The very best plot twists are the ones you never see coming. There's nothing better than watching a good flick and then – just when you think you're safe and have a handle on the story -- you get walloped by an unexpected plot twist. Even if the film is top-notch, it's usually the plot twist that we end up remembering most. The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense, Citizen Kane – these are some of Hollywood's greatest and most iconic twists.

There have also been memorable twists in recent films. Here, we define "recent" as any film that's been released within the last 3 years. These 10 recent films had plot twists that blew our minds, leaving us to stare at our screens in shock.

This goes without saying, but reader beware: spoilers lie ahead.

Director M. Night Shyamalan is known for the plot twists in his movies, and is no exception. Released in 2024,Trap is M. Night's most recent film. Here, suburban dad Cooper (Josh Hartnett) escorts his teenage daughter to a pop star's concert, where the FBI is secretly waiting to catch a serial killer.

If you've never seen the film's trailer, then you'd probably be shocked to learn that Cooper is the killer that the FBI is after. But if you have seen the trailer and had the entire movie spoiled for you, don't worry -- there is another twist. It turns out that Cooper's wife is the one who tipped off the police.

is a psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine. It follows a young housewife living in an idyllic suburban town during the 1950s. Or so we think. What appears to be a pleasant life turns out to be something much more sinister when it's revealed that we're only seeing a simulation -- and these housewives are trapped inside of it, imprisoned in this virtual reality by their controlling, loser husbands.

Between its 1950s setting, eerie story, and unexpected plot twist, Don't Worry Darling feels like something right out of The Twilight Zone.

was one of the biggest horror films of 2024, thanks to a highly publicized, terrifying performance from Nicolas Cage. Set in the 1990s, it centers on an FBI agent named Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), who's been tasked with tracking down an occultist serial killer known only as Longlegs.

If you go into this movie expecting to get Silence of the Lambs, then you're in for a surprise. A few surprises, actually. Towards the end, it's revealed that Longlegs has been living in Lee's childhood home this whole time. Not only that, but her mother has been working as an accomplice in his murders.

was the highly anticipated sequel to 2019's critically acclaimed film, Joker. It pairs Joaquin Phoenix's Oscar-winning portrayal of the Joker with Harley Quinn, played here by Lady Gaga. But even with this talented cast and Todd Phillips returning as director, Joker: Folie à Deux fell short of its predecessor. One aspect that divided audiences was the film's surprise ending.

In the very last scene, a random inmate we've never seen before approaches Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), also known as the Joker, and tells a joke about a clown and a psychopath. As he's delivering the punchline, the inmate whips out a knife and viciously stabs Arthur in the stomach. Arthur dies from his wounds, while his attacker laughs maniacally in the background. But here's the real kicker. The inmate then uses that same knife to cut a smile into his face, a possible reference to Heath Ledger's own take on the Joker. This finale implies that this unknown inmate is the real Joker, the future archenemy of Batman, and that Arthur Fleck was never really the Joker at all.

There was so much hype leading up to the release of , a spy action-comedy by filmmaker Matthew Vaughn. It follows a reclusive author who gets sucked into the world of espionage when it turns out that her new spy novel eerily mirrors real-world events. Argylle features a star-studded cast that includes Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, and many others.

The big twist isn't that Taylor Swift wrote the film's tie-in novel, like so many people suspected (she didn't). The big twist comes at the very, very end of the movie in a mid-credits scene. Here, it's revealed that Argylle is set in the same universe as the popular espionage franchise, Kingsmen. In hindsight, we probably should've seen it coming, since Matthew Vaughn did co-create the Kingsmen franchise.

focuses on an overlooked aspect of filmmaking: stunt performers. Here, a stuntman finds himself involved in a conspiracy while working on his ex-girlfriend's directorial debut action film.

What's the conspiracy, you ask? That partially has to do with the movie's plot twist. Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is shocked to learn that Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the movie star he doubles for, framed Colt for the murder of another stuntman and also orchestrated the stunt that injured Colt and hurt his career.

brought back Ryan Reynolds as the wise-cracking anti-hero Deadpool, and, more famously, it brought Hugh Jackman back for his tenth performance as Wolverine. This film also integrated both of these 21st Century Fox characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Deadpool & Wolverine has it all. It's got action, nostalgia, violence -- and cameos. Like, a lot of cameos. And one of them was MCU superstar, Chris Evans.

Chris Evans is known for playing Captain America in the MCU. When he popped up in Deadpool & Wolverine, everyone, including the fourth-wall-breaking Deadpool, assumed that he was appearing as Captain America. But the film subverted our expectations with a clever twist. Evans wasn't there as Captain America. He was playing his first Marvel superhero, the Human Torch from the original Fantastic Four movies.

Starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, follows an awkward student named Oliver (Keoghan), who finds himself in the luxurious world of his wealthy classmate, living part-time at his family's sprawling estate, Saltburn. Saltburn was one of 2023's most talked-about movies. Part of that came from its many shocking and grotesque moments, and part of that came from its plot twist.

The whole time, you're led to believe that Oliver is a meek, pathetic loser. But -- surprise, surprise -- he turns out to be a manipulative sociopath who's been pulling the strings all along. One by one, Oliver kills his wealthy classmate's family, until he comes to possess Saltburn for himself -- the end goal all along.

is a sci-fi horror film that follows a couple and their friends on a weekend getaway. As the movie's trailer reveals, one of them, a young woman named Iris (Sophie Thatcher), is actually a robot.

However, Companion has another twisted plot twist lurking beneath the surface. Iris isn't the only robot among the group. The unassuming Patrick (Lukas Gage) is one, too.

was one of 2024's biggest Oscar contenders, wracking up an impressive 8 nominations. When Cardinal Lawrence (Ralphi Fiennes) is tasked with selecting a new Pope, he uncovers a conspiracy pertaining to one of the Church's candidates.

Per usual, the conspiracy is tied with the movie's plot twist. In the end, Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz) is elected as the new Pope. It's also revealed that Benitez is intersex, meaning that he was assigned male at birth but was also born with a uterus and ovaries. It's a secret that the last Pope concealed, a secret that could shake the very foundations of the Catholic Church.