quarrel takes center stage, but the explanation of the pledge, the turn, and the prestige outlines the plot exactly.

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6 'Incredibles 2' (2018)

Directed by Brad Bird

The long-awaited sequel to Disney's The Incredibles, Incredibles 2 did not fail to deliver the thrills and humor that audiences had hoped for, making it one of the highest-grossing superhero movies of all time. As the titular family tries to balance their personal lives with their heroic duties, they are endangered by a suspicious organization that seeks to hypnotize civilians through technology.

The organization, led by Winston Dever (Bob Odenkirk) and his sister are both clear suspects as the movie's potential villains. However, the full name - first and last - of one of these shady siblings sounds eerily reminiscent of a common phrase that is synonymous with dastardly ventures. The character's name is spoken many times throughout Incredibles 2, placing the villain's true identity right under the audience's noses.

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5 'The Sixth Sense' (1999)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan has made a name for himself as a master of the twist ending. His breakout film, and still his defining masterpiece, The Sixth Sense, is about a child psychologist, Malcolm (Bruce Willis), who treats a mysterious patient who claims that he can see and speak to dead people.

The opening scene sees Malcolm shot by a former patient who has broken into his home. Audiences are led to believe that Malcolm survived the potentially fatal wound, only to later learn that he actually did not. The fact that the twist is never explicitly hidden from viewers and The Sixth Sense just uses the narrative to trick the audience's mind made it an unforgettable and legendary movie twist which, when rewatched, was always as clear as day.

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4 'Knives Out' (2019)

Directed by Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson's 2019 whodunnit, Knives Out, was a complex mystery that kept audiences guessing through the film's final moments. Daniel Craig stars as Benoit Blanc, an expert detective investigating the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), the patriarch of a family that is as dysfunctional as they are affluent, with each member of the family having their own reasons for wanting Harlan gone.

Johnson himself has revealed that Apple mandates that villains in films are forbidden from using iPhone products. Astute viewers may pick up on the fact that the movie's murderer is the one character to use an Android device on screen. The many viewers who remain unaware of the mandate also remain unaware of the now painfully obvious clue as to who the film's villain is.

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3 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Directed by Jon Watts

The third Spider-Man movie in the MCU, Spider-Man: No Way Home was a fever dream turned into reality. After a botched spell by Dr. Strange, the multiverse becomes fractured, letting in heroes and villains from alternate realities. For the first time ever, Tom Holland's Peter Parker teamed up with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in a monumental confrontation against villains from all three franchises.

Spider-Man: No Way Home did its best to not divulge its big reveal of the appearance of Garfield and Maguire. Early on in the movie, characters from the alternate franchises, such as Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx's Electro, began to make appearances. Fans who did not make the connection that the inclusion of these characters would inevitably lead to appearances from the other Spider-Men were understandably shocked by their arrival.

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2 'Scream' (1996)

Directed by Wes Craven

The original film in Wes Craven's Scream franchise redefined the slasher genre by masterfully balancing an impeccable blend of slasher horror thrills and satirical comedy. The first Scream movie, in particular, set a high bar focusing on high school student Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she becomes the target of Ghostface, a masked serial killer who taunts his victims.

There are a handful of elusive glances and throwaway lines from the film's secret killers that hint at their culpability. One moment is a fairly obvious clue, however. When a certain character makes their first appearance, "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult plays in the background, serving as a striking signal of their true intentions and deadly alter ego.

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1 'Us' (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele has become one of the modern era's greatest horror filmmakers, with his movies blending sickening tension with classic horror ideas imbued and strengthened by astute social commentary. As his follow-up to his ground-breaking, Oscar-nominated picture Get Out, Us followed a vacationing family who is caught in the midst of a vicious attack carried out by legions of murderous doppelgängers.

The film later reveals that the mother we thought was protecting her family from the mysterious attackers had actually been a doppelgänger herself and switched places with her real-life counterpart when they were children. Us teases this in the opening, which depicts a young Adelaide (Madison Curry) encountering her "tethered" in a creepy funhouse at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

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NEXT: The Greatest Bittersweet Movie Endings of All Time