10 Movies With Alternate Endings You Never Saw Coming

Ever sat through the credits of your favorite movie and wondered “what if it ended differently?” You’re not alone. Turns out, lots of blockbusters actually film multiple endings before settling on the one that makes it to theaters. Studios typically cook up these alternative conclusions during production, sometimes keeping them under wraps even from the cast. While they don’t count as “official” in the movie’s canon, these hidden endings sometimes show up as bonus features on DVDs or occasionally in international releases. Which of these alternate endings have you heard of? Would any of them make the movie better?

10 Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

The Little Shop of Horrors we all saw ends with Seymour beating that man-eating plant and living happily ever after with Audrey. But the alternate ending? Totally different. In the first cut, Audrey II actually devours both Seymour and Audrey before multiplying and launching a full-scale plant invasion that wipes out humanity. Director Frank Oz shot this apocalyptic finale with impressive stop-motion sequences showing giant plants trashing American cities. When test audiences freaked out seeing the main characters die, the studio forced a happier ending.

9 I Am Legend (2007)

Remember how I Am Legend ends with Will Smith blowing himself up to save humanity after finding the cure? Well, there’s another ending that completely changes the movie’s meaning. In this alternate version, which actually stays closer to Richard Matheson’s novel, Neville realizes something mind-blowing: the “monsters” aren’t mindless zombies but intelligent beings with their own society. Turns out, he’s been the villain all along—the boogeyman who kidnaps and experiments on their people. This twist shows Neville returning the female Darkseeker to her mate and leaving the city, completely flipping the film’s message. Many fans think this ending packs way more punch and better serves the story’s themes about prejudice.

8 Fatal Attraction (1987)

The Fatal Attraction most of us saw ends with that nail-biting bathroom showdown where Dan and his wife Beth take down the obsessive Alex. But the original ending was way more twisted. In that version, Alex meticulously stages her own suicide while playing Madame Butterfly, making sure to leave Dan’s fingerprints on the knife to frame him for murder. This ending wasn’t just creepier, but also delivered a much sharper message about the consequences of cheating. Test audiences hated it though, preferring the more straightforward “crazy stalker gets what’s coming to her” finale we got instead.

7 The Butterfly Effect (2004)

The theatrical ending of The Butterfly Effect shows Ashton Kutcher’s character making the ultimate sacrifice by ensuring he never meets his childhood sweetheart, sparing her from a lifetime of trauma. But the director’s cut takes it further. In this version, Evan watches home videos of his mom’s troubled pregnancies and realizes his very existence only brings pain to everyone he loves. His solution? Travel back to when he was in the womb and strangle himself with his own umbilical cord, erasing himself completely from existence. This finale drives home the film’s central idea that some lives are simply destined for tragedy, no matter what choices are made.

6The Descent (2005)

If you watched The Descent in America, you saw Sarah escape the cave system after battling those terrifying underground creatures. But UK viewers got a much bleaker conclusion. In the original British ending, that escape was just a desperate hallucination; Sarah’s actually still trapped in the darkness, hearing the creatures closing in. Director Neil Marshall has said the UK ending is what he always intended, emphasizing that there’s no real escape from the psychological and literal darkness that surrounds the characters.

528 Days Later (2002)

Danny Boyle’s zombie thriller wraps up with Jim surviving his injuries thanks to Selena’s care, with the survivors eventually spotted by a passing plane. But there’s an alternate ending that’s much rougher. In one version, Jim dies during surgery despite Selena’s desperate attempts to save him. In another ending—the radical alternate ending—shows Jim, Selena, and Hannah in an encounter with a scientist who has found a way to cure the Rage virus through a blood transfusion. Jim ends up sacrificing himself to save Hannah’s father Frank, dying by the transfusion.

4Clue (1985)

In probably the most creative approach to multiple endings ever, Clue actually released all three of its different conclusions in theaters. Based on the board game, the film features three completely distinct endings with different killers. In one, Miss Scarlet’s the murderer. In another, it’s Mrs. Peacock. The third reveals a complex conspiracy with multiple killers. When the movie hit VHS, they included all three endings back-to-back, with the third labeled as “what really happened.” This playful approach perfectly captures the unpredictable spirit of the board game that inspired it.

3First Blood (1982)

The First Blood we know ends with Rambo breaking down emotionally before surrendering to Colonel Trautman. But Stallone originally shot a much more definitive ending. In this alternate conclusion, Rambo asks Trautman to kill him, and when the colonel hesitates, Rambo grabs Trautman’s gun and pulls the trigger himself. This darker finale would have killed any chance of the lucrative Rambo franchise, but might have made a stronger statement about the devastating effects of war on veterans. Reportedly, Stallone himself fought to keep Rambo alive, seeing both sequel potential and the importance of showing a traumatized vet finding a way forward.

2Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic has been tinkered with more times than most films, but the original theatrical release included a bizarrely upbeat ending forced on Scott by nervous studio execs. This version shows Deckard and Rachael driving through idyllic countryside, with Harrison Ford’s awkward voiceover explaining that Rachael didn’t have the limited lifespan of other replicants. The later Director’s Cut and Final Cut ditched this sequence entirely, ending instead with the pair entering an elevator with their futures uncertain. The revised ending better maintains the film’s noir atmosphere and philosophical questions, particularly regarding whether Deckard himself might be a replicant.

1Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele’s horror hit ends with Chris being saved by his TSA friend Rod after his nightmarish ordeal with the Armitage family. But Peele initially had something much darker in mind. In the alternate ending, when those flashing lights appear on the road after Chris has killed the family, it’s not Rod who shows up but the police, who immediately arrest Chris for multiple murders. Unable to explain the bizarre body-swapping conspiracy, he goes to prison. Peele has explained that this ending reflected his more pessimistic view of race in America when he first wrote the script, but the more hopeful ending we got was partly influenced by improving social dynamics during production.