20 Cliffhanger Movie Endings So Intriguing, People Claim They Still Wonder About Them To This Day

Recently, in a thread on the subreddit r/movies, redditor u/Ginge_6907 asked, "What is the greatest cliffhanger/ambiguous ending in movie history?" and movie lovers really came through with some A+ examples!

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So, with that in mind, here are just a few of the most popular responses shared:

1.The Thing (1982)

"I watched this today, and spent about five minutes scratching my head at the ending."

—u/Ginge_6907

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

2.Total Recall (1990)

"Did he really go to Mars and restore the atmosphere? Or was it all a dream, and the white fade-out is his brain being lobotomized? I don't think the film confirms either outing, and I wonder to this day."

—u/Additional-Theme-532

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

3.Clue (1985)

"It had three or four final reels that gave the movie different endings with every viewing, and good luck getting the theater to tell you when each ending would run at what time."

—u/Earguy

You can watch (one of) the ambiguous ending(s) here:

4.Inception (2010)

"It has a choose your own adventure ending."

—u/Bubbly-Permit-9669

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

5.American Psycho (2000)

"A brilliant example of an ambiguous ending. Bret Easton Ellis crafted a brilliant novel, and the film is just as good."

—u/ThatFinnyBoy

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

6.Prisoners (2013)

"That cliffhanger gave me goosebumps."

—u/ItsWeedzard

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

7.Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

"I know everyone’s kind of sick of the franchise at this point, but 'No, I am your father' and the popsicle Han at the end was a huge cliffhanger and gigantic culturally."

—u/lsspam

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

8.District 9 (2009)

"I want to know what happens next, but equally don’t want a sequel to spoil it."

—u/1in8bil

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

9.Lost in Translation (2003)

"Would this one count? Not in terms of what happened, but in terms of what did he whisper in her ear at the end?"

—u/usarasa

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

10.Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

"Was it all a dream? Was it all real and he just loves going to the opium den after a stressful day? Is Max supposed to die walking behind that garbage truck like some sort of '60s Jimmy Hoffa?"

—u/RiversideAviator

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

11.Before Sunrise (1995)

"When it was first released, before there was a sequel announced that removed the ambiguity, this was the ultimate cliffhanger ending. The tension of not knowing if they would meet back up at the train station in five years was completely unbearable, and a completely perfect way to end the movie. I like the sequels, but I miss that beautiful unknown future that the first movie ended with."

—u/ImaginaryNemesis

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

12.The Prestige (2006)

"This one is up there. What did we really see at the end? 'You want to be fooled.' Was I?"

—u/NutellaGood

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

13.Birdman (2014)

"Two hours of one 'continuous' take leading up to an ambiguous ending that was mildly disappointing and amusing. Did he die, or was he dreaming? Did he jump out the window? Did he evolve into a fucking Pokémon and fly away? No one knows."

—u/Anonymous821

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

14.The Truman Show (1998)

"We never know what happens to him after he escapes, so for all we know, he’s struggling, but to be willing to take that risk and live life is the entire point of the film. And the way it ended with those two dudes immediately searching for the remote to change the channel was honestly haunting the first time I watched."

—u/yellowdocmartens

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

15.No Country for Old Men (2007)

"My favorite ending of all time, and it's about as ambiguous as you can get."

—u/hym__

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

16.Halloween (1978)

"That was one of the first ambiguous endings for a horror movie (at least slashers) that utterly shocked movie goers. Even though it was supposed to be a stand-alone film with no sequel planned, the ending was absolutely one of the first sequel-bait endings ever, even if that totally wasn't the intent. Prior to this, the killer either died and remained dead through to the ending or was seen alive in the last shot (like in Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Psycho). Halloween did the fake-out: Michael was expected to be dead, only for us to see he's actually alive. In today's landscape, it's not as shocking, but that's mostly because that ending became the standard horror movie ending. But at the time, it was shocking."

—u/SLCer

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

17.Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

"Does the war happen, or doesn't it?!"

—u/Civilized_Brute

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

18.Memento (2000)

"When you think you finally understand, there's a cliffhanger right at the end. It's just a masterpiece."

—u/g99g99z

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

19.The Wrestler (2008)

"It's not a cliffhanger, but there is an ambiguous tone when he jumps out of frame. I watched it in the theater, and people just sat quietly through the credits. Usually, people would start talking and preparing to leave, but the ending left an impression."

—u/Ricobe

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

And finally:

20.The Italian Job (1969)

"It ends with a literal 'cliffhanger.'"

—u/Kavalkasutajanimi

You can watch the ambiguous ending here:

All right, you've read their picks, but now, it's your turn! Which ones did they miss? What's the best cliffhanger ending in any film? Share in the comments below!

Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity. H/T: Reddit.