Cliffhanger
- This article is about cliffhangers. For the movie, see Cliffhanger (movie).
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in which a movie or novel contains an abupt ending. Although a cliffhanger can be enjoyable as a page turner at the end of a chapter in a novel, a cliffhanger at the final end of a work can be frustrating. Cliffhangers can build anticipation for (and profits of) sequels. However, if no sequel follows, effective suspension of disbelief can leave the audience or readership wondering what happened in the work's fictional realm.
Cliffhangers were especially popular in 1930s serials when movie theaters filled the cultural niche now primarily occupied by television.
See also: Zeigarnik effect.
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