# Is just knowing a story has a plot twist a spoiler? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708 "2012-04-23T17:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/21 "2012-04-23T19:33:09Z")
Not sure what you mean by your reference to. . . Cabin in the Woods . . . but, I didn’t think that movie had any surprising twists. . . but, maybe you went in without an accurate preconceived notion about it, as did I . . . and that, I agree, can be great. When I went to see Basic Instinct at the theater, I had no idea what it was about. I don’t think I’d even heard of it. And that was one of the best movie theater experiences I’ve had. But, I think surprise twists are so hit-or-miss that if a movie works too hard at making it work it can really detract from the movie. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/22 "2012-04-23T21:07:15Z")
I liked the way “Lone Star” obviously led up to a twist ending, which I saw coming a mile away (although I guessed wrong about “who”), and then suckerpunched with a _second_ plot twist, unrelated to the first one, that floored me. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/23 "2012-04-23T21:12:07Z")
And I agree about not wanting to be told there will be plot twists. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/24 "2012-04-23T21:30:20Z")
Sometimes a movie has a puzzle that isn’t exactly a “twist” and I still don’t like it when the solution to the puzzle is pretty much broadcast ahead of time. I’m thinking of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What was that weird shape everyone had impressed on them? Now, I once visited the place the ships arrived at, it’s a remarkable natural feature, and I would have liked to figure it out from the clues. But nooooooo, a trailer on TV let the cat out of the bag. That ticked me off. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/25 "2012-04-23T22:12:21Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I also saw it opening weekend with no idea there was a twist. Best theater experience in my life. The whole crowd freaked out and people were talking to total strangers after the movie about it. I was in the front row and I remember looking back while people said, “He’s been dead…the whole time!!! Wow!” > > I definitely consider it a spoiler to know there is a twist. Exactly. I was so glad I saw both Sixth Sense and Platoon on their opening weekends. SS for obvious reasons, Platoon because the intensity blew me away, and I am glad I didn’t know that going in, as it would have affected my experience, which was really powerful. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/26 "2012-04-24T00:03:21Z")
It’s hard enough to avoid actual full blown spoilers (I had 6th Sense “ruined” by Andy Richter blurting out the nature of the twist on Late Night w/Conan O’Brien) that expecting to be sheltered from just the existence of a twist is utterly unrealistic, short of disconnecting your TV, computer, phone, etc and living your life in a Cone of Silence. I’m not saying that’s how it should be, I’m saying that’s how it is, and it’s not going to change, if anything it will probably get worse, so there’s really nothing to gain by getting worked up over it. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/27 "2012-04-24T00:25:41Z")
The only movie with a twist ending that was _not_ ruined for me was Drag Me To Hell. I loved it even more after I realized the title was kind of a spoiler. So yeah, it’s hugely annoying for me. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/28 "2012-04-24T00:28:52Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > And I agree about not wanting to be told there will be plot twists. Then why the hell did you just do it? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/29 "2012-04-24T03:04:09Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Then why the hell did you just do it? 😛 That’s exactly what I asked myself about ten minutes after I posted, when the idiocy of my statement dawned on me. :smack: I have no excuse. It seemed like a good idea at the time? ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/30 "2012-04-24T03:56:50Z")
I’ve never thought about it like this before, before but the OP is spot on. > [@Spoke](#): > > **The Usual Suspects** was spoiled for me by a reviewer who touted the “Twist ending!” Once you know there’s a twist, it’s pretty easy to figure out. I think in hindsight, that’s part of the reason why I absolutely adore The Usual Suspects. I went into seeing it for the first time not knowing there was a twist, The reveal at the end was just so mindblowing. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/31 "2012-04-24T04:22:54Z")
Meh. I don’t do well with conflict in the first place. (I watched the Firefly episode Ariel in 5 minute blocks where I’d read a line or two of the plot on wiki, watch the episode until I got to the end of what I read, pause, read more wiki, unpause and so on through the episode. I hate hate hate that sort of tension.) So I appreciate being told when there’s a plot twist or whatever because it makes it more enjoyable. I do not like surprises. I also tend not to think about what other people have said when I start watching a movie. You can tell me the whole plot and if it’s a good movie, I’ll get drawn in and not remember your summary anyway. So, I guess I’m the weirdo in the group. (I’ve probably spoiled movies for people a time or two but it’s not because I’m actively being a jerk, I just forget that not everyone goes in with my mindset but I do try to be respectful.) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/32 "2012-04-24T04:52:26Z")
I was watching an episode of _The Walking Dead_ while surfing the Internet a while back. It was probably a mistake to go on an entertainment-oriented site, but anyway … one of the stories was headlined something like “How did you feel about [Character X] getting shot?” So even though they did, admirably, not tell me who it was, I was irked to know that there was even a shooting. I mean, I still quite enjoyed the episode, but it kinda lost the cherry on top. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/33 "2012-04-24T04:55:13Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > I think in hindsight, that’s part of the reason why I absolutely adore The Usual Suspects. I went into seeing it for the first time not knowing there was a twist, The reveal at the end was just so mindblowing. I saw The Usual Suspects not only knowing there was a twist, but basically being unable to avoid the twist (it being an old, famous movie and me having TV Tropes). I didn’t know all the details, but I knew the gist of it. I still thought it was masterful, just the framing of the story and the smooths transition Kint makes from cripple to badass in the last shot is nothing short of wonderful. While the twist plays a big part, I certainly don’t think that the filmmaking is in any way marred by knowing the twist (YMMV and all that). > [@Snooooopy](#): > > I was watching an episode of _The Walking Dead_ while surfing the Internet a while back. It was probably a mistake to go on an entertainment-oriented site, but anyway … one of the stories was headlined something like “How did you feel about [Character X] getting shot?” So even though they did, admirably, not tell me who it was, I was irked to know that there was even a shooting. I mean, I still quite enjoyed the episode, but it kinda lost the cherry on top. Still though, you’re always going to get that on dedicated boards to anything. Even sites that basically have the spoiler police allow thread titles like that. Otherwise the board becomes a pain to read, or you have to open the thread to figure out what it’s about anyway, spoiling it more. It’s annoying when on GameFAQs you get a thread like “How did you feel when… (spoilers)” and then the first line is “the Commando exploded.” Sure you get a spoiler warning, but when you’re dealing with a 40±hour long medium like a game, or even a TV series you basically have to avoid any discussion of it until you’re caught up if you want to remain a COMPLETE spoiler virgin, and I don’t think I can claim it’s common decency to avoid that flaw. I think it moves too far in the other direction of topic censorship to claim dedicated boards should avoid any discussion to accommodate any possible person who waltzes in. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/34 "2012-04-24T06:16:10Z")
Yes, definitely. I didn’t know there was a twist in The Sixth Sense and made it to the restaurant scene before figuring it out. If I had known there was a twist I would undoubtedly have figured it out at the very beginning of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/35 "2012-04-24T07:10:27Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > It’s hard enough to avoid actual full blown spoilers ( **I had 6th Sense “ruined” by Andy Richter blurting out the nature of the twist on Late Night w/Conan O’Brien** ) that expecting to be sheltered from just the existence of a twist is utterly unrealistic, short of disconnecting your TV, computer, phone, etc and living your life in a Cone of Silence. > > I’m not saying that’s how it should be, I’m saying that’s how it is, and it’s not going to change, if anything it will probably get worse, so there’s really nothing to gain by getting worked up over it. That was like a day before it came out on video. I can’t drum up any outrage with that timing. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/36 "2012-04-24T10:13:58Z")
I saw The Matrix opening day without seeing any reviews or advertising for it. I didn’t even know it was a movie. My friend suggested it, and I resisted just based on the title. I don’t like going into movies blind like that. Anyway, the waking up after taking the pill scene blew me away in the same sense that the OP is describing. In hindsight, the movie wasn’t nearly as good as my high school impression of it. But at that particular moment, I was completely dumbstruck. The moment was perfect! ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/37 "2012-04-26T13:49:39Z")
Another one here who thinks its a spoiler, it means that from the moment the movie starts I’m thinking about what the twist is going to be, and so far have worked out correctly every one that I’ve watched, early on in the film. Which Pees me off. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/38 "2012-04-26T13:54:49Z")
Whereas I am the exact opposite. I’m a total Spoiler Whore. I don’t mind know that there is a twist, what it is or who the killer is. I actively seek them out. I’ll flip to the back of the book just to make sure my favorite character makes it to the end alive. If they don’t, then I won’t put that much emotional investment into them. I get enough of that IRL. Why the hell would I want it in my entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708/39 "2012-04-26T14:43:56Z")
If you’re reading a mystery, and you think you know who the killer is, and you learn that it was somebody you never suspected, I don’t think I would call that a twist; it’s just a good mystery. But if you find that you’ve assumed something more all along, like in Joanne Harris’s novel _Gentlemen and Players_, where you have thought the whole time that the narrator is a boy, and is revealed to be a girl. It is very important to the plot. I’m a spoiler whore in TV and movies, and the opposite in books. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-just-knowing-a-story-has-a-plot-twist-a-spoiler/619708.md?page=1)