Get Out’s Dark Alternate Endings Explained

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In 2017, when Jordan Peele’s directorial debut “Get Out” premiered in cinemas, it significantly transformed the movie industry, and this isn’t an overstatement. This film offers a chilling modern interpretation of classics like “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “The Stepford Wives.” It has been integrated into college courses, won Peele an Academy Award for best original screenplay, sparked the trend of “social thrillers,” and is widely recognized as one of the greatest films of the 21st century. The film in its entirety can be considered a masterpiece, but what truly makes it exceptional is its incredibly satisfying conclusion that provides a fitting end, and you might not realize this, but the ending could have been drastically different.

The movie follows this gist: Chris, played by Daniel Kaluuya, travels to upstate New York to meet Rose Armitage’s (Allison Williams) family. At first, everything appears normal, but the Armitages seem overly enthusiastic about Chris. Strange occurrences start to unfold as the household staff, Walter and Georgina (Marcus Henderson and Betty Gabriel), behave oddly. Chris is hypnotized by Missy and experiences a state she calls “the sunken place,” leaving him disoriented. The Armitage family’s true nature is later unveiled during their garden party, where it’s revealed they operate a human trafficking ring, abducting Black men and women for body transfers. Dean, Rose’s father, performs these surgeries. A guest at the party comments that “Black is in fashion” to a bewildered Chris. What makes matters worse, Rose has been part of this horrifying scheme all along, luring victims into her trap, including Walter and Georgina, who actually house the souls of Dean’s parents.

The film concludes with Chris orchestrating a dramatic, violent exit from the Armitage estate, colliding a car carrying Georgina as a passenger, and skillfully evading Rose’s shotgun fire. In a turn of events, he manages to overpower her and utilizes his camera flash to awaken Walter, forcing him to shoot Rose. However, things take a darker turn when Chris begins to choke her. Fortunately, Rod (played by Lil Rel Howery), a TSA agent, shows up at the critical moment to save Chris, and in the end, Chris successfully escapes.

In this film, there was a strong possibility that it would conclude in a far less gratifying way – not related to the political humor by Peele.

One original ending was Incredibly dark

In an alternate version of “Get Out,” Jordan Peele directed a different conclusion where Chris winds up in prison for murdering the Armitages. When Rod visits him behind bars and encourages him to reveal the truth, Chris appears resigned to his fate, commenting that at least the Armitages can no longer hurt anyone anymore. In the film’s commentary (via NME), Peele noted that this ending leaves viewers questioning whether it’s a good or bad outcome. Six months later, Chris is still in prison, and since the house and its evidence have been destroyed by fire, the justice system – which tends to favor wealthy white people – takes the Armitages’ side, leading to Chris’s imprisonment based on appearances.

What transpired? Why did Peele alter the film’s conclusion? In a Vulture oral history of the movie, Sean McKittrick, a producer from QC Entertainment, stated that audiences strongly disliked the original ending. He explained that they initially screened the movie with the original “sad truth” ending where, when the cop appears, it is an actual police officer and Chris ends up in jail. The audience was very engaged and enjoying it, but then it felt like we had unexpectedly hurt everyone’s feelings.

McKittrick stated that the audience couldn’t stand the thought of Chris losing, as if it were a personal blow. He went on to describe a palpable sense of deflation in the room. The country had shifted, moving away from the Obama era and into a new realm where hidden prejudices resurfaced. The ending was always a topic of debate, so they opted to re-shoot scenes for an alternate ending where Chris emerges victorious.

Another disturbing ending for Get Out was never filmed

It seems that there was another conclusion to the movie “Get Out,” but it wasn’t actually filmed. During an interview with Chris Hardwick on his show in the spring of 2017, director Jordan Peele hinted at this third option, saying: “Rod tries to break into the gated community where Chris ends up. He manages to get in and searches for Chris. Rod sees Chris looking through a window on Main Street and calls out to him, ‘Chris!’ To which Chris replies, ‘I can assure you, I don’t know who you’re talking about.’

In summary, the ending of “Get Out” as it was presented in the initial film release is ideal, and this viewpoint was shared by star Bradley Whitford in an interview with Vulture. As Whitford stated, “The ending he (the director) chose is incredibly clever because when Chris is choking Rose in the driveway, you see flashing police lights, then the door opens to reveal ‘Airport,’ which triggers a big laugh from everyone. From Chris’s perspective, if the police arrive, he’s in grave danger. That’s a brilliant example of subtle, non-preachy storytelling.

Regarding Peele, he attributed his ability to think quickly and deliver a brilliant finale for his groundbreaking, award-winning film to his comedy background. He explained that his improvisation training helped him approach each challenge with the understanding that there are countless excellent solutions, not just one or two. This mindset applied to the film’s ending as well. When he discovered that the original, somber conclusion wasn’t effective, he viewed it as a chance to create an even better ending.

You can rent or buy “Get Out” on major streaming platforms now.

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2025-05-03 19:30