Wanna Know How 'Paranormal Activity' Originally Ended?
It's actually quite cool...
It shouldn't take even a four-year-old to figure this out, but I will say it anyway… This article contains spoilers related to the ending of Paranormal Activity, if you have not yet seen the film and don't want to know anything about the ending then move along and wait until after you've seen it. Otherwise, enjoy.
The news comes from Horror Squad, which has obtained the details regarding the original cut of Paranormal Activity, the indie horror that is currently sweeping the nation and prepping for its first wave of wide release this coming Friday, October 16.
For those that have already seen the movie you will remember the ending follows Micah's trip down the stairs as we hear Katie screaming in what is assumed to be the living room. There are some loud noises, followed by silence and then the steps that begin pounding up the stairs just before Micah's body is abruptly thrust into the camera lens and we see Katie's bloody body standing in the doorway. It's an absolutely fantastic ending that's followed by telling us Micah's body was found shortly thereafter, but Katie was not seen again. However, when the film first began making the rounds in 2007 things were a bit different.
Here's the original ending as detailed by Horror Squad's William Goss:
This time, Micah stays downstairs as Katie returns to the bedroom, covered in blood and now holding a knife. She proceeds to rock on the floor next to the bed for something like two days straight. We hear a friend (the girl who offered that Katie stay at her place, I'm guessing) leave a message on their answering machine, wondering where they are. She later stops by, presumably finds Micah dead downstairs, screams and leaves. The police then show up later, with Katie only awakening from her catatonic state as they come up the stairs, with guns drawn. She's covered in blood, holding a knife and very confused as to what's going on, and so the officers proceed to fire on her. The title card then dedicates the film to the couple's memory.
Based on this description alone I personally enjoy the current ending a little better because I like the idea of Katie being out there still possessed by the ghost — even though this one has a definite creepy factor to it. Perhaps it would have been cool if after Katie threw Micah's body at the camera, she had walked in and sat down in a catatonic/possessed state for two days before going over to inspect Micah's body, as she does now, and disappearing forever. I don't know, just an idea.
Director Oren Peli suggests we may still see this original ending once it hits DVD, and if it does I hope they offer it as an alternative cut of the film and not as a deleted scene. It's always better to see alternate endings in context and not as standalones.
For those that have seen it, what do you think? Do you think this ending would have been better? Goss has a few more differences in the film if you are interested, just click here.
As for my mention of the film's upcoming expansion on October 16, Shock Til You Drop adds more to the story saying Paramount plans to go into another 1000 theaters on October 23, but speculates this weekend's $7.1 million dollar return from 159 theaters may encourage the studio to add that extra thousand theaters on the October 16 instead. I actually hope they hold off a little longer to create a true test of horror on October 23 which is when Lionsgate releases Saw VI. Now wouldn't that be an interesting match-up?
I would say since The Blair Witch Project, Saw was the first small-time/indie horror film to even come close to moving the dial (unless you can think of another I am forgetting), but even still, its $55 million is puny in comparison to Blair Witch's $140m. Paranormal Activity currently sits at $8.2 million… how high do you think it will go? Can it catch up to Blair Witch?
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