It's typical in horror movies for a terrible massacre to leave a single survivor who defeats the antagonist or for a family to finally move away from their ghost-ridden home. However, some horror directors find extra delight in leaving their protagonists and audiences feeling utterly hopeless by the end of the movie.

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In any other genre, it's expected that the hero will save the day and all will be well, but when it comes to horror, there's a special kind of thrill that comes from seeing evil prevail over good. Be it a silent slasher faking his death or a poltergeist taking out every member of an unsuspecting film crew, sometimes the bad guy wins.

10 Saw Founded Its Franchise On John Kramer's Relentless Need To Kill

Saw: Cary Elwes contemplates cutting off his own foot with a hacksaw

This 2004 torture flick was the beginning of a murderous empire for the iconic Jigsaw Killer. Saw follows two men who find themselves chained up in a bathroom with the body of a supposed victim, who is revealed at the movie's end to be the living mastermind, John Kramer.

After the men are forced to participate in a series of trials to win their freedom, the apparent survivor Adam is trapped again when the previously-unconscious John Kramer awakens and leaves the room, locking the door behind him. Kramer would then go on to continue his murderous rampage until his death in the series' third installment.

9 Both Endings Of The Descent Were Tragic In Their Own Ways

A cave dweller lurks in The Descent

In The Descent, a group of friends goes on a spelunking trip as a way of mending their rocky relationships. They come face-to-face with two very different monsters: the ones within themselves, and the ones lurking alongside them in the dark underground caves. Betrayals, uncovered secrets, and lots of blood make up this British horror film's hour-and-a-half run time.

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The film's official ending sees Sarah escaping the caves after watching all of her friends fall victim to the "crawlers." The original ending, which was cut for the US release, reveals that Sarah's escape was her imagination and instead ends with Sarah alone as crawlers close in on her.

8 The Ending Of The Babadook Proved That He Is Truly Unstoppable

The Babadook Page In Book

Before he was an internet sensation and honorary 'gay icon', The Babadook was a pop-up-book-dwelling entity tormenting a widowed mother and her traumatized son in the suburbs of Adelaide, Australia. When a young, stressed-out mom named Amelia reads a mysterious book to her son hoping to ease his temper, her small home and family are haunted by all types of strange goings-on.

Although Amelia seemingly tames the top hat-wearing beast at the story's conclusion, the movie closes out with one final scare as she is overtaken by the Babadook. Then, the screen goes to black, ending the film on a rather dark cliffhanger.

7 Norman Bates Is Iconic In Psycho

Mother Attacks Marion In Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock's low-budget 1960 film Psycho tells the story of reclusive motel owner Norman Bates and his interactions with Bates Motel newcomers Marion and Lila Crane. The film is most widely recognized for its iconic shower scene and the ensuing death of its supposed protagonist Marion.

Following Marion's death, Lila investigates the motel's happenings and discovers the mummified corpse of Norma Bates, who was previously thought to have been behind Marion's murder. Lila is quickly subdued by Norman, who's dressed in his mother's clothes. Although Norman is inevitably taken in by the police, the film is left largely open-ended and implies that this is not the last of his murderous acts.

Heather delivering her monologue in the Blair Witch Project movie

When The Blair Witch Project first hit theaters in 1999, it left audiences utterly terrified. The film convinced an entire generation of horror lovers that three real-life student filmmakers had died at the hands of the Blair Witch.

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Although rumors of the film's validity have since been debunked, its ending still reigns as one of the most legendary and frightening endings of the horror genre. After venturing into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland, Heather, Michael, and Joshua are picked off one by one as they attempt to outrun the elusive Blair Witch. By the film's end, Blair Witch is left to roam the forest and wait for her next victim.

5 Roman Polanski Created His Own Yellow Wallpaper With Rosemary's Baby

Mia farrow with baby carriage and a knife in rosemary's baby

After moving to New York City with her struggling actor husband, Rosemary Woodhouse finds herself increasingly isolated and simultaneously bombarded by her nosy and suspicious neighbors. Mia Farrow portrays Rosemary, who attempts to investigate the strange happenings around her after she's mysterious impregnated at the hands of her neighbors' satanic cult.

In the '70s Satanic Panic tradition, it turns out that Rosemary was assaulted by the devil and the child she carries is the antichrist. When Rosemary is informed of her child's true nature, she is convinced by the cult to raise the child. Rosemary's Baby ends with Rosemary cradling her newborn baby, meaning the villains have won.

4 The Poughkeepsie Tapes Raised The Bar For Found Footage Horror

Masked victim on camera in Poughkeepsie Tapes

Arguably one of the darkest films, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a pseudo-documentary that tells the horrifying story of Cheryl Dempsey and her torture at the hands of serial killer Ed Carver. The events of Cheryl's captivity are told through a series of interviews and footage recovered from Carver's home.

Although the events of The Poughkeepsie Tapes are entirely fictional, they are unsettling, disturbing, and even unspeakable at times. Even more awful, however, is the fact that Carver is never found by the end of the movie. All that is known about him are the tapes he left behind and the trauma he inflicted on his victims.

3 The Omen Is A Fictional Tale And A Not-So-Subtle Political Commentary

David Warner had a tragic death as Keith Jennings in The Omen

Led by Gregory Peck, 1976's The Omen follows American diplomat Robert Thorn as he and his wife struggle to conceive a child and subsequently adopt an infant named Damien. When Damien reaches five years old and a series of tragic accidents befall the family, Robert travels to Rome on the advice of a Catholic priest. Robert then learns that his son is the antichrist.

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Although Robert is told that he must kill Damien and prevent Armageddon, he is gunned down by authorities in Megiddo before he can do away with the antichrist. As a result, Damien lives on to fulfill his destiny.

2 Se7en's Infamous Ending Is Also Its Most Important Scene

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en

When two homicide detectives agree to take on a case involving a series of Bibically-inspired murders, they fail to realize that even they aren't safe from the killer's brutal plans. At Se7en's climax, detectives Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and Mills (Brad Pitt) have just brought serial killer John Doe to a remote location on his instructions.

The two detectives are presented with a peculiar present: a box containing the severed head of Mill's wife, Tracy. Although Doe is gunned down by Mills, the latter's actions only solidify Doe's plan as Mills represents the final sin, wrath.

1 Jennifer Lawrence Is The Modern Rosemary In Mother!

Mother and Him getting lost in the crowd in their home

Much like the horror classic Rosemary's Baby, 2017's Mother! tells the story of a woman who's isolated from her family while a cult uses her for her body. Both stories take considerable inspiration from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1892 short story The Yellow Wallpaper.

Mother! follows the titular Mother as she watches as strangers pour into her home and begin to destroy it, despite her constant objections. By the end of the movie, the cult of strangers has completely torn through Mother's life. She eventually dies at the hands of her husband, only to be replaced by a younger Mother in the film's closing.

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