16 Times Incest Was A Huge Plot Twist

The Set-Up: Oldboy. A South Korean action-thriller features Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik). He is locked in a cell resembling a hotel room for fifteen years. He never learned why he was imprisoned, who locked him up, or anything about his situation. He remains isolated. Oh Dae-su gets released but stays trapped, unaware of his daughter or the last fifteen years. He seeks revenge and finds what he seeks.This South Korean action-thriller features Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik). He is locked in a cell resembling a hotel room for fifteen years. He never learns why he is imprisoned, who put him there, or anything about his situation. He remains totally isolated. He gets released but stays trapped, unaware of his daughter or the last fifteen years. He seeks revenge and finds answers, though he may not like what he discovers.

Oh Dae-su meets Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong), a sushi chef, after his release. They start a romance. Meanwhile, he hunts for his daughter, whom he discovers was adopted while he was locked up. He learns the truth: he was punished for exposing an incestuous relationship between two schoolmates. Revenge caused his imprisonment, but that is not the whole story. Behavioral modification methods affected Oh Dae-su during his time inside. Mi-do is actually his daughter. The film ends with them embracing; a look of torture crosses his face as he knows the truth.After his release, Oh Dae-su meets Mi-do (Kang Hye-jeong), a sushi chef, and they start a romance. During this time, he hunts for his daughter, whom he discovers was adopted while he was locked up. He learns the truth: he was punished for revealing an incestuous relationship between schoolmates. Revenge caused his imprisonment, but that is not all. Behavioral modification methods affected Oh Dae-su during his confinement. Mi-do turns out to be his daughter. The film ends with them embracing as a tortured look hits his face; he knows the truth.

An Awfully Big Adventure. An Awfully Big Adventure.This film tells the coming-of-age story of Stella (Georgina Cates). Stella joins a theater troupe in Liverpool, England. She works on a production of Peter Pan.Peter Pan.The play shifts into a metaphor for sex and intrigue. Relationships develop. Stella sleeps with veteran stage actor P.L. O’Hara (Alan Rickman) to improve her sexual experience with the older man.

The Twist:Toward the film's end, O’Hara visits Stella’s aunt and uncle. They reveal Stella's mother was O’Hara's former lover. O’Hara realizes the Stella he slept with is his daughter. He cannot tell anyone. An accident sends O’Hara into the water, where he drowns. O’Hara dies with the horror of his actions, while Stella stays unaware of her incestuous relationship.

The Set-Up: Chinatown.Private detective J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) investigates an adulterer. Gittes quickly gets involved in a scheme involving corruption and murder. During his search, he meets Evelyn (Faye Dunaway) and her sister, Katherine (Belinda Palmer). Evelyn's father, Noah Cross (John Huston), threatens both women.

The Twist:Toward the end, Gittes confronts Evelyn about her sister. They fight when she reveals she is her daughter. This angers Gittes. Evelyn breaks down, explaining she is both her sister and daughter. Her father raped her when she was fifteen, causing a pregnancy. Cross is not just Katherine’s grandfather; he is also her father. The film finishes with Evelyn dying as Cross takes a screaming Katherine away.

The Set-Up: Angel Heart.Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke), a New York City private investigator, seeks the truth about Johnny Favorite's disappearance. He travels to New Orleans, where he finds and gets involved in a series of terrible murders.

The Twist:Angel meets and sleeps with Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet), Favorite’s daughter. Their affair is intense. The film reveals the twist: Angel is actually Favorite, the man he was hired to find. The incestuous relationship becomes more disturbing. Angel’s repressed memories flood back at the end, and the film ends with heavy symbolism suggesting Angel/Favorite heads straight to Hell.

The Set-Up: Crimson Peakis a romanticgothic horror filmSet in Victorian-era England, the film's plot unfolds in a Gothic mansion in Cumberland. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) tries to find out why and how she sees ghostly apparitions warning her to stay away. She visits the mansion with her new husband, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain); strange things happen fast.

The Twist:Edith and Thomas’s relationship becomes bad for Lucille. Lucille gets angry when the couple sleeps together. Edith finds clues about strange things at the mansion, "Crimson Peak." Lucille's jealousy grows. She pushes Edith off a balcony. Edith lives. Lucille tries to make her brother kill Dr. Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam), but he fails. Lucille then makes Edith give her wealth. She admits killing Thomas’s former wives and having a long sexual relationship with them. She also reveals Lucille and her brother had a child that died soon after birth. The ghosts haunting Edith are everyone they killed. Thomas tries to leave his sister's control because he loves Edith. Everything collapses. The Sharpes die; Edith lives.

The Set-Up:The pilot episode ofGame of Thrones, “Winter is Coming,” sets the series up by introducing the Starks and the Lannisters. Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Lannister twins, hold major political power in Westeros. They visit Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark (Sean Bean) and his family in Winterfell with Cersei’s husband, King Robert (Mark Addy). Deception and intrigue among Westeros' noble families show immediately.

The Twist:Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) climbs a tower in the final scene, enjoying the action. He reaches the window and sees Cersei and Jaime having sex. This shocks viewers because they are twins, though Bran's understanding remains unclear. Jaime walks over and casually pushes the boy out, ending the episode.

Incest becomes a major plot point inGame of Thronesand its prequel,House of the Dragon, but viewers unfamiliar with the books find this final scene the most shocking.

The Set-Up: Imaginary HeroesThe story follows a suburban family losing their oldest son, who died by suicide. The film shows how each family member handles the loss over the next year; some handle it better than others. The surviving son, Tim (Emile Hirsch), avoids drugs offered by his best friend, Kyle (Ryan Donowho), and the film reveals what pushed his brother to end his life.

The Twist:After Matt’s (Kip Pardue) suicide, Tim gets closer to Kyle, and they sleep together. The accidental incest appears when Tim's mother (Sigourney Weaver) had an affair with Kyle's father, making Tim and Kyle half-brothers.

The Set-Up: The JudgeThis legal drama features Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vera Farmiga, and others. The film tracks attorney Hank Palmer (Downey) returning to his childhood home after his mother dies. Soon after arriving, his father, Joseph Palmer (Duvall), becomes the local judge and faces murder charges. Hank works to find the truth, reconnecting with his family through the process.

The Twist:Hank reconnects with his ex-girlfriend, Sam (Farmiga), but they do not resume a romantic relationship. Instead, he meets a bartender, Carla (Leighton Meester), and an attraction forms instantly. They make out, and Hank learns Carla is Sam’s daughter. Hank starts seeing signs and suspects he is Carla’s father. Sam denies his questions but lets him know Carla is her brother Glen’s daughter, making their relationship one between uncle and niece.

Kaboom KaboomThis sci-fi comedy mystery includes sex. The film shows college students who investigate a strange cult and explore their sexual exploits. Smith (Thomas Dekker), an undeclared freshman, has prophetic dreams about himself and his classmates.

The Twist:Smith’s premonitions and a cult of animal mask wearers drive the film's mystery. They capture Smith, London (Juno Temple), and Smith’s mom, throwing them into a van. Smith finds out the cult leader is his father, which shocks him since he thought his father died young. London, whom Smith slept with, turns out to be his half-sister because her father is Smith’s dad.

The Set-Up: That’s My BoyThis comedy features Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. Donny Berger (Sandler), an alcoholic who once slept with his teacher, tries to fix his relationship with his son, Han Solo Berger (Samberg), who conceived from that student-teacher hookup. Donny learns his estranged son, now Todd Peterson, is marrying Jamie Martin (Leighton Meester). Todd dislikes seeing his old man and tells people he is just an old friend.

The Twist:Drama hits: Donny finds out Jamie has an affair with Steve Spirou (Tony Orlando) and her brother, Chad Martin (Milo Ventimiglia), which she hides from her future husband. Donny reveals her cheating and incestuous relationship at the wedding, causing a split.

The Set-Up:In the Friends'Season 10 episode “The One Where the Stripper Cries”: Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer) go to their college reunion and argue about a woman they both liked in school. Ross admits he made out with her, triggering a flashback showing Monica (Courteney Cox) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) at the 1987 college party.

The Twist:Chandler and Ross fight over who was wrong about their college romances. Ross made out with Rachel the same night Chandler kissed her at the party. Ross found her on his bed among coats; alcohol was involved and it was decades ago. However, Monica reveals she passed out on his bed, not Rachel. They both grasp the awful truth: they made out with each other. Monica tells them Ross was her first kiss, making things worse. Chandler yells, “What did I marry into?”

The Set-Up: Lone StarLone Star is a mystery set in a South Texas town. Sheriff Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper) investigates the murder of a former corrupt sheriff, Charlie Wade (Kris Kristofferson), which happened decades prior. The investigation starts after the skeletonized remains of the former sheriff are found. Deeds uncovers many buried secrets that some prefer to keep hidden.

The Twist:Sam's past reveals itself. His predecessor was his father, Buddy (Matthew McConaughey), whom the town loved but Sam disliked. Sam dated Pilar (Elizabeth Peña) as a teen, but Sam's father and Pilar’s mother opposed their relationship, keeping them apart. Now, Sam is divorced and Pilar is widowed; they restart their relationship. Sam’s investigation shows Buddy is Pilar’s father, making her his half-sister. They discuss their bond at the film's end. Because Pilar cannot have more children, they choose to stay together despite their incestuous bond.

The Set-Up:In the pilot episode ofArrested DevelopmentGeorge Michael (Michael Cera) and his cousin Maeby (Alia Shawkat) make out, trying to scare Maeby’s parents. This fails, but it creates an unnatural attraction in George Michael toward his cousin, a feeling that appears often in the series. Steve Holt (Justin Grant Wade), the high school jock, is also involved.Maeby has a crush on Steve Holt, and they date briefly while George Michael watches with awkward jealousy.Maeby has a crush on Steve Holt, and they date for a short time while George Michael watches in awkward jealousy.

The Twist:George Michael picks at every thread to prove Maeby isn't his cousin. They kiss several times, knowing it is wrong. Maeby first focuses on Steve Holt. Steve Holt's long-lost father is Gob Bluth (Will Arnett). This makes Steve Holt the first cousin of both Maeby and George Michael. Their relationship history and many interactions form an incestuous nightmare, but it stays at first or second base.

The Set-Up:InCommunity'sSeason 6 episode “Wedding Videography”: Garret (Erik Charles Nelsen) proposes to Stacy (Erin McGathy), and they plan their wedding at the school. The study group attends, and everyone enjoys the reception. Study group members talk to the couple’s family, leading to a peak during a well-meant speech.

The Twist:During Jeff Winger’s (Joel McHale) speech, he reveals family information he learned: Garret’s great-aunt Polly and Stacy’s “Meemaw” share the same town. When Winger invites them both up, only one woman appears. Garret and Stacy are cousins, causing chaos at the party. The couple decides to cancel the marriage, but Chang (Ken Jeong) convinces them to stay married.

The Set-Up:“Chapter Twelve: Anatomy of a Murder” is the 12th episode from the first season ofRiverdale. The episode's main story shows characters learning the truth about Jason Blossom's (Trevor Stines) death, which covers the first season's main plot.

The Twist:Archie (KJ Apa), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) find facts showing Jughead’s father was innocent. However, problems pile up. They find Joaquin’s (Rob Raco) body at a motel. Things spiral. Jason Blossom was involved with Polly Cooper (Tiera Skovbye), his third cousin, in an incestuous relationship. The couple's relationship ends up being incestuous.

The Set-Up:InA New Hope, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) follows Princess Leia's (Carrie Fisher) message. Luke rescues Leia from the Death Star prison. Luke shows attraction to Leia, but Han Solo (Harrison Ford) competes for her. In The Empire Strikes Back, as Rebels flee Hoth, Leia kisses Luke. Han Solo gets jealous. Luke smiles after the kiss.

The Twist:Finally, inReturn of the Jedi, several loose plot threads from the first two films come into focus as Luke isn’t the only Skywalker. He has a twin sister, Leia. They shared only one kiss, but Luke tells Leia, “I know. Somehow, I've always known.” This reveal damages things because, if true, why did she kiss him?