Horror is supposed to make us scared, not sad! Apparently these shows didn't get the memo though...
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00:00Whilst a lot of love rightfully goes to the horror giants of the big screen,
00:03TV horror can often go toe-to-toe with the brilliance of horror cinema.
00:06But when these shows come to an end, they often differ from their movie counterparts.
00:10However, some horror shows decide to completely sucker punch their viewers
00:14with an ending that leaves you reeling. These shows did just that, leaving audiences broken,
00:19horrified, and talking about the ending in question for years to come on nerdy film websites.
00:23Speaking of, I'm Tilly from What Culture Horror, and these are 10 Amazing Horror TV Shows
00:27with Soul-Destroying Endings.
00:3010. Penny Dreadful
00:32Penny Dreadful was a bloody homage to gothic literature and its icons,
00:35including Dorian Grave, Victor Frankenstein, and Dr Jekyll. Playing these fabled characters
00:40was a fantastic cast that included Eva Green, the late Helen McCrory, Simon Russell Beale,
00:44and Timothy Dalton. It was well-loved and well-received by critics. However,
00:48many were left feeling utterly dejected after the ending.
00:51The final season, which aired in 2016, was, for the most part, as excellent as the previous two,
00:55with the characters flung across the globe and leaving Green's character Vanessa to fend for
00:59herself, whilst being unknowingly courted by Dracula. Given that Vanessa spent much of the
01:03show being tormented, many expected that a happy ending wasn't exactly on the cards for her.
01:08But being unceremoniously shot by the man who swore he would always protect her?
01:13Huh?
01:14It was quite nice to see the other characters, including Frankenstein's creature, lovingly say
01:18goodbye, but it still felt like an abrupt and frustrating end to a series that had previously
01:22enthralled viewers. Loyal fans felt destroyed, betrayed, and thoroughly pissed off by the ending
01:27of Penny Dreadful. But the rest of the show still remains to be one of the best gothic
01:31horror shows on television.
01:339. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01:35There isn't much to be said about the cult series that hasn't already been said time and time and
01:40time again. Joss Whedon's tale of the Summer Slayer changed television history and was a
01:44bloody good show to boot. However, all good things must come to an end, and the finale of Buffy was
01:49nothing short of heartbreaking. Over the six seasons, viewers had seen plenty of characters
01:54grow and change, but none of them grabbed our hearts like the peroxide vampire Spike.
01:58We watched Spike transform from bad-boy antagonist to beloved romantic lead,
02:02and his sacrifice to save Buffy will forever be remembered as a heroic act of love.
02:06Their tearful goodbye was matched by the tears of the audience who also bid Spike farewell.
02:10To make it worse, the familiar Sunnydale falls into the Hellmouth Crater,
02:14symbolising the end of Buffy's duty in a bittersweet moment.
02:17It truly felt like goodbye, and many fans simply weren't ready to do so.
02:218. Bates Motel
02:24Norman Bates was already a strangely sympathetic character, and the hit series that acted as a
02:28prequel to both the Psycho book and subsequent film only aided that view.
02:32Freddie Highmore's stellar performance made audiences see that Norman, while certainly
02:36far from innocent, was far more complex than the original story let on. His increasingly
02:40bizarre relationship with his mother Norma, played magnificently by Vera Farmiga,
02:44became something of a tragic love story.
02:47Knowing who and what Norman would become lurked in the background of the whole show,
02:50making his descent into madness feel sadly inevitable. Hence,
02:53his death and the fact that he was incredibly at peace with his demise was fitting.
02:57It felt like this was always going to be his fate,
02:59and Norman knew he wouldn't be able to live without his mother.
03:02This aspect of the show felt very Hamlet-esque, particularly the
03:05part about wanting to bang your own mum, and after everything that Norman had been through,
03:09it was a total gut punch to see him have such a tragic end.
03:12His last words, a rushed thank you to his own killer, hurt because viewers knew Norman
03:16couldn't survive without Norma, and could only really exist with her in his life.
03:217. Squid Game
03:23This show was, um, it was quite popular, wasn't it?
03:27This dystopian survival horror from South Korea was tense, poignant, and deeply unsettling
03:32throughout, and given the grim tone of the entire series, viewers waited with bated breath to see
03:36the presumably horrible fates that would befall the main cast.
03:39Protagonist Seong Gi-hun has survived the horrific titular game,
03:42but after everything that happened to him whilst playing, his victory hardly seems worth it.
03:47The show jumps ahead one year to see Gi-hun unable to even touch the money he won,
03:51so utterly traumatised by the ordeal that he cannot bring himself to reap the benefits of his efforts.
03:56After losing most of the cast by now, audiences can't help but wonder, like Gi-hun himself,
04:01what the point of all of this was?
04:02When Oh Il-nam reveals it was simply entertainment for rich people,
04:06a bitter taste is left in our mouths.
04:08It only gets worse as we see that the game is still continuing,
04:12as desperation continues to push people to do the unthinkable.
04:15The last few moments of the final episode add to the intrigue and overall mystery,
04:19but viewers may have to prepare for the worst if the grim tone of the finale is anything to go by.
04:246. Dead Set
04:26This hugely underrated British miniseries was created by Charlie Brooker,
04:30who would go on to create the fantastic, and horrifically depressing, Black Mirror.
04:35The seeds for this later program are clearly sown in Dead Set,
04:37with the premise being a zombie outbreak, something we've all seen before,
04:41but the difference here is that Dead Set takes place during a season of the TV show Big Brother.
04:45Like Brooker's other work, it's incredibly meta, which adds to the creeping dread that
04:49becomes incredibly tense fight scenes and close encounters with the undead.
04:52The cast of characters feel real, which is aided by the fact that some of the
04:56characters are actually contestants from previous seasons of Big Brother.
04:59Plus, anything with Riz Ahmed in is bound to be good.
05:02By the fifth and final episode, most of the fleshed-out,
05:05sorry, characters have, well, had their flesh out by zombies,
05:10and the last few standing simply realise there is no way out.
05:13It slowly dawns on them, and the audience, that they are all just simply f***ed.
05:17Perhaps the most jarring element of this ending is that protagonist Kelly,
05:21who we were sure would survive this whole ordeal, is now a zombie,
05:24watching Big Brother on the E4 channel.
05:26It's haunting, subtle, and makes you feel absolutely bloody miserable.
05:30Number five, Death Note.
05:32One of the most iconic anime of all time had one hell of an emotional ending.
05:37The series was intelligent, suspenseful, and really bloody dark.
05:40At the heart of the drama was twisted genius Light Yagami,
05:43who, using the titular notebook, vowed to cleanse the world of evil.
05:46But, as is often the case, power corrupts.
05:49Light is far from innocent at the start of the show,
05:51but his intentions were at least somewhat honourable.
05:54Sacrificing anyone who stands in his way,
05:56Light's brutality catches up with him by the end of the show,
05:58as he is confronted and cornered.
06:00Thinking he has outsmarted everyone, which he usually has,
06:03Light's final plan falls around him.
06:05Like Icarus, he was blinded by ambition, and it was his downfall.
06:09His fate is simple.
06:10The Shinigami Ryuk writes Light's name in the Death Note,
06:12and Light dies of a heart attack.
06:14What seems like a fairly tame death scene
06:16is made far more melancholy by the beautiful artwork and haunting music.
06:19The sun sets on Light, alone in the world,
06:21despite the adoration he received as Kira.
06:24The music abruptly halts.
06:25Ryuk writes the name,
06:26and Light unceremoniously dies on a flight of stairs.
06:29It's bittersweet, and even after everything Light has done,
06:32you can't help but get a lump in your throat as the credits begin to roll.
06:35Number four, American Horror Story, Murder House.
06:39None of the American Horror Story seasons are renowned for being particularly jolly,
06:43but Murder House set the tone of the show way back in 2011.
06:46The first outing of the horror anthology series was dark, spooky,
06:50and filled with genuinely heartbreaking moments.
06:52The central family of the season, the Harmons, have a rough start to begin with,
06:55and it only gets worse once they move to Los Angeles.
06:58Ghosts, assault, murder, and more destroy their lives,
07:01and it leads to all of them ending up dead.
07:02It always hurts when the character you've grown to connect with
07:05and empathise with end with a horrible fate,
07:07but the horror doesn't just end with the Harmon clan.
07:10Three years after the events of the season,
07:12Constance returns to the house to find her grandson Michael.
07:15He's far from a twee little toddler though,
07:17as he's covered in blood, and he's murdered his nanny.
07:20Oh, and he's also the Antichrist.
07:22This morbid conclusion to an equally morbid show may be fitting,
07:25but the fact that the evil is only just beginning makes it very hard to swallow.
07:29Oh, and absolutely f**k Tate.
07:32As you were.
07:33Number 3
07:34Twin Peaks Season 2
07:36For a truly bonkers weird and downright head-melting show,
07:39Twin Peaks packs a surprisingly emotional punch.
07:41What began as an intriguing murder mystery soon spiralled into
07:44what can only be described as mad art, with theories being discussed to this day.
07:48Despite season 3 coming out in 2017,
07:50the 25 year time gap made many think that the end of season 2
07:53was the end of the show altogether.
07:55And what an ending it was.
07:57After everything that had happened,
07:58it finally seemed as if the cryptic messages,
08:01weird visions, and genuine terror had come to an end.
08:03Well, as usual, David Lynch pulled the rug out from under our feet
08:06and revealed that Dale Cooper was trapped in the Black Lodge.
08:09It was his doppelganger who had escaped,
08:11and that horrific image of Cooper's cackling, blood-covered face
08:15is not easily forgotten.
08:16Whilst season 3 did progress the story from that jaw-dropping cliffhanger,
08:20it was seen as the definitive ending to the show for years,
08:22and it was absolutely devastating.
08:25Number 2
08:26Hannibal
08:27This is without a doubt one of the best horror shows ever put on television.
08:30It's visually breathtaking, masterfully crafted, and absolutely grim.
08:35Detailing the lives of FBI profiler Will Graham and the infamous Dr Hannibal Lecter,
08:39the two engage in an intricate game of cat and mouse
08:41that draws them closer and closer into one another's lives.
08:44Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy play Lecter and Graham brilliantly,
08:48but it becomes clear that their relationship is doomed to self-destruct.
08:51Unable to exist with the other, but unable to fully be themselves without the other.
08:55Can you tell that I could talk about this show for a very, very long time?
08:57The two end their journey in battle.
08:59Bloodied and bathed in moonlight, they team up to kill the Great Red Dragon together,
09:03and are left clutching one another on the edge of a cliff.
09:05They seem to realise that they have completed one another,
09:08and that there is nothing left to do.
09:09And so Will pulls them over the cliff's edge.
09:11Like the rest of the show, the scene looks gorgeous,
09:14but it hurts to watch.
09:16Perhaps what makes it more painful is that the show was cancelled early,
09:19and that more tales of Lecter and Graham were to be told.
09:21Fingers crossed that Hannibal gets renewed.
09:23Mainly just because I want to know if Will's dogs are okay.
09:26Number 1.
09:27The Haunting of Bly Manor
09:28After the success of Mike Flanagan's initial Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House,
09:33many wondered if he'd be able to recapture that magic when Bly Manor was announced.
09:36Well, good news and bad news.
09:39As usual, Flanagan knocked it out of the park.
09:41The bad news is that the emotional trauma of Hill House
09:43was ramped up to 11 the second time around.
09:46The entire show is no stranger to sadness,
09:48with tragic death, unrequited love, and heartbreak
09:50nipping at the heels of almost every character.
09:53But the likeability of the show's romantic leads, Danny and Jamie,
09:56helped to add sprinkles of hope into the darkness.
09:58We just knew, though,
09:59despite our best hopes that something bad would happen to them.
10:02By the end, however, the two have seemingly escaped the ghosts and terror.
10:06Until it's revealed that the lady in the lake still haunts Jamie,
10:09and Danny sacrifices herself for her lover.
10:12To make things more devastating,
10:13it's revealed that the narrator is in fact Jamie herself,
10:17telling the tale of her lost love.
10:18And then, because Flanagan just wants to twist the knife
10:22when it's in as deep as it can possibly go,
10:24it turns out that Danny's ghost watches over Jamie every night
10:27because her love is stronger than death.
10:29Bittersweet, genuinely beautiful, and a haunting end to a haunting tale.
10:34And that's our list.
10:36Did the ending of this list leave you aghast and devastated
10:39with grief because we didn't feature something?
10:40Let us know down in the comments section below.
10:42If you enjoyed the video, don't forget to like, subscribe,
10:44and swing on by our channel again to catch more creepy content.
10:47I've been Tilly, and this has been WhatCulture.
10:49Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you again soon.
10:51Until next time.