Why Alien’s Original Ending Was Changed Because It Was “Too Dark”

Everyone is familiar with the conclusion of Alien: Ripley fires the xenomorph into space through the airlock and then returns to cryosleep with her cat. It could have been much worse.

Alien, released in 1979, is widely considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. It also introduced audiences to one of cinema’s most iconic heroines: Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver), the courageous and resilient sole survivor of the Nostromo.

Despite the spiky tail, double mouth, and acid-bleeding abilities of the monster, it slowly eliminates members of the spaceship’s crew in the second half of the film. After narrowly escaping in an escape pod, the protagonist discovers the alien’s presence and successfully flushes it out before it can harm her.

Despite the triumphant ending, it is worth noting that Ridley Scott initially intended to have Ripley killed off, leaving her drifting alone in space.

Ripley’s Close Call in Alien

“In 2017, Scott revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he believed the alien should enter and Ripley should harpoon it, but it would have no impact as it would break through her mask and rip her head off.”

Had he succeeded, there would likely not have been an Aliens film or an entire franchise (which has earned $1.6 billion even before the release of Alien: Romulus).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-mmbStFrAA

Alien (1979) – Ripley's Last Stand Scene (5/5) | Movieclips (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-mmbStFrAA)

Additionally, the xenomorph’s deadly actions would not stop at killing Ripley; it would also manipulate the buttons on a dashboard to imitate Captain Dallas [Tom Skerritt] and utter the words, “I’m signing off.”

Scott presented it to the team at 20th Century Fox. “The initial executive appeared on set in just 14 hours, ready to terminate my employment right then and there… so we decided not to use that [ending],”he explained.

Similarly, the ending of Predator is eerily reminiscent as Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) believes he has defeated the monster, only for it to trigger its self-destruct mechanism and mimic a human’s laughter.

Despite Scott’s original idea, it is clear that fans were not receptive to it. One Redditor shared their thoughts on the matter, stating, “I don’t see how it could have gone any further than that. Plus, I believe this ending would have completely changed viewers’ perceptions of the movie. Honestly, this proposed ending sounds incredibly foolish.”

Another individual added that the xenomorphs are designed to embody the most savage and primal traits of humanity, as they cannot be reasoned or bargained with and are solely focused on reproducing their species.

Despite not being accepted by all, one user suggested that the studio made the change due to the potential darkness of the concept. However, they found the twist to be intriguing as it would have implied that the alien possessed human-level intelligence all along.

“Another individual suggested that it would be more preferable if a search party or some other group were to enter and hear Ripley’s screams, only to discover that they were actually being mimicked by the Xeno before it attacked them.”

Before the release of Alien: Romulus in theaters, learn about its connection to the Isolation game, the age rating, and where it falls in the timeline of the Alien franchise.