False ending

A false ending is a device in film and music that can be used to temporarily lead the audience to believe that the work has ended before it continues.

Film

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, director Peter Jackson presents a series of concluding scenes after the film's climax, several of which have been described as false endings. In The Simpsons Movie, the screen fades out at an apparent climax and displays "To be continued", followed by "Immediately." In Everything Everywhere All at Once, the words "The End" and a short sequence of fake credits appear after Evelyn seemingly dies. The film then reveals that the preceding events are being watched as a movie in an alternate universe.

Music

False endings are a known device in classical music. Josef Haydn was fond of them, for example inducing applause at the wrong place in the finales of his String Quartet, Op. 33 No. 2 (nicknamed "The Joke") and Symphony No. 90.

False endings also appear in popular music. The Beatles used the device in songs including "I'm Only Sleeping", "Hello, Goodbye", and "Strawberry Fields Forever". Other examples include Guns N' Roses' "November Rain", Foo Fighters' "Come Back", and Beastie Boys' "Sabotage".

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The End Of The Ring". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2026-07-02. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. ↑ Sherlock, Ben (2021-05-17). "The Simpsons Movie: The 10 Funniest Scenes". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  3. ↑ Etemesi, Philip (2023-04-01). "10 Best Fakeout Movie Endings". CBR. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  4. ↑ Service, Tom (29 May 2009). "Haydn composed existential comedy". The Guardian.
  5. ↑ Hicks, Sarah (16 May 2010). "Haydn's Head Fake". Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  6. ↑ Beviglia, Jim (2025-02-19). "5 Beatles Songs With False Endings". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  7. ↑ Edwards, Briony (April 10, 2018). "The 10 best false endings in music, as chosen by Haggard Cat". Louder. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.