What a twist! So many good horror stories have twists and turns, some of them big enough to change everything and others just being a minor plot point. I don’t intend to dwell into major spoilers here, because our focus is not what a twist is, but how it works in terms of a story mechanic and how to correctly format it so that it is the most effective. So think for a moment of your favorites, and let’s get into the art of doing the twist.
The biggest key to a twist is to balance the line between leaving clues and making it hard to tell that said twist is coming. This is why after the Sixth Sense and Signs, M. Night Shyamalan fell flat on his twists: everyone just wants to know what the twist in the story is and barely cares for the plot. We want to avoid that, but at the same time, leave clues for your audience to find on the second time around. Just simple bits of foreshadowing that only truly make sense upon second viewing of the movie. Think of it as carefully hidden puzzle pieces that only make sense when that last piece is found at the very end. They give you a curiosity to look at, but only when that last piece is put into place does it all fall together. This is why you must also pay attention to any possible issues that might spoil it. Smart horror lovers will pick up on things that counter your twist (Wait, if he was the masked villain, why was he in the background of the shot while the villain was stalking the group?) and you must be certain not to leave any plot holes that your twist might create.
Another key thing is to make the twist as believable and unique as possible. The harder of a time an audience has to predict your twist, all the better for you. Yet do not forget to make it believable, again, don’t leave plot holes or just things that seem completely out there. For example, if you’re doing a gothic story involving ghosts in a house, they could be a red herring for the real villain that is after the protagonist. However, you probably shouldn’t make the ghosts secretly aliens, unless you got some amazing foreshadowing for it. It will just seem very off and have your story disregarded as a mess in the best case. Again, leave all the right clues and the twist will feel like a natural progression to the story.
Finally, always keep in mind who knows what. Which character knows the twist, how much do they know about it, and why? With all your major characters, you should have this written down. It will help you decide how the twist is revealed, who reveals it, and how the main character or reader feels about it. For instance, if you have a cosmic horror story that revolves around the main character knowing nothing about the horrors beyond, and a few other characters knowing pieces of the puzzle, bring those realizations piece by piece to the main character. Don’t have people give him all the information right away, just enough for him to stew on each piece, then let the audience piece the rest together.
So that’s my take on how to write some effective twists. Do you have any thoughts? Any favorite twists? Please comment below and for those who have yet to see certain movies or shows, take care in the comments. My personal favorite is well...that would be a spoiler.