Movie Plot Twists - Spoiler Alert Quiz

Answer: Primal Fear

"Primal Fear" (1996) is a crime thriller film based on a 1993 novel by William Diehl. Martin Vail (Richard Gere) is a Chicago attorney who volunteers to defend Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) pro bono on charges of murdering Archbishop Rushman. The meek and stuttering Aaron at times turns into an alternate persona (the violent "Roy") and claims that the Archbishop abused him.

After the judge finds him not guilty by reason of insanity, Aaron reveals to Vail that he faked multiple personality disorder ("Aaron" was an act; "Roy" is his real identity) and enjoyed killing the Archbishop.

Answer: The Sixth Sense

"The Sixth Sense" (1999) is an M. Night Shyamalan horror thriller. The film stars Bruce Willis as psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe who is trying to help a troubled boy (Cole Sear played by Haley Joel Osment) who can "see dead people." The big twist is that Crowe is actually himself dead and just another one of the dead people that Cole can see.

Answer: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

"Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994) is a comedy film that featured a breakout role for Jim Carrey. Carrey played Ace Ventura, a detective specializing in finding lost pets, who is hired by the Miami Dolphins to find its missing mascot Snowflake. Ace figures out that Snowflake was kidnapped by former Dolphins former placekicker Ray Finkle and that Finkle also killed the Dolphins Head of Operations when he learned Finkle's secret. Twist: Miami Police Lieutenant Lois Einhorn (Sean Young) is actually Finkle in drag.

Answer: Exam

"Exam" (2009) is a psychological thriller film that shows eight candidates taking an employment assessment exam for DATAPREV in a guarded single room. The invigilator (a DATAPREV rep) enters to explain that the exam is 80 minutes and consists of only one question. Each candidate is assigned a desk and given a blank sheet of paper. If they talk to the armed guard or the invigilator, mar their paper, or leave the room, they are disqualified.

The invigilator ends by asking "Any questions?" and, hearing none, leaves the room.

The candidates then work (sometimes violently and brutally) to figure out how to "pass" the exam and beat out the other candidates. The answer is very simple: "no" to the invigilator's "any questions" question. A fascinating psychological study. If you ever get a chance, watch it at least once.

Answer: Psycho

"Psycho" (1960) is Alfred Hitchcock's groundbreaking horror film starring Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, proprietor of The Bates Motel. We are led to believe that motel guest Marion Crane is killed in the shower by Norman's mother. Mother, however, is long dead but preserved by Norman, both physically and in his mind. Spoiler: Norman is the killer dressed and acting as his mother.

Answer: Signs

"Signs" (2002) is an M. Night Shyamalan science fiction thriller film starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix as brothers Graham and Merrill Hess. Graham's daughter has a habit of leaving half-empty glasses of water all over the house, and Merrill is a former pro baseball player.

After finding crop circles in the field, the Hesses face an alien invasion. The family learns from the radio that water will destroy the aliens. Good thing there's that bat on the wall and all those water glasses. Merrill "swings away" at the water glasses and kills the attacking alien.

Answer: The Prestige

"The Prestige" (2006) is a drama thriller directed by Christopher Nolan about the rivalry of two London magicians in the late 1800s. The Great Danton (Hugh Jackman) and The Professor (Christian Bale) play a dangerous game of one-upmanship. By the end of the movie, we learn that the dazzling illusions were accomplished by the use of clones and a twin, respectively.

Answer: Gosford Park

"Gosford Park" (2001) is a British mystery, whodunit film written by Julian Fellowes (of "Downton Abbey" fame) and directed by Robert Altman. Typical of Fellowes, the film depicts the relationship between the servants and those they serve. Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) is killed during a weekend shooting party at his Gosford Park manor.

Initial suspicion falls on his valet Robert Parks (Clive Owen) when it is discovered that Parks stabbed him. Turns out, however, that Sir William was already dead when he was stabbed.

After realizing that Parks was her long-lost son by Sir William, head housekeeper Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren) poisoned Sir William, anticipating correctly (as any good servant would) that Parks would murder his father.

Answer: Presumed Innocent

"Presumed Innocent" (1990) is a legal drama based on Scott Turow's 1987 novel. The movie stars Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich who is on trial for the murder of his mistress. After he is found not guilty, Rusty finds the murder weapon in his home. His wife then admits to the murdering the mistress to avenge Rusty's cheating.

Answer: Matchstick Men

"Matchstick Men" (2003) is a dark comedy film starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Ridley Scott. Roy Waller (Cage) is energized to learn that he has a daughter and enjoys developing the relationship as a means to cope with his obsessive-compulsive disorder. We later learn that Angela is not his daughter but merely an accomplice in a long con game being played against Waller.

Answer: Friday the 13th

"Friday the 13th" (1980) is a horror slasher film about the murders of teenagers at an abandoned camp. The killer turns out to be Pamela Voorhees, the mother of a former camper (Jason) who drowned in the camp lake in 1957. The movie has one more surprise ending: we see a decomposing male (presumably Jason) spring from the lake and drag Alice (the last surviving teenager) underwater. Jason "lived" on in numerous film sequels in the "Friday the 13th" franchise.

Answer: Soylent Green

"Soylent Green" (1973) is a science-fiction futuristic thriller film starring Charlton Heston. It is 2022, and New York City's population has risen to 40 million who are ration-fed with a plankton-based foodstuff wafer called Soylent Green, manufactured by Soylent Corporation. NYPD detective Frank Thorn (Heston) is called in to investigate the murder of a Soylent executive.

His trail leads him to the horrific discovery that Soylent Green is made from human corpses ("Soylent Green is people!").

The film was also the last screen appearance of Edward G. Robinson.

Answer: Chinatown

"Chinatown" (1974) is a mystery film noir, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Set against the backdrop of the California water-rights disputes in the early 1900s, private investigator Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Dunaway) to trail her husband whom she suspects of having an affair. Things get more complicated when the husband ends up dead, and Gittes suspects Evelyn of the crime. Even more twisted, the supposed mistress is Evelyn's sister and her daughter.

Answer: No Way Out

"No Way Out" (1987) is a political thriller film based on "The Big Clock", a 1946 novel by Kenneth Fearing. U.S. Secretary of Defense David Brice (Gene Hackman) calls upon Naval officer Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) to investigate the death of Susan Atwell (Sean Young). Atwell was Brice's mistress (Brice pushed her to her death) and was also having an affair with Farrell. Brice tells Farrell to find and arrest a supposed Russian spy named "Yuri" for the crime. Doubting "Yuri" even exists, Farrell's investigation leads him to the correct conclusion that Brice killed Atwell.

The big reveal: there really is a Yuri, and it is Farrell.

Answer: The Village

"The Village" (2004) is an M. Night Shyamalan thriller starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Adrien Brody. The movie focuses on villagers spooked by monsters in the surrounding forests. Turns out the monsters are actually elder villagers in costumes who use the ruse to prevent others from leaving. If that wasn't enough, it turns out that what appears to be a 19th century village is actually a place in modern times.