Few things in cinema are more enjoyably devious than a well-executed red herring. These aren’t just plot devices. Their influence runs a lot deeper, and their impact on a film can make you question everything you’ve watched until that point.
A red herring that is well-written isn’t some kind of trick. It’s a masterful act of misdirection. It doesn’t defy your belief. It relies on the very fact that you do believe. And then, at the right moment, it yanks the rug out from beneath you.
Great stories draw you into their illusion, and red herrings possess the power to shatter the illusion. This isn’t mere misleading. It is cinema’s way of outsmarting us in a manner that doesn’t repel, but enchants us even more.
Let’s take a look at seven of the best red herrings in movies.
What Is A Red Herring?
Before we get into the best red herrings on screen, let’s remind ourselves of what a red herring actually is.
A red herring is a crucial aspect of a story that purposefully misleads viewers to conceal a greater, more surprising truth. It is a believable piece of information that is inserted into a story to distract the audience. It could be a clue, a character, a motive, or anything that makes the audience buy into a certain logic that eventually turns out to be shockingly untrue.
The finest red herrings in movies always appear to be fair. When we look back on films that have these, we feel like the clues were always there, but we refused to see them. Good red herrings make us feel like we were misled by a distracting element, and that is on us, the audience.
Personally, I love it when movies outsmart me and make me feel like I shouldn’t have believed in an illusion that was presented to me. It’s part of the reason why great films can be so alluring and admirable.
7 Best Red Herrings In Movies
Here’s a list of seven of the best red herrings in movies. The list isn’t ranked in a preferential order. It’s simply a collection of the finest examples.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
‘The Sixth Sense’ (1999)Credit: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
In this iconic horror film, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), a child psychologist, takes on the case of a young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) who claims he can see and speak to dead people. Malcolm works hard to try to help Cole while facing his own personal and professional doubts.
The red herring: The film presents Malcolm as a fully alive psychologist who interacts normally with living people around him. The viewers don’t question Malcolm’s presence, and his bond with Cole takes center stage. It is, of course, revealed later that Malcolm died early on and has been a ghost this entire time.
Shutter Island (2010)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
‘Shutter Island’ Credit: Warner Bros.
In this psychological thriller, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates a missing patient from an isolated hospital for the criminally insane. He pieces together a conspiracy on a stormy island along with Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), gradually becoming paranoid and filled with distrust about any information fed to him.
The red herring: The film eventually reveals that Teddy Daniels is actually a patient by the name of Andrew Laeddis. The investigation was invented for him to get over the guilt of killing his wife, who had murdered their kids.
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood (2019)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
‘Once Upon a Time In Hollywood’ Credit: Sony Pictures
In 1969 Los Angeles, struggling actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) face a career decline while living next door to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).
The red herring: The film’s heavy, near-accurate retelling of the era’s historical realities, specifically with regard to Sharon Tate, the Manson family, and the Spahn Ranch, is turned on its head when Tate isn’t murdered. Viewers anticipate a tragedy that Tarantino never delivers.
Psycho (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
‘Psycho’ (1960)Credit: Paramount Pictures
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is on the run after embezzling money. She checks into Bates Motel, run by an awkward Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his unseen mother. Norman’s strangeness keeps escalating, and Marion is soon murdered.
The red herring: Hitchcock repeatedly emphasizes Norman’s mother, who does not exist. We are led to believe that she is a murderous woman responsible for violent crimes, specifically that of Marion’s. It is later famously revealed that Norman himself impersonated his mother and embodied a dual personality.
Se7en (1995)
Directed by David Fincher
‘Se7en’ Credit: New Line
Seasoned detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) mentors rookie David Mills (Brad Pitt) as they hunt for a killer who commits crimes based on the seven deadly sins.
The red herring: Throughout the film, audiences look outward, toward external killings of people they do not know. In the end, it is tragically revealed that a grotesque, irreversible tragedy has been imposed upon David Mills instead. This makes the crimes feel disturbingly personal and troubling.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed by Bryan Singer
‘The Usual Suspects’ (1999)Credit: Gramercy Pictures
Crippled con artist Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) recounts to the cops how five criminals were coerced into a crime by a deadly Keyser Söze. The story moves narratively back and forth between the present and Kint’s story.
The red herring: Verbal Kint’s elaborate, detailed story serves as a perfect red herring that defines the entire film. Viewers consider Kint harmless and weak. But through his testimony, he reveals that he himself is Keyser Söze, shocking viewers entirely and making them question their judgment.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
‘Blade Runner 2049’ Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Replicant Blade Runner K (Ryan Gosling) uncovers proof of a replicant birth miracle, which leads him on a dangerous search that involves questioning his own identity.
The red herring: K’s deepening conviction that he is a naturally born replicant child is central to the film. The audience believes it just as much as K does. The ending brilliantly subverts this belief, revealing that this identity actually belongs to another character, making K’s implanted memories feel futile and technical.
Final Thoughts
Each one of these red herrings was carefully woven into their stories. They never feel like plot devices put into movies with the sole intention of shocking audiences. Instead, the shocking reactions are simply a result of well-written and well-intentioned red herrings.
What is your favorite red herring in a movie? Tell us in the comments below.