20 Things You Didn't Know About The Terminator

17. The Original Screenplay Was Much Darker

Terminator Arnie
20th Century Fox

Cameron’s original treatment for The Terminator was far darker than what we eventually got. This is quite the feat as the film we have now is filled with dark moments. From the Terminator gunning down innocent people to find Sarah to the nihilistic and hopeless future shown to us in Kyle’s nightmares. The Terminator is the darkest of the series.

In Cameron’s original treatment, however, the early plot point of the Terminator going through various Sarah Connors to find Hamilton’s character was initially far more brutal.

In the original screenplay, Connor had a leg injury, meaning she had surgical pins in one of her legs. To find the right Sarah Connor, the Terminator would cut each of their legs open to identify the pins.

These gruesome moments were cut from the film, but we don’t know why. Either Cameron or the studio saw them as too violent, or the effects were too difficult to pull off.

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