A good plot twist is not easy. When we read them in books and see them in movies, we may take them for granted until we deconstruct the points that built them.
I have found that many of the plot twists I experience are unworthy of praise after reviewing them again. Yes, they are technically a jarring reversal of thought and progression to the story. But are they well made? I argue that the majority of them are not, with only a limited few being respectable.
Throughout this post, I will provide advice through my examples of twists in narratives. I will begin by examining why some (most!) plot twists truly fail if you critique them. The last section will reveal how certain films weave in a perfectly constructed plot twist.
*Explaining specific details of these examples will not do any justice until you see the actual film. Therefore, I will refer to the best and worst points that work or don’t work.
Know this: if you are a hopeful writer looking to create a great plot twist, you must plant subtle clues from the beginning of the story to the final reveal.
Plot Twists that Fail
All stories, regardless of genre, have mysteries elements to one extreme or another. However, depending on how the writer constructed those moments building up to the final reveal of the twist will serve as a judge of their quality.
Plot twists fail because of “clues” not in their proper places at the right time. And most times, plot twists don’t work because they rely on deceiving the audience by purposely withholding these clues. This is the worst way any writer can manipulate a twist.
A writer can utilize deception by implying that a specific character is a secret murderer. All of the clues can point directly to him. However, when we learn that someone else is really the killer, we should have been able to place the clues together ourselves to solve it. Many locked-room mysteries, unfortunately, use this technique. It means that the audience/reader is only allowed to know what the writer tells us.
That doesn’t work because it is NOT FAIR to the audience. It blocks us out by restricting our involvement and acts as if we are not trying to solve the mystery while the characters do the same.
SPOILERS:
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- Not entirely a bad film until the explanation by Holmes at the climax. He reveals to the villain of the numerous clues that he has now solved. This is fine, but it was absolutely impossible for the viewer to solve beforehand because the clues were kept a secret with only Holmes having the answer. We only knew the answers when Holmes (the writer, really) decided to tell us. This does not work. The audience should be totally involved by having access to clues.
Scream (1996)
- As much as I love this film, it disheartens me to critique it. When I had returned to the movie some years ago I noticed a major flaw in the plot twist. We are lead to believe that the killer murdered a certain character near the finale. Up until that point, this character was a prime suspect. But, when the audience sees him die, we automatically write him off as dead, thus not one of the suspected villains anymore. We know this is not true when only a few minutes later we find out that later that he faked his death and he is one-half of the two killers.
- This doesn’t work, either. Like Holmes above, we, the audience, are not allowed to solve the case. There is nothing wrong with misleading the audience about clues, but it still must be solvable. The fake death misguides the audience so poorly that it strips away our ability to answer the questions.
The shock of a plot twist is not for the characters, but solely for the audience.
Plot Twists that Work
I cannot discuss this subject any further if I don’t mention these next two films. Arguably having the best twists in film history, the filmmakers played their clues correctly. The plot twists come at the right time and allow the audience to know the truth. However, unlike the failure of their plot twist counterparts, these ending-reveals work because each clue was there for us to see and to solve the whole time. They successfully use:
Unreliable Narrator: Usually the main character who typically has a voice-over during the film. We tend to believe him or her because they are in a position to know of specific moments that other characters don’t. However, this narrator could be fooling everyone the entire time.
Foreshadowing: Done through actions or dialogue or plot points early in the story. Usually, they are subtle, without any direct emphasis on their importance. Later on, during the climax of the story, those moments (clues) will arrive again to highlight their importance.
Red Herrings: A great way to mislead characters and the audience. This puts the spotlight on a character or event that the writer wants you to believe is the real culprit.
SPOILERS:
The Usual Suspects (1995)
- Using an unreliable narrator to tell the story, Suspects hands us the best plot twist in history (IMO). Why? Because none of the clues were suddenly given to us. The clues were there. We just missed them. Whether it was the narrator’s gift for storytelling to the cops, portraying other characters as red herrings or very slight facial expressions to signal lies, the clues were present. When the plot twist happens, the director gives us a montage of all the clues used.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
- Perhaps even a better example than Suspects, Sixth’s plot twist has fantastic clue placement and foreshadowing. The twist reveals itself with a montage similar to Suspects to remind the audience of the various clues they missed the entire time. The main character, a young boy, is discovered as an unreliable narrator at the end.
Don’t Exclude the Audience
Rather than give specific examples of dialogue and plot to educate my readers to create great plot twists, just know that the audience must be involved. That is the number one rule. Readers and movie-goers are not naïve people. We notice things, especially those who study craft (like you and me!). People like us tend to read fiction and watch films more for learning than for the escape. If a writer intends to have the third act display a major plot twist, then the writer needs to:
- plant clues throughout the story
- misguide the audience to believe something false is true
- use the clues to prove a different expectation.
Granted, there are multiple other factors that might go into mastering the plot twist. However, what I wrote here about clues are paramount. Click here for more on developing more realistic characters. And check out these two books here and here for excellent insight on creating mystery fiction.
Comment below and let me know if you have any other concerns about crafting a perfect twist.
~M