We’ve all been there. Just as a greathorrorexperience is about to conclude, a glitch in the script provides an ending we just don’t click with. For some, these endings are reason enough to pan the entire film and cause hatred for the author’s decision. Revisiting it at a later time is completely out of the picture, because the conclusion will always linger as the only reason whythat horror film was a bad film.
Yes, it’s an obnoxious attitude, to say the least. We tend to completely forget that it’s the work of a screenwriter who knows the story better than anyone and a director who has the capacity to design and lead the experience to your best liking. It’s something we should have respect for, regardless of whether the story ends the way we want it to. However, some of those directors like to tweak things around a bit and play with the idea of possibilities.
Alternate endings exist for one reason or another. And in horror films, they tend to be pretty popular. Sometimes it refers to a director’s ability to experiment and consider trial and error. Others address their vision in a director’s cut. And in some rare cases, the different endings are actually part of the experience and the marketing ploys the audience is subjected to.
In any case, the following is a list ofhorror movies whose endings may be goodenough, but their directors shot a different and alternate ending nonetheless. Some of these you probably know about, but others come as complete surprises. To actually watch them, some of you will have to dig around the dusty bins of physical media or obscure internet sites. Here are 20 horror movies with more than one ending.
The following list contains major spoilers.
20Final Destination (2000)
Final Destination
InFinal Destination, death finds a way, unlike in the film with the dinosaurs, where life does. Alex Browning has a horrible premonition prior to a flight takeoff that will take him and his classmates to Paris. He freaks out and demands to be taken off the plane before it departs, and some classmates and a teacher get off. Minutes later, the plane blows up midair, confirming Alex was right. But death will follow up on the survivors that were supposed to die in the accident, and they each start getting killed by random events that seem part of a huge and perpetual Rube Goldberg machine.
The Happy Ending No One Asked for
In the film’s original ending, Carter, Clear, and Alex survive, and they decide to celebrate by going to Paris. After some discussion about death skipping some of them,Carter is killed in a fantastic movie shotwhere a gigantic neon sign swings and massacres him, leaving Clear and Alex alive.
On the DVD edition of the film, we were able to get a glimpse of the alternate ending. In this version, Alex dies when he tries to save Clear from the high-tension wires he also grabs in the theatrical cut. Clear has a baby and names him Alex, and Carter is shown as her companion, given they were the only survivors. A sequel after that ending wouldn’t have made much sense considering Clear shows up again inFinal Destination 2.you’re able to rentFinal Destinationon Prime Video.
19The Butterfly Effect (2004)
The Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effecttells the story of Evan Treborn, a young man suffering from terrible blackouts and memory-loss flashes. Evan also discovers something great about himself. During the episodes, he can inhabit his own mind during flashbacks to when he was a child and a teenager. He uses this to influence his present and that of his friends by changing some events from his very traumatic childhood. The problem is that things don’t turn out exactly the way he wanted them to.
A Great Twist in the Form of an Alternate Ending
In the theatrical cut of thisawesome multiverse movie, Evan does everything to save Kayleigh from staying with him, as he believes he’s the source of all her problems. He goes back in time and simply rejects her, and she actually ends up living somewhere else. This also improves everyone else’s lives, a fact that’s proven when Evan comes back to the present and realizes everything’s OK now. He gets rid of all the memories that could bring him back to his childhood. When he finds Kayleigh again in the street, they don’t share a connection anymore.
Such a cookie-cutter ending for such a cool and tragic film. Luckily, the director’s cut features a different ending, in which Evan is institutionalized and suffering from brain damage. He attempts to make it all better again by watching a home video that shows his mother about to give birth to him in the past. Somehow, Evan goes back to the womb and, as a fetus, uses the umbilical cord to strangle himself and prevent his birth and the consequences of his abilities. Kayleigh is shown to be a happy woman in the present. Now,that’san ending.You can streamThe Butterfly Effecton Cinemax.
18The Gift (2015)
Joel Edgerton’sThe Gifttells the story of Simon and Robyn, a couple moving from Chicago to Los Angeles after going through the tragedy of losing their child. Simon (Jason Bateman ina great dramatic role) has an encounter with Gordo, a friend from his childhood, who takes up on an invitation that wasn’t exactly intentional. Gordo starts showing up unannounced and leaving presents for them on their doorstep. After Simon makes a stand and straight-up rejects Gordo’s intention of keeping the friendship flame alive, Gordo reveals his true intention and the reasons behind it.
The Confirmation that Makes it Safe
The third act ofThe Giftshows Robyn about to give birth. But Simon’s shenanigans at work caused his termination. Robyn gives birth to a baby boy, and she tells Simon she wants to separate. When she’s still in the hospital, Simon finds a gift box at their home that contains footage that suggests Gordo drugged Robyn and sexually assaulted her while wearing a monkey mask. Simon runs to the hospital and sees Gordo leaving the premises after telling Robyn it was Simon who hit him. He can’t bring himself to tell Robyn that perhaps Gordo is the baby’s father because he has lied in the past. As their world crumbles down, Gordo wins.
The alternate ending, shot for obvious reasons to make everything safer for the audience, downright shows Gordo recording Robyn but being considerate enough to stop using the camera and observing her. He doesn’t assault her unconscious body and leaves her like that. This downplays the ambiguity of the original ending, making Gordo’s revenge plan a little less hurtful.You can streamThe Gifton Freevee.
17Joy Ride (2001)
John Dahl’s near-perfect thriller,Joy Ride, from a script by J.J. Abrams and Clay Tarver, is an outstanding and exciting movie that tells the story of two siblings who mess with the wrong guy. While on a road trip, Lewis and Fuller buy a CB radio, play a prank on a truck driver called Rusty Nail, and make an appointment for him to meet a “girl” in a motel. The brothers are staying next to the room where Rusty Nail is supposed to arrive. When he does, and all he meets is an angry old man, he wreaks havoc and leaves him barely alive. This will be the beginning of the brothers' quest to survive a very angry driver.
They Were Never Going to be Better
The whole film depends on Dahl’s direction and decision to never show Rusty Nail’s face. We’re only greeted by his voice (that of an uncredited Ted Levine). So the theatrical cut ends the film with Lewis, Fuller, and a girl companion called Venna fighting against Rusty Nail, who never reveals his face or the reasons why he’s such a monster. Not even when the man is shown to have survived a horrible crash and the lead characters are shown to hear his voice on the ambulance radio, are we able to solve the riddle.
The very underrated thrillerJoy Ridedidn’t have one, but five alternate endings. In the longest one, which runs for almost 30 minutes, Rusty Nail dies by suicide, and police find he’s a serial killer. In the others, he’s shown to die or get arrested, and in all the alternate endings, we are able to see his face. None of them are as effective as the original ending.You can rentJoy Rideon Prime Video.
Related:20 Horror Films That Bent the Rules and Became Iconic Because of It
16The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist
The most important horror film of all time,The Exorcist, tells the story of Regan MacNeil and her ordeal when her curiosity is shown to have horrible consequences. Regan begins showing strange behavior after playing with a Ouija board, and doctors can’t solve the enigma of her illness. Eventually, they suggest Chris, her mother, call an exorcist and attempt a more religion-oriented cure. Father Karras steps up, confirms the Devil himself is inside Regan, and calls the specialist by the name of Father Merrin. Together, they will face the most horrendous entity ever known to exist.
Trying to Make it All Better
Inthe original ending, The Exorcist ends when Regan survives the exorcism, and both priests perish in the process. Father Dyer, an advisor and friend to Karras, meets Chris and Regan as they’re about to leave. When Regan sees that Father Dyer is a priest, she holds him and kisses him on the cheek. Chris gives Dyer the medallion that was ripped off Karras' neck by the possessed Regan, and they leave right before Dyer goes back to see the stairs where Karras fell to his death.
In the “version you’ve never seen” released in 2000, the ending is unnecessarily extended. Dyer refuses to accept the medallion and gives it back to Chris, who kindly accepts it and welcomes religion into her life. Right then, detective Kinderman, who had been unable to solve the mysterious deaths revolving around the MacNeils, shows up and begins talking with Dyer as they admit their love of films. Yes, it’s more optimistic, but does it actually work?You can streamThe Exorciston Max.
15Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Escape Room: Tournament of Championsis the direct sequel to Adam Robitel’s first movie in the franchise. In the film, Taylor Russell and Logan Miller reprise their roles as Zoey and Ben, as they are unknowingly put in another game with a large group of survivors who have also survived previous iterations of the escape rooms. It’s a solid sequel that capitalizes on the best aspects of the first film. But did you know there were basically two versions of the same film?
A Whole Different Movie
The official version of the ending depends on which one you actually saw back then. The alternate version is a complete re-cut of the original story, which heavily affects the ending. In the original cut, Zoey and Ben regroup with Amanda (Deborah Ann Wolf’s character from the first movie), who was believed to be dead, but she wasn’t. She was forced by the Minos Corporation to build escape rooms because they held their daughter hostage. Together, they escape, and Zoey and Ben are set up as players for a third game in a sequelthat, strangely, hasn’t arrived.
The extended cut ends up being a whole other film. Amanda’s character never shows up again, and instead we are treated to a subplot involving Henry, the designer of the rooms, and Claire, his daughter, who has been locked up inside a room for all her life. Zoey ends up helping her, and it’s revealed right after that she was the one who designed the rooms, and she has subjected her father to a game in which, of course, he has to escape from a trap. This incongruency between both versions is perhaps the reason why the third film will never be produced.You can rentEscape Room: Tournament of Championson Prime Video.
14The Ruins (2008)
Based on Scott B. Smith’s novel of the same name,The Ruinstells the tragic story of two couples on vacation in Mexico who decide to join another tourist on an expedition into the jungle. In the middle of it, they find a Mayan temple, which is an attraction that locals are not very fond of. When they go up, they notice they have become a sacrifice for a deity that lives above ground and uses the vegetation to feed itself. Youwon’t want to go campingafter this one.
It Wouldn’t Have Changed a Thing
The film’s ending shows Jeff and Amy as the only survivors of the deathly joyride. Jeff uses Stacy’s blood to confuse the locals into believing Amy is dead, and it works. Sadly, the Mayans kill him. Only Amy is able to escape by getting in a Jeep and riding off into the sunset.
The alternate ending, which is part of the film’s unrated cut, shows Amy with creepy crawlies below her skin as she rides in the Jeep, suggesting that she’s infected with the creatures. This ending is then extended with a deleted scene that confirms Amy’s body has been buried in a nice cemetery. A caretaker interacts with Amy’s grave as there’s something below ground imitating his whistling (resembling what the plans did in the film by imitating a phone sound), and he tries to take one of the red flowers that’s growing around the grave. Yeah, that wouldn’t have changed anything.you may rentThe Ruinson Apple TV.
13Fatal Attraction (1987)
Fatal Attraction
Adrian Lyne’s psychological horror thriller,Fatal Attraction, is the story of Dan Gallagher as he descends into a plot of absolute mayhem when he misbehaves. Dan meets Alex, and they have an affair. While he sees it as a one-night stand because he’s married and has a daughter, Alex doesn’t agree with that. She gets obsessed and starts to stalk him and his family, until Dan is forced to take a stand. Or, as the theatrical cut indicates, his wife Beth.
One That’s Actually Better
The very underratedFatal Attractionends when Alex goes too far, and she attacks Beth before taking a bath. When she explains the reasons for her obsession, Dan jumps in and seemingly drowns her in the bathtub. But Alex proves the killer isn’t dead the first time it appears to be and jumps back into the scene. Fortunately, Beth has decided enough is enough and shoots her in the chest, killing her and making the film have a happy ending.
But this isn’t the original ending of the film. It was actually what was shot after the test screenings didn’t do great. However, when the film was released in Japan, it kept the original ending that shows Alex killing herself with Dan’s knife and framing him for murder. Luckily, Alex left a tape where she admits to the suicide, and Beth takes it to the police, who eventually release Dan. Also, a happy ending, but a very disturbing one nonetheless.You can streamFatal Attractionon Paramount+.
12Paranormal Activity (2007)
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity, thefound footage indie mammoththat took audiences by surprise in 2007, tells the story of Katie and Micah, a couple who start experiencing paranormal phenomena in their new home. Katie makes the link between the poltergeist and being spooked since she was a child, so Micah decides to capture the ghost on camera. When he sets up cameras around the house, he records the evidence of a very violent entity that won’t stop until it achieves its goal.
A Clever Change, Franchise-Wise
In the film’s third act, Katie is shown to have marks on her body, suggesting the ghost is out to get her. But as per the recordings, she’s shown to have strange behavior as well, and she’s not stopping. She stands beside the bed and stares at Micah for hours. Eventually, she goes downstairs and screams for Micah’s help, who wakes up and runs down the stairs. All we hear are sounds and Micah’s screams, but then Micah’s body is thrown at the camera, which falls, and then it shows Katie smiling, snarling, and jumping at the camera. She’s now possessed, and it lays the groundwork for the sequel.
In the film’s original ending, which was cut out after test screenings, Katie kills Micah offscreen and then sits in the bedroom while covered in blood. A friend arrives at the house and calls the police, who eventually arrive and find Katie holding the bloody knife. She begins pleading for answers, while the cops tell her to drop the knife. A door slams shut, and the police shoot her in confusion. The other ending, which was shot as an alternate ending, shows Micah slashing her own throat on camera. Both endings would have proven inconsistent with the follow-up and further transformation into a franchise.You can streamParanormal Activityon Max.
11Army of Darkness (1992)
Army of Darkness
Sam Raimi’sArmy of Darknessisthe best of theEvil Deadsequels, and we’ll die on that hill. In the film, Ash Williams is accidentally taken to the Middle Ages, proving he’s the most unlucky dude in the horror universe. But he’ll manage. Ash is turned into a hero of some sort as he uses his shotgun and chainsaw to battle Lord Arthur and his army of deadites, while trying to get his hands back on the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, the book that’ll allow him to return to the present.
Cool Experiments Are Always Appreciated
The film ends as Ash restores peace in the kingdom and manages to come back to the present with a potion from the Wise Man and by reciting something from the book. He’s shown as a hero who tells his story to a co-worker at a department store when suddenly a deadite shows up. But Ash always carries his rifle with him and once again saves the world.
Once again, the original ending was cut out of the theatrical cut. The original conclusion showed Ash making a huge mistake. He miscounts the potion drops he has to take to come back to the present and simply falls asleep. He wakes up in a wasteland where humans have become extinct and screams in agony.you’re able to rentArmy of Darknesson Apple TV.
