1. Alien
Ridley Scott's masterpiece amongst masterpieces, a haunted house horror set in deepest space with one of the nastiest, scariest protagonists in cinema. The Alien franchise saw a birth of the horror/sci-fi fusion which didn't always satisfy, but it's high points remain amongst the highest in cinema. Sci-fi was also given a new kind of hero, with Sigourney Weaver's Lt.Ellen Ripley being a strong female character which was all too rare in the late 1970's.
How Did The Original Script Differ?The climax of the film was markedly different to the one we all know and love. Ripley has seemingly escaped the xenomorph in the escape pod, only to be ambushed. A distress call is sent back to Earth, only for a pull-away to reveal that she has perished at the hands of her nemesis, who is using her severed head to 'speak' to control.
Did The Change Improve The Film?Probably more significantly than any other film on this list, yes. Not only would the audience have been robbed of closure after the claustrophobic tension of what has went before but-and apparently the key reason that the climax was changed- the premise of a ventriloquist xenomorph would have both looked and felt utterly ridiculous. The tone of the film would have been irrevocably damaged, one of the great female characters in cinema would have been lost to a cheap, needless 'shocker' ending and we would never have had one of the strongest sequels of all time-James Cameron's deranged, brutal Aliens.
Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.