On lists of strangest films ever made, the Japanese 1977 film “House” is bound to appear. It’s a fever dream of nightmarish visuals that remain unforgettable. The ending is just as bizarre and difficult. After all of the girls in the house have been killed off, a new step-mother of one of them stops by to visit.
The girl, Gorgeous, is – we think – possessed by the spirit of her evil aunt. The two shake hands, and Ryoko, the step-mom, is burned away. For the entire movie, Gorgeous is furious that her father would remarry, and the ending represents her ideal situation – no step-mother for her.
Perfect Blue
One of the most chilling anime movies ever, “Perfect Blue,” watches a young idol singer, Mima, try to make a name for herself in movies, dealing with a deadly stalker and a weakening mental state. Her manager wants to take her place, and Mima just barely survives. At the end of the film, the manager is recovering in an insane asylum, and Mima is finally sure of who she is.
However, the manager's voice actor has the final line, which we are led to believe is Mima speaking. Her hair might just be swept in the opposite direction...but she says, “No, I'm the real thing” at the end. But who is saying it?
The Prestige
Christopher Nolan appears again, this time with his magical mystery film “The Prestige.” It's the kind of movie you have to watch twice in a row, just to try and understand what was happening. The ultimate twist that Christian Bale's character, Borden, is actually twin brothers puts the entire rest of the movie into perspective.
But the movie actually spoils the twist early on. Angier (Hugh Jackman) reads Borden's diary. It says: “We were two young men at the start of a great career.” Viewers think it's referring to Borden and Angiers, but it's actually referring to the Borden twins. It's easy to miss but makes sense on repeated viewings.
Under the Skin
“Under the Skin” is the kind of movie that, if someone asked you to explain it, you wouldn't be able to say much. It's surreal, artistic, and weird. The plot itself is relatively simple; however: Scarlett Johannson's character is an alien sent to earth to harvestmen so her species can eat them, but she feels guilty about this and begins to integrate into their society by doing human things.
At the end of the film, a potential predator chases her through the woods, and her skin tears off, revealing her for the alien she really is.
Coherence
You see, the title is ironic. Once you get to the end, however, you might just find that all of the details fit. But, there's a phone call at the end of the film that is still confusing. Emily spends the movie looking for a reality where she's happy, and once she finally finds it, kills “Happy Em,” the Emily from that reality.
When Emily wakes up after sleeping, the dead Em is gone, and the Kevin from the good reality gets a call from the very-much-alive Happy Em. She's trapped in the worst reality, where Emily broke into a house, tried to murder someone, and tried to pass herself off as a dead girl.