8 Abandoned Plot Twists That Almost Ruined Famous Movies

Implemented with skill and intelligence, a good plot twist can add something special to a motion picture - a sense of complex design that encourages multiple viewings. As far as the movies are concerned, a good plot twist gets people talking; they fill you with a dual sense of shock and awe. And some of the greatest movies of all-time have made use of the plot twist in order to cement themselves as sure-fire classics, of course: Citizen Kane, Psycho, Fight Club... But those are the good plot twists, and for every good one that makes its way into a movie, three really bad ones wind up in other, ultimately more questionable films. Because the device can be easily exploited; a twist thrown in carelessly when the filmmakers are out of ideas in the hope that it'll make a somewhat mediocre film more interesting. When it comes to employing a twist, you have to be really careful. And some very famous movies narrowly avoided featuring some truly insane plot twists that almost certainly would have ruined them had they been included. It's not at all surprising that they were axed...

8. Rita Awakens To Find She's Trapped In Her Own Groundhog Day - Groundhog Day

The plot of Groundhog Day concerns a weatherman named Phil Connors (Bill Murray) who arrives in the town of Punxsutawney to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. There, he's teamed with the lovely Rita Hanson (Andie MacDowell), but he's only interested in getting the job done and going home. After a blizzard traps him in town, he wakes up to find he's reliving Groundhog Day all over again! What a bummer! Cue a hilarious comedy as Phil is forced to live the hell of Groundhog Day over and over and... well, you get the idea. The film ends ends happily with Phil waking up next to Rita, the pair both well and truly in love, and Phil having finally learned to appreciate his existence. But that wasn't how things were originally supposed to end. Nope: originally the script called for a horrific plot twist which would have cemented Groundhog Day as the ultimate troll movie, in which Rita - the endlessly kind and gentle and intelligent female lead who did nothing wrong - wakes up and realises that it's her turn to spend an eternity learning to play piano and make ice sculptures. Seriously, Harold Ramis intended for Rita to become trapped in her own endless time loop once Phil's had ended. What a depressing slap in the face that would have been! And good cause for a sequel.