Six Movies - With Sudden Genre Changes
By Jon Therkildsen
Many movies go for the surprise plot, but a few make a u-turn so profound that it is what we remember them for. It is what sets them apart. I submit the following candidates. And I will try to do it spoiler-free - although, by being mentioned on a list like this spoils a bit.
The Babysitter
(2017)
It sets up as a classic romantic teen comedy. And it is done well. Chick flick supreme, until ... well, it turns. Like the storytellers wanted to show the world, they can do anything (and that might be true). Recommendable even if you are no fan of romantic comedies, or perhaps especially if you are no fan.
The Forgotten
(2004)
Moving drama about grieving families and the psychological complexities of life, and then not at all. Great date movie; half of it is for the ones who want debt and drama, and the other half is for the ones who need sci-fi in anything they watch.
mother!
(2017)
Complex and strange and seem quite relevant, even though it is hard to say what this story actually is. Start as one thing, becomes another thing and ends in whatever the hell that was. What a ride. The changes from type to type in the story are subtle, yet extremely profound. You are kind of left wondering when or how did that just happen. Amazing editing and storytelling.
From Dusk Till Dawn
(1996)
Sadly this was spoiled to me back in 96. But, still, I was blown away. Classic action movie turns into a totally different thing. Interesting because we see all the characters develop and be challenged in ways, a movie would typically not allow. We remember it still, because of this u-turn. And it is worth it, just for that.
Bridge To Terabithia
(2007)
A wonderful story about teen trials and unlikely friendships. Shows the power of children's imagination, with fantastical story elements taking us, the audience, back to such minds as Jim Henson and Spielberg. Is this a reality of magnificent and fantastical fairytales, or is it all in the minds of children? This, however great, is not the change. The change is an abrupt pull back to reality. Staying dry-eyed in the end is not an option.
Psycho
(1960)
A classic thriller/horror, known by one and all (I will spoil a tiny bit). But, we tend to forget how brilliant the story is actually constructed. It doesn't begin like anything horrible. It begins like a typical Hitchcock thriller/detective type story. Nothing indicates that Norman Bates will be anything, but a small supporting part. And then “BAM” the star is killed not even halfway in, and the story takes the audience down a radically different road. The movie is brilliant not because of the famous shower scene, but because it is ingeniously told.
I have been asked to inform a bit more about each of these movies genre-change. So be warned, I will sum the changes below. Spoiling, but hopefully not enough to kill the interest:
The Babysitter: Romantic teen comedy, turned into devil worshiping, splatter, “homer alone”-type survival peril.
The Forgotten: A psychological drama about family grief and trials, turned into an alien world invasion, with a reality-shattering twist.
mother!: The story goes from being about a new couple with beginning cracks in their happiness to a literal reality warping cocktail of epic (and biblical) proportions.
From Dusk Til Dawn: A typical “criminals on the run” movie, turns into vampire splatter survival movie.
Bridge to Terabithia: A somewhat typical story about troubled teens, turns into a story about fantastic worlds of escape, and then abruptly back to a dramatic social realistic harsh truth. We are not on a ride to discover a new parallel fairytale world, we are in a world where problems are real and tough.
Psycho: Detective drama turns into a mystery horror movie, with an end unrelated to the crime that began the story.
Photos via Google - © 2017 BOIES / SCHILLER FILM GROUP PRODUCTION et. al., © 2004 REVOLUTION STUDIOS, © 2017 PROTOZOA PICTURES, © 1996 DIMENSION FILM, © 2007 WALT DISNEY PICTURES, © 1960 SHAMLEY PRODUCTIONS