History Main / TrippyFinaleSyndrome

* The final stages of ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' are some sort of unexplained crystal holographic disco thing.

* The series finale to ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' is a serious MindScrew, even to those who've been paying attention to the series-wide StoryArc.

* ''Film/TheTreeOfLife''

[[caption-width-right:350:"My God, it's full of stars!"]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In the climactic number of ''Theatre/JesusChristSuperstar'', "Superstar," Jesus descends into Hell and is reunited with Judas, who sings at him in an explicitly modern voice; although the depiction of ancient Judea is generally AnachronismStew, the departure of even the veneer of that time and place tends to be taken as license to go all-out.

* The Eclipse in the 90s anime of {{Manga/Berserk}}. Up until that point, the series was mostly grounded in reality with a few fantastical elements subtly implied. And then the last three episodes take place in a frightening hellscape in which most of the main cast is suddenly and brutally killed off. Of course, this is the point where the manga takes off from, so this only applies to the anime.

* The Eclipse in the 90s anime of {{Berserk}}. Up until that point, the series was mostly grounded in reality with a few fantastical elements subtly implied. And then the last three episodes take place in a frightening hellscape in which most of the main cast is suddenly and brutally killed off. Of course, this is the point where the manga takes off from, so this only applies to the anime.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyII'' involves traveling to the capital of Hell. Though it makes sense, as the final boss has [[ThanatosGambit used his own demise as a stepping stone toward dethroning and replacing the Devil as King of Hell]].

%% * "Forever ''Series/{{Charmed}}''".

* The Final Fantasy series suffers from this, in general.

** TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' is a collective mishmash of ancestral memories, taking the party to locations from the entire world's history and ending with the origin of the universe. And for some reason, after you win, there's a play.
*** BookEnds. The game starts with a play.

* "Fall Out" in ''Series/ThePrisoner1967'', which was ''massively'' controversial. [[TrollingCreator The creator has gone on record stating that he did this specifically to piss people off.]] ExpandedUniverse states that, yes, it ''was'' an LSD trip.

* The Eclipse in the 90's anime of {{Berserk}}. Up until that point, the series was mostly grounded in reality with a few fantastical elements subtly implied. And then the last three episodes take place in a frightening hellscape in which most of the main cast is suddenly and brutally killed off. Of course, this is the point where the manga takes off from, so this only applies to the anime.

* "Fall Out" in ''Series/ThePrisoner'', which was ''massively'' controversial. [[TrollingCreator The creator has gone on record stating that he did this specifically to piss people off.]] ExpandedUniverse states that, yes, it ''was'' an LSD trip.
* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' was infamous for its DistantFinale that attracted as much anger as ''Series/ThePrisoner''.

* [[BusbyBerkeleyNumber Busby Berkeley's]] movie musical numbers often border on the surreal, but the finale of ''The Gang's All Here'', "The Polka Dot Polka," is easily as bizarre as the ending of ''2001: A Space Odyssey''. Its kaleidoscopic patterns will make your eyes bleed in Technicolor.

* ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. Most of the movie makes sense enough, but good luck deciphering the ending on the first viewing once the plot jumps its ball hitch and takes off without you.

* In ''Film/{{Brazil}}'', the climax of the film is a sort of fever dream. It's ultimately revealed that [[spoiler: the hero has actually gone insane under torture and is hallucinating it all.]]

* In ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', Sarah's final showdown with the Goblin King Jareth takes place in a room that looks like it came out of a painting by Creator/MCEscher. Toby is there, too, crawling around happily. As for the RaceAgainstTheClock, the hands on the clock are now spinning wildly out of control... then again, the whole movie was rather strange.

* In ''Literature/{{Perfume}}'', Grenouille finally uses his perfect perfume [[spoiler:at his execution. Overcome by the beauty of his fragrence, the crowd universally proclaims him innocent and then falls into a massive orgy. Unsatisfied with the perfume's hollow effects, Grenouille kills himself by dumping the remainder of the perfume over his head, causing a nearby crowd to devour him out of overwhelming love. Unlike most examples this one is only trippy because of the perfume's power over the mind.]]

* "Fall Out" in ''Series/ThePrisoner'', which was ''massively'' controversial. [[TrollingCreator The creator has gone on recording stating that he did this specifically to piss people off.]] ExpandedUniverse states that, yes, it ''was'' an LSD trip.

* ''Series/LegendOfTheSeeker'', the television adaptation of ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'', pulled a time travel stunt in the first season finally, then had a rather anticlimactic... grappling sequence for the previously DismantledMacGuffin between Richard and Darken Rahl.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'', somewhat inverts this: it ends in a mysterious imaginary realm whose events are far more prosaic than the supernatural ones on the Island. Yet it contains a few mindscrews of its own with its inconsistent timeline and trippy memory flashes.

** And then Link goes to fight the boss in a room painted like an acid trip... [[spoiler: and in its second stage, Majora's Mask ''runs around very fast making clucking noises''.]]

* The finales of ''VideoGame/{{Hellsinker}}'' are noticable for being incredibly surreal and wierd even by the game's standards.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfDragoon'' has The Moon That Never Sets.

* ''{{Film/AntMan}}'' takes us on a trip through the Quantum realm. "...a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity."

* ''{{Film/Ant-Man}}'' takes us on a trip through the Quantum realm. "...a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity."

* The King's Cross sequence in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. Also, earlier in the series, we have the Battle of the Department of Mysteries at the end of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix.''

* In ''Literature/{{Perfume}}'', Grenouille finally uses his perfect perfume [[spoiler:at his execution. Overcome by the beauty of his fragrence, the crowd universally proclaims him innocent and then falls into a massive orgy. Unsatisfied with the perfume's hollow effects, Grenouille kills himself by dumping the remainder of the perfume over his head, causing a nearby crowd to devour him out of overwhelming love.]]

In long works involving some form of magic, many creators seem to decide that the universe they've so far established is much too prosaic for the [[GrandFinale big finish]] their project surely deserves, and as a result, send their heroes into some uncharted realm resembling a whacked-out dream sequence.

** And in Planescape, well... you skip around a bit, and end up in [[spoiler:the negative energy planes. Evil Tower of Shadows.]]

* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' pulls out all the special-effects stops and headache-inducing magical locations for its {{Final Battle}}s, despite the battle fields (in the first two seasons, at least) normally being pretty low-key.

* In ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'' [[spoiler: The Son]] dies in such a fashion; After a drug-fueled rampage, [[spoiler: he enters a set of gates and walks into a rainbow of colors and brings forth the end of the game. ]] [[RealityEnsues In reality, [[spoiler: he walked off a building]]. ]]

** Although ArthurCClarke's companion [[AllThereInTheManual novel]] offers ''an'' [[MindScrewdriver explanation]], if you really must have one.

* "Forever ''Series/{{Charmed}}''".

* Pretty much every single ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' hack ever to some degree. Examples include VIP 2-5 (which have a ridiculously psychodelic looking rainbow coloured final level filled with random gimmicks), BrutalMario (second part of Bowser's Castle especially), VideoGame/AnSMWCProduction's void level, ASMT's void level and probably a whole lot of others.