The gory 2013 spin-off/sequel, “Evil Dead,” offered a satisfying ending in which
the protagonist, Mia, emerged victorious and overcame her possession, despite
the tragic deaths of her friends. However, the film's writer and director, Fede
Álvarez, had a darker and bloodier ending in mind for the character.
The original ending.
According to Fede Álvarez and the first draft of the script, after defeating
the Abomination amid a rain of blood, Mia collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
At that moment, the mythical and invisible “Force of Evil” (the first-person
fast-motion camera perspective that pursues Ash in the classic series) emerged
from the woods, cut through the destroyed cabin, and struck Mia from
behind.
The force took hold of her instantly and sent her soaring through the air.
As Mia let out a heart-wrenching scream, her body exploded, sending gallons
of blood and guts flying everywhere, leaving a completely desolate final
scene with no survivors.
It is known that Fede Álvarez actually filmed the shot of the force charging
at Mia, and even Jane Levy, the actress, recorded the scream for that scene.
Why was it changed?
Sam Raimi, the franchise’s creator and producer of this version, read the
script and quickly intervened, telling Álvarez that after everything Mia had
been through, she deserved to live. Álvarez agreed that seeing her die in
such a cruel way would ruin her arc of survival and personal growth, which
metaphorically represented overcoming her addiction, so he rewrote the
ending to have her walk toward the sunrise as the book closes.
Original ending footage.
Here it is. This is what was written originally. But Sam Raimi (wisely) pointed out “after everything she’s been through, she deserves to live” so I rewrote it to the actual ending. (@jcolburnlevy let out one of her best screams in the movie on this take) #EvilDead9years pic.twitter.com/q0PFWCT7Pw
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) April 6, 2022
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