20 Horror Movie Endings We Almost Got
These WTF alternate horror movie endings almost made it to the screen.
There's arguably nothing more important about a movie than its ending - filmmakers can make many, many mistakes over the course of a film, but it's absolutely imperative that it sticks the landing and sends audiences away satisfied with how it all wrapped up.
A strong finale can elevate a good movie to greatness, but a poorly executed climax can obliterate everything good that led up to it.
And so, it's little surprise that filmmakers and studios often agonise over how to end their movies, with constant redrafting of the script, test screenings, and even reshoots if said screenings raise issues.
Horror is no different from any other genre in this regard, and so many of your favourite horror films had their endings re-conceived during the production process, for better or worse.
Perhaps the original ending was too confusing, or maybe it was deemed too much of a downer, and so these more palatable finales were cooked up instead.
In some cases, we can't help but pine for what might've been, while in others it's clear that the filmmakers made the right call...
20. Jim Dies - 28 Days Later
During production of 28 Days Later, a total of four different endings were conceived, three of which culminated in the demise of protagonist Jim (Cillian Murphy).
Two, which were fully filmed, saw Jim succumb to his gunshots wounds sustained during the climax, while a third had Jim undergo a blood transfusion with the infected Frank (Brendan Gleeson) in order to save his life at the cost of his own.
The latter never went before cameras because both director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland felt that it lacked plausibility - and they were right.
While the endings where Jim dies of his injuries and Selena (Naomie Harris) and Hannah (Megan Burns) are left to go on without him are certainly believable and befit the movie's generally bleak tone, not every grim film needs an equally grim ending.
There's something to be said for the more hopeful theatrical finale in which Jim, Selena, and Hannah are shown to be living a more peaceful existence at a remote cottage in Cumbria.
Plus, had Jim not survived, he of course wouldn't have been able to make his long-awaited return in the recent 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and its upcoming sequel.