Audiences may come to view the looks and designs of characters in a film as iconic or beloved but they might also be surprised that those designs may have been the result of a last-minute change or was far from what the filmmakers originally intended.
The best example of this can usually be found in horror movies where filmmakers usually have bold and ambitious designs for movie characters, monsters, and villains that are undermined by either the studio, the lack of a proper budget, or are often too ambitious for the film. These are several examples of those designs left on the cutting room floor.
The Original Meg Was Absolute Nightmare Fuel
The 2018 movie featured a giant shark that was effectively scary in design but back when New Line Cinema was going to adapt the book into a movie, they had a much different incarnation of the prehistoric beast with bleach white skin, long neck, and yellow eyes to give the impression that this thing is a monster.
A concept Maquette and piece of art emerged of this design which had fans wishing that the film from Warner Bros had kept instead of the design they settled with.
Two Canceled Versions Of Jason Voorhees
Fans of Friday the 13th have been highly anticipating a new film but due to the legal issues with the franchise, fans still are waiting over ten years later. Well, fans almost got not one but two new Friday The 13th projects but were canceled: one was going to be a found-footage horror film a la The Blair Witch Project while the other was set to be a series on the CW.
Their concepts for the iconic killer Jason Voorhees were revealed, making fans upset that the two projects were abandoned.
The Original Xenomorph Was Interesting, To Say The Least
The H.R. Giger design for the creature first seen in Ridley Scott's Alien is solidified as one of Hollywood's most iconic and terrifying monsters but it was not the first intended look for the monster and even that went through several changes.
However, the original concept design for the xenomorph can be described as a shaved monkey with hooks for hands and a bug-like head which leads to a creature that has fans thankful that Scott opted for the much superior final product for the creature.
Texas Chainsaw 3D Almost Had Old Man Leatherface
One of the kings of slashers returned in Texas Chainsaw 3D, a sequel that the fanbase was not happy with due to its strange twists and tonal shifts. Leatherface himself was considered the only somewhat decent thing about the movie with a look that was simple but fit with the typical look for the villain.
Concept art for the film emerged showing designs for a Leatherface that better fit the character's age in the film while honoring the traditional look for the character. Though it likely wouldn't have saved the widely panned film.
Newt From Aliens Was Almost In The Predator
Suffering from many reshoots and studio interference, Shane Black's The Predator from 2018 flopped both critically and financially as a result despite setting up a sequel.
The ending was mocked by fans but little do they know that it was one of several different endings they had in mind; one of the endings featured the pod containing an adult Rebecca Jordan AKA Newt from the Alien franchise thus possibly setting up a new crossover instead of the Iron Man-esque Predator suit.
The Aliens From A Quiet Place Almost Looked Demonic
The invasive sound-sensitive creatures from the recent hit A Quiet Place terrified audiences in 2018 with their designs that are eerily similar to the Lickers from the Resident Evil franchise.
This was not the first look for the aliens as was revealed through a glimpse at an early model which made the monsters look less like extraterrestrials and more like demons straight out of the recent Doom games. Whether this design would have worked or not is unknown but audiences were happy with the final product.
The Deleted Practical Effects From The Things Prequel
This case is much more tragic for horror fans, especially fans of the 1982 classic, John Carpenter's The Thing. The identically-titled prequel from 2011 was praised for its attention to detail and respect for the first film but suffered due to its less than stellar CGI effects that left fans disappointed.
Disappointing fans more was that the rushed CGI replaced impressive practical effects by ADI that were filmed on set, leaving fans hoping for a cut that brings back these practical effects.
A Much Scarier Mutation From Prometheus
Ridley Scott's controversial prequel to the Alien franchise left fans with a sour taste in their mouths due to a lack of monsters and alien action among many other things; in the final product, the character of Fifield returns to the Prometheus as a zombie-like mutation that attacks and kills several crew on the ship.
In an alternate version of the scene, Fifield's mutation was much more monstrous that resembles the classic alien. Many fans wish this was the scene used in the movie.
The Lost Version Of Pennywise The Clown
Before Andy Muschietti was the director and Bill Skarsgard was the leading shapeshifting clown entity, there was a canceled attempt at adapting Stephen King's IT to the big screen by Splice director Vincenzo Natalli which came closer to Tim Curry's version of the character only more mutated and grotesque.
This version of Pennywise looked like he would rely less on luring the children to his domain but would rather chase them and devour them like a slasher villain.
Jean Claude Van Damme's Original Predator
Originally, the first Predator movie was going to feature a very different version of the alien hunter in the form of a hunched reptilian creature that was going to be running through and hopping through the trees with speed and nimbleness.
The biggest twist of all is that this version of the creature was going to be played by Belgian action star Jean Claude Van Damme; after only a few days of filming and hating it, Van Damme left the role and things led to the iconic monster fans know and love.
