Or, you know, an alternate ending that wasn’t meant to see the light of day got leaked by somebody. Or, in some cases, multiple endings found their way to the public eye as bonus features on DVDs and Blu-rays. Nonetheless, from apocalyptic thrillers to comic book comedies, here are our picks for the best movies with alternate endings you should check out. You might like them better than their official endings!
10. 1408 (2007)
Based on Stephen King’s short story, 1408 stars John Cusack as a skeptical author who checks into the fabled Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York City. Taking the room’s warning to not enter as a challenge, Mike’s visit is marked by an ominous countdown starting from 60:00. Samuel L. Jackson also stars in Mikael Håfström’s adaptation of the classic King horror, providing us with three possible endings in ode to the original book’s ambiguous conclusion. Though, ironically, none of them are what King originally wrote…!
9. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Ashton Kutcher, Logan Lerman, and John Patrick Amedori portray the traumatized young man Evan at three different stages in his life. While in college, Evan learns that he has the ability to time travel and change his past—but as it’s said, if a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it could cause a hurricane in New Mexico. The director’s cut has a bleaker ending in which Evan attempts to break his generational curse. In keeping with this, there’s an added scene where a palm reader finds he has no life line and does “not belong to this world.”
8. I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend is your classic apocalypse movie, with Will Smith front and center as one of the only humans left on Earth. There’s also his dog, plus a whole bunch of cannibal zombies. Based on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, the adaptation is the third feature film of Matheson’s canon. In 2008, director Francis Lawrence released a special edition two-disc DVD with an alternate ending that ends things on a hopeful note via uplifting monologue. As one of the highest-grossing films of 2007, I Am Legend is set to have a sequel made in 2022.
7. Pineapple Express (2008)
Pineapple Express is the stoner movie to end all stoner movies. Seth Rogen co-wrote and starred in this cult comedy alongside best buddies James Franco and Danny McBride. The story follows a process server and his weed dealer who accidently get involved with a murderous drug lord, leading to a hilarious run-for-your-life scenario. However, a much heavier ending was leaked involving a machine gun. Director David Gordon Green later said that this was intended as bonus DVD footage, not a real alternate finale.
6. 28 Days Later (2002)
Another post-apocalyptic thriller, this time directed by Danny Boyle when he was still in his early days. Cillian Murphy wanders aimlessly through a deserted London after waking up from a coma. A deserted hospital? The collapse of society? Flesh-eating undead roaming around? That sounds familiar…! The relatively low-budget horror was followed by two sequels, and the original DVD provides three different endings (all built around the same outcome) so there’s tons of content to go around.
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Edgar Wright is known for his inventive use of camera movement and editing, and that’s on full display in his rom-com action flick Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Stylized like a comic book, the film is based on the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Michael Cera is Scott Pilgrim, a geeky and awkward teen who must fight off his new girlfriend’s “seven evil exes.” A horrifying joke ending was shot to make sense of all the weird video-game logic. It’s your typical “it was all a dream” deal, but it turns out that Scott is a cold-blooded serial killer. Yikes!
4. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s allegorical horror was an immediate hit—not only because it’s so well-directed and well-acted, but also because of its timely discussion on racism in modern America. Get Out stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington, a black photographer from Brooklyn. When he goes to meet his white girlfriend’s rich family, things start to get a little… spooky. Long story short, Chris ends up in a white supremist cult that harvests people’s brains. But to avoid a “woke” ending at a time of several high-profile racially-motivated police shootings, Peele filmed a slightly happier alternate finale for theatrical release.
3. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Netflix’s Black Mirror has always gone out of its way to shock audiences by holding up a mirror to the dark side of modern society. Director David Slade decided to make a movie spin-off of the Netflix series, and not just any movie—an interactive one. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is truly the only film of its kind. As you watch, you’re allowed to choose what happens from scene to scene, resulting in five possible endings from a trillion different combinations. The basic premise follows Fionn Whitehead, a young programmer in the 1980s who’s attempting to turn a dark graphic novel into a video game.
2. Clue (1985)
Based on the classic 1940s board game Clue, this black comedy is full of twists and turns. Set in 1954, six strangers arrive at an isolation mansion under different pseudonyms. Blackmailed by a mysterious Mr. Bobby, the six must decipher who carried out an unexpected murder, where they did it, and with what weapon. Three endings were crafted for the movie, and the different endings were sent out to different movie theaters upon release. Fortunately for us, we can watch all of them on the DVD. Written and directed by Jonathan Lynn, the mystery thriller features an ensemble cast of Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren.
1. Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner was a milestone for the sci-fi genre, directed by Ridley Scott as an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Harrison Ford plays the cult anti-hero Rick Deckard, a “blade runner” who’s tasked with hunting down illegal humanoid Replicants. But here’s the catch: along the way, he falls in love with one. Several different versions of Blade Runner have been shown since its release in the 1980s due to negative public responses. A Director’s Cut, International Cut, Domestic Cut, and Final Cut all exist for audiences to choose from, with various added scenes and endings. Read next: Why are sci-fi movies so popular in modern cinema?
