SparkForward: Films with Tone Shifts

Spark Forward is a series of essays about film and filmmaking. It is part of Treepot Spark, a collection of initiatives aimed at igniting creativity and collaboration among creatives.
What happens when the movie you are watching turns into something completely different? I’m not referring to a mere plot twist, but a complete change in tone and genre or a change to focus on a whole different “main character”. Such films can be quite striking and memorable. Here are a couple of notable examples and several honourable mentions.
- Psycho (1960)
- Parasite (2019)
- Gone Baby Gone (2007)
- Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
- Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
- Click (2006)
Caution: Spoilers ahead
Psycho (1960)
It’s difficult to find anyone who truly watches such a culturally iconic film like Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho without any expectations or preconceived notions. I had only seen the film on TV or on video. Recently, I had the opportunity to watch the 60th anniversary restoration which was advertised as the version you were not allowed to see on TV. Something “new”. I had to check it out.
Side note on 60th Anniversary blu-ray
The disc includes new DTS:x and DTS-HD Master 7.1 mixes which are subtle and quite immersive, in my opinion. For purists, a restored original mono audio track is also included.
Psycho begins as a heist film of sorts, about a woman on the run focused on Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) who skips town after stealing a large sum of money from her boss. Leigh was a well known actress at the time, so it’s likely that most of the audience expected her to be the main character in the film.
Everything changes when she is murdered 45 minutes in, with an hour still left in the movie.
From there, the perspective and tone as the film changes into a psychological horror thriller centered on the killer, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and the money is lost in the aftermath and never appears again in the movie.

Hitchcock was so adamant about protecting the surprise that he had the distributor put in a “no late admission policy” during its original theatrical run.
Parasite (2019)
Director Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture Oscar winner starts off as a generally light and charming, almost slapstick comedy. It shows audiences a contrast between the affluent Park family with their perfect lives and the less fortunate Kim family. We are almost set up to like the Parks and look down on the Kims, who scheme to secure jobs for every member of their family as servants of the Parks family, while concealing their true identities. Ki-Woo lies about his education to become an English tutor, “Jessica” or Ki-jung works her way into becoming an art therapist for the Parks’ young son. The father, Ki-junk, frames the Parks’ chauffeur to get hired as his replacement and the mother Chung-Sook replaces longtime housekeeper Mun-Kwang.
The first hint that something isn’t as it seems comes when Mun-Kwang returns to the home soaking wet in the rain and rings the doorbell soaking wet. Shown as a well composed, impeccable dressed woman at the start, she seems to be in distress. The film changes drastically into a menacing horror thriller from that point on. It’s not just a plot twist. It’s a complete shift of tone.
Parasite is heading back to theatres for its 5th anniversary, this time in IMAX🇨🇦.
Honourable Mentions
Here are a few films with tone shifts that I have rewatched recently:
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Ben Affleck’s directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone changes from a whodunit to something very different, complete with an ambiguous ending that is a point of debate and discussion.
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
What starts off as a light-hearted coming-of-age “chick flick” turns into a film about dark exploration of depression in Muriel’s Wedding. This was the movie that introduced me to Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
A coming-of-age story about a girl taking a socially awkward boy to a Narnia-like world in their imaginations, turns into to a story about a kid grieving the loss of his only friend and disappearing into delusions of a magic land in order to cope. A tear jerker for the ages. 🥺
Click (2006)
Click goes from a comedy about a magical remote control to a dramatic film that will wreck you emotionally. It continues a long tradition of comedians and comedic actors surprising audiences with their range and ability to play dramatic roles.
I created a list of Films with a Tone Shift on Letterboxd. Let me know if recommend any films that may fit the bill that I have missed.

Jith Paul
Web Designer, Editor, Film Reviewer
Jith Paul is an independent filmmaker based in Ottawa. While pursuing a career as a software engineer, he decided to take a detour to follow his passion for film and filmmaking, establishing Treepot Media in 2010.
He is a co-founder of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, and editor of the film613 blog.
When he is not busy fighting crime, he coordinates the efforts of an international team of software developers and service providers as the Team Lead for Digital Development at CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel.