Cliffhanger | Creative Writing, Definition & Examples
A cliffhanger is a literary device that ends a chapter, scene, or other story at a moment of suspense. The goal is to leave the audience uncertain about what will happen next. Writers use cliffhangers to create tension and maintain the reader’s interest.
Cliffhangers often involve a character in danger or an unexpected revelation. For example, a chapter might end just as a character opens a mysterious letter, showing only the first few words before the scene ends.
Cliffhangers most commonly appear at the end of a chapter to keep readers turning pages or at the end of a TV show to build anticipation for the next episode.
Key takeaways
- A cliffhanger is a literary device that leaves a story, scene, or chapter unresolved to create suspense and keep audiences engaged.
- Writers use different types of cliffhangers, including danger, revelation, decision, and mystery cliffhangers, to build tension and spark curiosity.
- Effective cliffhangers raise important questions, introduce high stakes, or reveal unexpected information that encourages readers or viewers to find out what happens next.
- Cliffhangers appear across novels, films, and TV shows, often at chapter endings or season finales to build anticipation.
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What is a cliffhanger?
A cliffhanger is a narrative technique that leaves an important question, conflict, or event unresolved at the end of a story or scene. It creates suspense by withholding information or delaying the outcome of a situation.
The term evokes the image of a character literally hanging from the edge of a cliff, uncertain whether they will survive. Thomas Hardy’s 1873 novel A Pair of Blue Eyes features one of the first well-known examples. In this story, the character Henry Knight is left clinging to a cliff, leading readers to wait to discover whether he survives.
Although cliffhangers have been used in storytelling for centuries, the technique is no longer limited to physical danger. It can center on almost any unresolved emotional or physical conflict.
For example, a thriller novel might end a chapter with the protagonist discovering that someone has entered their apartment. The reader knows something is wrong but must continue reading to discover who is inside and what happens next.
- Unresolved tension: The story cuts off right before a big revelation.
- High stakes: Characters face immediate physical danger or emotional distress.
- Engagement: It evokes curiosity and the psychological desire for closure in the reader or viewer.
Types of cliffhangers
Cliffhangers can take several forms, depending on the type of suspense a writer wants to create.
Some of the terms defined below have been used in literary studies, while others have emerged more recently in writing communities and online spaces. Not all of these terms are formal or universally recognized literary classifications.
Danger cliffhangers
Danger cliffhangers leave a character in a threatening or potentially life-threatening situation without revealing the outcome. The audience knows the character is in danger, but the story ends before they discover whether the character survives or suffers the consequences. This type of cliffhanger is common in adventure stories, thrillers, and action movies.
- A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: Henry Knight finds himself clinging to a cliff, leaving readers uncertain about his fate.
- The Italian Job: The film ends with a bus full of gold thieves hanging over the edge of a mountain.
- Avengers: Infinity War: Thanos wipes out half of all life with a snap of his fingers, leaving audiences uncertain about the fate of the vanished heroes.
Revelation cliffhangers
Revelation cliffhangers end with a surprising discovery or piece of information that changes the audience’s understanding of the story. The revelation may expose a character’s true identity, reveal a hidden relationship, or introduce a new problem. By presenting this information just before the story ends, writers encourage the audience to anticipate what will happen next.
- The Empire Strikes Back: Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke Skywalker’s father, fundamentally changing Luke’s understanding of his enemy and their relationship.
- The Good Place (Season 1): At the end of the season, Eleanor realizes that she and her friends have actually been in the Bad Place all along.
- Lost (Season 3): The season finale reveals that some scenes previously presented as flashbacks actually take place in the future.
Decision cliffhangers
Decision cliffhangers leave a character facing a difficult or consequential choice without revealing what they decide. The tension comes from the possible outcomes and the consequences each option could have for the character or plot. This type of cliffhanger can be particularly effective when the choice involves competing loyalties, moral dilemmas, or personal sacrifices.
- The Lady, or the Tiger? by Frank R. Stockton: The story ends after a princess signals which of two doors her lover should open. One door hides a woman he would have to marry and the other hides a tiger that would kill him.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Near the end of the novel, Katniss and Peeta face the possibility that only one of them can survive the Games.
- Friends (Season 3): The season finale ends with Ross having to choose between spending the night with his current girlfriend, Bonnie, or his ex-girlfriend, Rachel.
Mystery cliffhangers
Mystery cliffhangers leave an important question unanswered. Rather than focusing on immediate physical danger, they encourage the audience to look for clues and speculate about what might have happened. Writers often use them in detective stories, psychological thrillers, and television dramas.
- Dallas: The season finale ends with J. R. Ewing being shot by an unknown character. Viewers are left wondering who shot him until the mystery is resolved much later.
- The Walking Dead (Season 6): The finale ends after the villain attacks one of the main characters, but the audience doesn’t see who the victim is.
- Sherlock (Season 2): In the episode “The Reichenbach Fall,” Sherlock appears to die after falling from a rooftop.
Frequently asked questions about cliffhangers
- What are examples of cliffhangers?
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Cliffhangers come in different types, including danger, revelation, decision, and mystery. They engage the reader so they continue reading the book, or the viewer so they tune in for next week’s episode.
Some examples of cliffhangers are:
- A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: the character Henry Knight literally hangs from a cliff.
- The Good Place (Season 1): In the season finale, the protagonist Eleanor realizes she has been in the Bad Place.
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Katniss and Peeta realize that only one of them can potentially survive the Games.
- Sherlock (Season 2): “The Reichenbach Fall” episode ends with Sherlock’s friends believing he is dead after he falls from a rooftop.
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- Is “Cliffhanger” a movie?
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Yes, Cliffhanger is the title of a 1993 action thriller starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by Renny Harlin. The film follows Gabe Walker, a mountain rescue expert who becomes entangled in a dangerous mission involving a group of criminals in the Rocky Mountains. Its action scenes and life-threatening situations reflect the literal meaning of the term cliffhanger.
In creative writing, a cliffhanger usually refers to a literary device rather than a specific movie. It describes an ending that leaves a major event unresolved, creating suspense and encouraging the audience to continue watching or reading.
Ask Quillbot’s AI Chat to “generate a list of 10 movie recommendations with cliffhangers.”
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