In the movies, amnesia can strike at any time and, apparently, for almost any reason -- usually involving a plot twist! Horror movies have taken that storytelling device and twisted it further, often in strange, bizarre, unsettling ways that catch the unwary viewer by surprise and raise the tension to diabolical levels.
Resident Evil (2002)
Milla Jovovich wakes up, naked and alone, with no memory of who she is or where, exactly, she is, and why she's there. Even as she desperately tries to remember, she is thrust into a life and death battle against an army of zombies, quickly tapping into her skills as a deadly warrior.
Open Grave (2013)
Sharlto Copley wakes up with amnesia, but he's not the only one. Somehow, everyone on Earth seems to be suffering from amnesia, and there are far too many dead bodies lying around for comfort. And why is everybody so angry and trigger-happy?
The Uninvited (2009)
After the death of her mother, young Anna (Emily Browning) spent a year in a mental facility, but she is all better now and is happy to reunite with her dear sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). Yet the homecoming is marred by Anna's partial amnesia and nightmares about horrible events that threaten the sisters. Also: why is their new stepmother (Elizabeth Banks) so mean and creepy?
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
The Nightmare on Elm Street series revolves around the idea that teenagers are susceptible to serial killer Freddy Krueger whenever they fall asleep and their dreams turn into nightmares. The sixth installment of the franchise follows amnesiac John (Shon Greenblatt), who remembers only that he shouldn't fall asleep.
Angel Heart (1987)
In the mid-1950s, private investigator Mickey Rourke is hired by the mysterious Robert De Niro to locate a singer who has been missing for years. Owing to the nature of the plot, it's not fair to spoil things by revealing who, exactly, is suffering from amnesia, but it's a key element of a horrifying tale.
