This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
Sometimes, the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.
For your delectation, here are 12 examples of movies with downbeat endings that were filmed but ultimately replaced.
Kevin McCarthy plays a doctor who spots the invasion, but seems powerless to prevent it.
Director Don Siegel and screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring intended for his movie to end on this blood-curdling note.
Years later, Siegel still maintained that the enforced studio change nearly ruined his movie.
But even with the tacked-on beginning and ending, his Invasion still has a raw power.
The 1978 and 1993 remakes, meanwhile, got to keep their downbeat final scenes.
We wrote much of the Body Snatchershere.
And then the theatre became a refrigerator, an ice box.
It was awful and the cards were just awful.
The intended conclusion was far more low-key and chilling.
ending the matte shot of a shattered Big Ben beingArmy Of Darknesscheeky allusion toApes fallen Statue of Liberty.
Studio bosses thought this ending was too dark, however, and demanded a more action-packed finale.
Kevin Smiths breakthrough indie comedy originally ended on a distinctly bleak note.
Central character Dante (Brian OHalloran) is left alone in the store as its about to close.
Had Smith left his original ending in, then movie history could have been very different.
We certainly wouldnt have got aClerks IIfor a start.
Test audiences stated that this ending was too sad, so further ideas were considered.
Funnily enough, test audiences didnt exactly whoop and cheer at this development.
The original ending of the film was much broader in scope.
The resulting reshoots caused a six-month delay and a ballooning budget.
To date, footage of those excised climactic scenes have failed to come to light.
