10 Horror Movies That Originally Had A Much Darker Ending

The original Dawn of the Dead is (rightly) seen as one of the greatest horror movies of all time, but it's interesting to think how it would be perceived today if the film had kept its horrifically dark original ending.

The Dawn of the Dead that horror fans have come to know and love over the past 45 years sees surviving protagonists Peter and Fran make their escape on a helicopter, but in the movie's original ending the chopper served a far darker purpose. As reported by Screen Rant, in Romero's original script Peter simply gives up and blows his brains out. This leads to Fran becoming overwhelmed with despair, and ending her own life by inserting her head between the spinning helicopter blades - just as she was on the cusp of freedom.

These needless deaths would have led to a far darker movie, and arguably a worse one. Peter and Fran's escape from the mall is one of the most triumphant moments in horror movie history, and without it, Dawn of the Dead would be just another bleak, post-apocalyptic zombie movie.