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Works better if she was crazy the whole time

posted 11 years ago by SimplyirreBraggissible
7 replies | jump to latest

If you just pretend the ending in the film never happened and she was actually nuts the whole time and made up all her "friends" in the movie, the movie kind of works.

As it is, the movie doesn't really work. Its not scary, so it fails as a horror flick. They never explain what They are supposed to be or much about them, so it fails as a sci-fi movie. And all the characters are awful so it doesn't really work on just casual viewing either.

But it could have at least had an interesting twist. And a mental patient believing in all these delusions like the strangers who meet her with the same visions, the too nice boyfriend and idea she thinks shes studying to be a psychologist kind of makes sense.

[–] Coolestmovies 10 years ago

The alternate ending on the Blu-ray is superior in my opinion, as it does just what you state, and it was clearly the filmmakers' original intent before (presumably?) being forced to literalize the creatures. The "official" ending feels more tacked on than the alternate version. In the alternate, when she wakes up in the asylum, she looks out the door of her cell and realizes most of the other characters are indeed still alive -- but they're simply fellow patients, and her "boyfriend" is an asylum doctor. To me, that's the braver ending than the existing one the callow kiddies in other threads here are bragging was so "edgy" and "unexpected" when in fact it plays like a studio-mandated re-shoot to attempt to boost boxoffice revenue (which failed anyway). This is Robert Harmon, folks. The director of the original HITCHER would only do an ending like the "official" one on THEY because he was forced to, undoubtedly by one of the Weinsteins.

[–] RidiculousPasta 10 years ago

Too bad your "braver" option has already been done thousands of times. To be honest the crazy all along endings are cliche at this point and insulting to viewers.

They should've just exercised some creativity and made a fleshed out stories giving the monsters a purpose and given the audience a reason for them hunting these people.

I mean it's not like you watched "IT" and were given "And they were just crazy. The end.", we were given a reason for the kids(now adults) being hunted.

It also doesn't help at all when all of the characters are unlikeable and/or one dimensional.

[–] haunt_freak 10 years ago

Too bad your "braver" option has already been done thousands of times. To be honest the crazy all along endings are cliche at this point and insulting to viewers.

Thank you. Couldn't agree more.

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[–] plasmic_steve 9 years ago

I agree. 20 or 30 years ago, the "she was crazy the whole time" ending would have been fresh. Here, even though I can see now that they were setting up for that, I prefer the ending they went with. Not having the main character imagine everything is more refreshing now.

[–] SaliceMcD 8 years ago

I agree, Coolestmovies. I haven't seen other movies with such an ending, obviously unlike others, so it resounded with me. That she was committed at 16 and imagined the life we thought she'd been living is certainly more disturbing than "the chittering things got her," which I *have* seen in many different forms. The "status to be reviewed annually" (sic) notation was another frightening touch, IMO.

[–] sarasama 10 years ago

I like the fact the creatures got her in the end. I haven't seen the other ending but will look out for it.

[–] genevaporter 10 years ago

Think of it as a metaphor. The demons plaguing Julia's mind are too deep and insidious that no matter how well-meaning the doctors are, they can't help her. She's screaming for help, but nobody can hear her.

When she needs help the most, she sees the doctor giving up on her by shutting her in the darkness. Not because he's being cruel, but because he doesn't know what he's dealing with and doesn't know how to save her.

On a metaphoric level, this has and continues to happen to patients who are tormented in their minds but can't express what really is wrong with them.