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by Shawna Blake

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When the word shocking is mentioned, I think of something that comes completely out of left field or that will make my jaw drop. Most movies, I find, are more or less predictable, so when something happens that is completely unexpected, I think that makes an interesting twist, and makes a quite good storyline. If you are watching a movie, and it ends in a blase way, it makes the movie far less entertaining. Some things that made my jaw drop, or surprised me;

~Finding, at the end of 'The Sixth Sense' that Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis) was actually one of the dead people that Cole (Osment) was accustomed to seeing. the entire movie we took for granted that he was actually alive and trying to help the little boy, only to find out that not only did we think he was still living, he did as well. I think that what was considered shocking about it was not that he was actually dead, but that we didn't figure it out the whole time! And we kept wondering why nobody talked to him but the little boy.

~In 2004's 'The Village', we were not shocked to find, near the end of the flick that the "things we don't speak of" were fake, or that the entire village was a farce itself. Well, at least I was not shocked. What did cause my jaw to completely drop, and tears to well up in my eyes was when the simple-minded Noah (Brody) stabbed our heroic Lucius (Phoenix), because he was in love with Ivy (Howard), and he didn't want to share her with her boyfriend Luc. this is what sent Ivy on the wild goose chase to the 'next village' to get medicine for her lover. I just still can not believe that he stabbed him, and the movie ends inconclusively!

~'The Skeleton Key' (2005) ending was a complete shock! The whole time we just assumed that Caroline (Hudson) would be the savior, and not allow the body snatchers of Violet (Rowlands) and Ben (Hurt), to actually snatch her body! But it ended completely the opposite of what we thought that it would, with Caroline's soul being sent to Violet's body and Ben's soul being still held captive in Luke's (Sarsgaard) body! We thought that the good guy would win, but she didn't! They tricked us.

~When, in 'Psycho', the chair of Norman's mother is turned around revealing to us all that she has, in fact, been dead for years. Poor Norman didn't have any friends, did he?

~All of 'Carrie', or as I fondly refer to as "the reason that I can not ever watch horror movies again". Moreover, the last scene when the young girl is at the grave and a hand shoots up from the grave and grabs her. Eeerrie!

~'The Empire strikes back', when Darth Vader admits to Luke, "I am your father". Oh my God! We did not see that coming!

~In 2004, 'Ladder 49' had us following the traumatic events of several firefighters who mostly were dropping like flies. But the ending where the lead character of Jack Morrison (Phoenix) does NOT get saved at the end! He dies, people! Shocking.

~Finding out at the end of 'The Secret Window' that Mort Rainey (Depp) is the real wacko of the film, who made up John Shooter (Tuturro), and actually got away with (while allowing us to believe that HE was the true victim) killing his dog, his ex wife Amy (Bello), and her fiance Ted (Hutton). And then he bites the apple. This movies leaves you with "What!?"

There are more shocking moments, that I will recall as soon as I publish this, of course. I am confident that these are my most shocking moments of films that I have ever witnessed. I will leave you with this thought; Who in the world wrote the crazy movie 'A History of Violence'? Check that shocker out when you get a chance!

Learn more about this author, Shawna Blake.

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