A cliffhanger is a literacy device used to create an element of suspense in the story. When the plotline ends suddenly or is left unresolved. It leaves unanswered questions that make the reader or viewer want to come back to learn what will happen.
Origin
The phrase comes from the idea of “hanging off a cliff”. Cliffhangers were first popularized in the serials of the 1920s and 30s, and were often accompanied by the text “To be continued.”
Binge watching
Today, cliffhangers are widely used in television, web, and book series. They encourage people to come back for each new segment or episode. Usually, a cliffhanger doesn’t lend itself well to standalone films. But with the popularity of franchises and sequels, the use of cliffhanger endings in films has increased over the years.
The suspense maker
A cliffhanger is a great technique to use in a thriller because it builds up the action and then leaves the audience on the edge of their seat. Authors frequently build suspense throughout their stories to keep their reader’s attention and increase anticipation for what is to come.
Popular cliffhangers
- ‘Harry Potter’ series: Author J.K. Rowling is a master of cliffhangers, and she has employed them cleverly throughout all seven books in the “Harry Potter” series. One of the biggest cliffhangers in the series is the ending of the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” – in the graveyard, Voldemort rises again with the help of peter Pettigrew, and summons his fearsome Death’s Eaters.
- “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018): The penultimate “Avengers” film packed quite a punch towards the end. Having acquired all six infinity Stones, Thanos uses his newfound powers to snap his fingers and wipe out half of all life in the universe. Half of their team turns to dust and vanishes from existence, including fan-favourite characters such as Drax, Black Panther, and Spider-Man. The last scene shows Thanos sitting peacefully on a rock with a satisfying look on his face as he has fulfilled his dream.
- “The Dark Knight” (2008): Though Batman defeats the Joker, he is unable to save Harvey Dent, who dies in the aftermath of his kidnapping of James Gordon’s family. Seeking to spare the people of Gotham City from learning the horrible truth about Dent’s crimes, Batman takes the fall for Dent and becomes a wanted fugitive, with the film’s final scene showing him on run from the police.
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