Does knowing the ending actually ruin a movie or make it better?

I just watched an old thriller with a buddy who'd seen it before and he kept saying stuff like 'watch her hands' and I felt like it made every scene click, but my other friend swears spoilers ruin the whole ride for him. Are we all just lying to ourselves about what we actually want, or is there a real split in how people's brains handle suspense? Who's side are you on and have you ever tested it for real?

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betty_park621mo ago

Disagree with your friend big time on this one. Knowing the twist can make a rewatch way better because you catch all the little clues you missed, like in The Sixth Sense when you notice Bruce Willis never talks to anyone but the kid. But that is different from someone just blurting out the ending before you have seen it once, which does kind of kill the first watch. Maybe the split is not about brains handling tension but about first time vs second time. Spoiling a movie you have never seen takes something away, but knowing a movie you already saw just adds a new layer. So idk, maybe both your friends are right for different reasons.

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