Sometimes filmmakers have a hard time figuring out how they want to end their movie. Whether it's a creative choice, a producer "doesn't like it," or test audiences felt unfulfilled, there's a ton of reasons why this happens, and it happens all the time. And when it does, we're often left with alternate movie endings that are honestly pretty wild.
So, we decided to ask the BuzzFeed Community what some movies they know of have very different, alternate endings. And here are the most interesting ones:
🚩FAIR WARNING: This post obviously contains major spoilers about the endings of all these movies. So don't say I didn't tell you. 🚩
1. Get Out (2017)
In the original ending, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) escapes from the Armitage family's house and comes to a final confrontation with Rose (Allison Williams). She lies to him again saying, "I still love you," and he almost strangles her, but stops. A police car shows up, and we're all relieved to see it's actually a TSA vehicle with Chris's friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) inside. Chris and Rod leave.
In the alternate ending, it's not Rod who shows up in his TSA vehicle, but the actual police, and they arrest Chris. The movie then ends with Rod visiting Chris in prison.
Director Jordan Peele told Variety, "It was very clear that the ending needed to transform into something that gives us a hero, that gives us an escape, gives us a positive feeling when we leave this movie. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the audience go crazy when Rod shows up."
2. The Descent (2005)
In the original (aka UK) version of the film, after Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) escapes and sees "ghost" Juno (Natalie Mendoza) in her car, she wakes up back in the cave, because it turns out she never actually escaped. Sarah then sees her daughter and a birthday cake. But as the camera pulls out, we realize she's just hallucinating — the light from the cake is actually her torch. We then hear the crawlers coming for her.
In the alternate (aka US) version, the ending is SLIGHTLY less grim and ends before we see Sarah back in the cave. The US version ends after Sarah escapes, drives off in a car, pulls over, and sees "ghost" Juno in a jump scare.
Apparently, Lionsgate (who distributed the film in the US) wanted to "lighten things up a bit" and chop off the ending in the cave.
3. Titanic (1997)
In the original ending, old Rose (Gloria Stuart), aboard the research vessel, goes out at night and pulls out the Heart of the Ocean necklace, which it turns out she's had in her possession the whole time. She tosses it over the edge and it plummets to the ocean floor at the wreck site of the Titanic. Soon after, old Rose dies peacefully in her sleep, remembering her time with Jack.
In the alternate ending, Brock (Bill Paxton) and Rose's granddaughter Lizzy (Suzy Amis Cameron) see old Rose on the railings at the back of the vessel and think she's going to jump. They run down to stop her, but realize she has the Heart of the Ocean. Old Rose explains that she thought about selling it many times over the years, but instead "came all the way here to put it back where it belongs." She lets Brock hold it for a moment before she finally tosses it over. The entire crew laughs about it (minus Lewis, who's actually pretty pissed).
Speaking with Yahoo about this "cheesier" ending, Paxton said, “I would have shot heroin to make the scene work better.” He continued, "Coming back to us [Brock and Lizzy] was a way to wrap it up and kind of tie up the old Rose’s story and all that. But you didn’t really need anything from us. Our job was done by then. So it became very evident in the cutting. If you’re smart and you take the ego and the narcissism out of it, you’ll listen to the film. The film will tell you what it needs and what it does not need."
4. I Am Legend (2007)
In the original ending, Dr. Neville (Will Smith) sacrifices himself with a grenade to save Ethan (Charlie Tahan) and Anna (Alice Braga) from an attack by a large group of vampiric mutants (the Darkseekers). Later, Ethan and Anna arrive at a survivors' camp in Bethel, Vermont, where Anna gives them the cure.
In the alternate ending, when the Darkseekers attack, it turns out the "alpha" Darkseeker is just seeking his mate. Dr. Neville realizes that he, the person using the creatures as "test subjects," is actually the villain. So, he gives the alpha Darkseeker back his mate, and the swarm leaves. The next day, Neville leaves behind his research (and the cure) and heads to Vermont with Ethan and Anna.
In an interview with ScreenRant, director Francis Lawrence said that the ending was changed to the one released in theaters (where Neville dies) "due to intensely negative reactions to the ending where Neville has his villainous realization from test audiences."
5. Pride & Prejudice (2005)
In the original (aka UK) ending, Elizabeth Bennet's (Keira Knightley) father finally consents to Mr. Darcy's (Matthew Macfadyen) marriage proposal and Elizabeth runs out of his office. As she leaves, her father says, "If any young men come for Mary or Kitty, send them in, for I am quite at my leisure."
In the alternate (aka US) ending, the film continues after the scene in the office, and Elizabeth and Darcy sit by a lake at night, have a sweet little conversation, then kiss. He calls her "Mrs. Darcy" repeatedly as he continues to kiss her.
According to the New York Times, Director Joe Wright chose to cut the final kiss scene for the UK release after test audiences in England complained due to the "sexed-up" ending being seen as "blasphemous" to author Jane Austen.
6. The Wailing (2016)
In the original ending, our hero Jung-goo (Kwak Do-won) is mortally wounded by his possessed daughter. The shaman Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min) comes and takes a photo of Jung-goo as he dies. We then see the shaman has a box full of photos of the previous victims and we realize he's been working with the Japanese stranger (Jun Kunimura) this whole time. It turns out the Japanese stranger is actually the demon, not the mysterious woman, Moo-myeong (Chun Woo-hee), who everyone suspected. She was actually trying to help them. As Jung-goo dies, he remembers happier times with his daughter and family.
In the alternate ending, the story continues right after that ending and we see the Japanese man sitting on a bench by the road. He sees a family on the other side and offers the child some candy, but the mom stops the child. Il-gwang picks up the old man in a car and they drive off as Moo-myeong watches.
Speaking to the Playlist about endings, director Na Hong-jin said that he believes there are three different kinds of groups of genre film fans. He explained, "The first group makes random guesses, the second absorbs the plot, and the third just can’t catch up." And with The Wailing he "wanted to satisfy all three kinds of audiences." He continued, "After such process, multiple wrap-ups of the story that can be interpreted in completely variable ways would all be realized in one film. I know that it was a long shot, and it still may turn out to be a failed attempt, but I am happy with the fact that I got to try."
7. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
In the original ending, after Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) say goodbye to the Model 101/The Terminator (Arnold Schwarznegger) by lowering him down into a vat of molten steel, we transition to a car driving down a road at night with Sarah giving a voiceover. It's an ambiguous, but hopeful, ending.
In the alternate ending, we cut to way in the future where it's confirmed that Judgement Day didn't happen and we see Sarah Connor, as an old woman, watching John and her granddaughter play with another voiceover.
Director James Cameron actually wanted the Terminator story to be wrapped up neatly with this future/grandma Sarah Connor scene. But Cameron was convinced by producer Mario Kassar (as well as a test screening) to leave the film open-ended and a little more dark, matching with the tone of the rest of the film.
8. Stigmata (1999)
In the original ending, after Father Andrew Kiernan (Gabriel Byrne) is able to save the possessed-Frankie (Patricia Arquette) from a fiery end, he carries her safely out of the church. They sit on a bench, have a tender moment, then Frankie gets up and a bird lands in her hand. She walks off, presumably "cured" of the stigmata affliction.
But, in an alternate ending, Frankie actually suffers the fifth stigmata, a spear to her side, and dies. In the very final scene, where Father Kiernan discovers the secret scrolls, he also places a picture of Frankie in front of the statue.
Supposedly, this darker ending was the version the director actually preferred. It's probably safe to assume the studio wanted a more "upbeat" end.
9. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
In the original ending, the alien plant Audrey II is defeated. As the music plays, Seymour (Rick Moranis) finds his way out of the rubble, he and Audrey I (Ellen Greene) embrace, then they're time-cut transported to suburbia as a newly wed couple.
In the alternate ending, Audrey II actually EATS Seymour, and then there's a whole musical montage with people buying little baby Audrey IIs, those babies growing up and killing their owners, fighting with the army, destroying New York City, and finally ending up on top of the Statue of Liberty.
Apparently, this alternate ending where the plants takeover the world was actually director Frank Oz's preferred choice. But, test audiences hated it, and thus the "happier" ending was what was ultimately released.
10. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
In the original ending, Evan (Ashton Kutcher) successfully travels back in time to change the past so his friends Lenny (Elden Henson), Kayleigh (Amy Smart), and her brother Tommy (William Lee Scott) are not subjected to a horrible and traumatic childhood. Years later, Evan passes Kayleigh on the street in New York City (they're now strangers because the past has been changed), they exchange looks, but carry on their ways.
In the alternate ending, Evan is admitted to a psychiatric hospital and travels back in time and kills himself inside his mother's womb by choking himself with his umbilical cord in order to stop his "generational curse." We then see a montage of a "new" timeline where Kayleigh and Tommy grow up with their mom, Lenny has a happy childhood, and Kayleigh gets married.
In an interview with FilmSpeak, director Eric Bress said that this grim alternate ending is actually the one he originally preferred. However, looking back at the movie now, he says he actually prefers the happier ending. He explained, "The older I get, the more I'm like, dude life is tough enough. If you're going to have someone suffer in a movie for two whole hours, miserably, I don't mind if you give me a happy ending. And, in fact, if I were to redo the ending of that today, it would've ended with the happy, sappy, ending."
11. And, finally, Clue (1985)
So if you've seen Clue on TV or DVD (which is the way most of us have, TBH), then you're probably familiar with the fact that this movie famously has THREE different endings. What you might not know is that, originally, when the film was released in theaters back in 1985, each theater actually received only ONE of these three endings. This was all part of a marketing ploy that, unfortunately, totally backfired.
Here are all the alternate endings:
Ending A: It's revealed Yvette killed the cook and Mr. Boddy under orders from Miss Scarlett. Then it's revealed Miss Scarlett herself killed Yvette, the motorist, the cop, and the singing telegram. Her motivation? Her business: secrets and blackmail.
Ending B: It's revealed Mrs. Peacock killed Yvette, the cop, the singing telegram, the cook (who used to work for her), and Mr. Boddy. Her motivation? To conceal the fact that she'd taken bribes from a foreign power.
Ending C: It's revealed that Professor Plum killed Mr. Boddy, Mrs. Peacock killed the cook, Colonel Mustard killed the motorist, Mrs. White killed Yvette, Miss Scarlett killed the cop, and Wadsworth killed the singing telegram (and also reveals he's the real Mr. Boddy) — they all have different motivations. Mr. Green kills Wadsworth/the real Mr. Boddy as he tries to escape and Green reveals he's actually an undercover FBI agent.
