10 Movie Endings Way Darker Than You Realise

2. Kong's Corpse Becomes An Attraction - King Kong

King Kong
Universal

No matter which version of King Kong you watch, they typically end with the death of Kong at the hands of the military.

And while the story seemingly ends there, Joe Devito's sequel novel Kong: King of Skull Island - released shortly before Peter Jackson's 2005 remake - reveals a bleak post-script to Kong's demise.

The novel's most disturbing revelation? After Kong was shot by the military and fell to his death, his gigantic corpse was collected and became an exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, with patrons paying top dollar to view his skeleton.

There's a tragic irony to this outcome for Kong, that even in death the world wasn't done with him - his remains were commodified long after he was gone.

While there's an undeniable public interest in Kong, that his physical body was posthumously appropriated and exploited without his consent might be the saddest outcome of all - albeit perfectly on-brand for humanity's general treatment of the creature.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.