The Ending You Know: The Shining; what a film and what an ending. After Kubrick has built up the creepy nature of the Overlook Hotel to unsettling levels, he unleashes a deranged Jack Torrance on his family. Wendy and her son, Danny, eventually escape, leaving Jack to freeze to death in the maze. But things aren't as cut and dry as you think; a final shot reveals a photo of the July 4th Ball from 1921 with Jack proudly standing at the front of the guests. The Ending We Almost Got: A week into its initial release, cinemas were forced to cut the final two minutes from their prints of The Shining and return it to Warner Bros. These minutes showed the aftermath of the events at the Overlook, with Wendy and Danny safe in hospital. Mr. Ullman, the manager of the hotel, pays a visit, revealing Jack's body wasn't found and giving Danny a tennis ball just like the one that first lured him into Room 237. Why It Would Ruin The Film: Kubrick was clearly so convinced it would ruin the movie he had it cut after its premiere, which should tell you all you need. Aside from pulling us away from the Overlook at the last minute, it makes the secrets of the hotel a lot less effective, both decreasing and convoluting the mystery. The ambiguity of The Shining has helped boost its reputation as one of the greatest horror films ever made and to have the greater workings of the hotel heavily implied in an almost twist fashion would have severely hampered its legacy. Would you have liked to have seen any of these alternate endings in the finished film? Which other alternate endings would have ruined their movies? Let us know in the comments below.
