Making a movie is often a delicate balancing act of choosing which scenes to include and which to cut, and some classic movies were almost ruined by a deleted scene. One scene can change everything in a movie, even if it doesn’t seem pivotal to the plot. A scene can change the way that audiences perceive a character, and it can also alter the tone of the entire movieA good director will recognize when a scene needs to be cut.
There are some deleted scenes which would have improved movies, either by providing further context or simply because they’re so entertaining that they should have been left in. For the most part, however, deleted scenes are cut out because they don’t add much to a movie, and their absence is no great loss. There are only a few deleted scenes which are so bad that they would have severely tainted the entire movie.
Related 10 Great Movies With Alternate Endings, From Alien To I Am Legend
An ending can make or break a movie, so it’s no surprise that plenty of directors and writers often take a while to find the perfect finale.
10 Marty Worries About Turning Gay
Back to the Future (1985)
Back to the Future 
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Director Robert Zemeckis Release Date July 3, 1985 Cast Claudia Wells , Christopher Lloyd , James Tolkan , Thomas F. Wilson , Michael J. Fox , Wendie Jo Sperber , Crispin Glover , Marc McClure , Lea Thompson
Back to the Future has generally aged very well, especially when compared to a lot of other comedies from many decades ago. This wouldn’t have been the case if Robert Zemeckis had left in a controversial deleted scene from the first Back to the Future movie, in which Marty worries about the psychological effects of meeting his mother at a younger age. Specifically, he confesses to Doc that he’s worried such an interaction could make him gay.
A more generous interpretation would be that Marty’s comments are supposed to be ignorant and narrow-minded, so the joke is on him.
It’s a little unclear what the intention of this deleted scene is. A more generous interpretation would be that Marty’s comments are supposed to be ignorant and narrow-minded, so the joke is on him. This could still be an uncomfortable moment, since the audience is supposed to like Marty, but it’s better than the alternative interpretation, which is that it’s simply a joke at the expense of gay people.
9 E.T. Watches Mary Sleep
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 5.0 3
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Director Steven Spielberg Release Date June 11, 1982 Cast Drew Barrymore , Henry Thomas , Robert MacNaughton
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial wouldn’t be such a wholesome family classic if Steven Spielberg had decided to leave in one deleted scene which shows E.T. looming over Mary as she sleeps. E.T. watches her while wearing a bathrobe, but she’s naked in bed. There was no bad intent to this scene, but it doesn’t look so sweet and innocent in practice. Other deleted scenes are available to watch, but this one has only been seen in photographs.
Spielberg was right to cut out this scene, leaving E.T. as a beloved character.
It’s likely that Spielberg developed this scene to show E.T.’s curiosity about people. His constant investigating and fiddling with things is one of his most endearing qualities, as it makes him seem like a toddler, but this becomes a little awkward when he’s looking at a sleeping woman. E.T. has no concept of human privacy or consent, but Spielberg was right to cut out this scene, leaving E.T. as a beloved character.
8 Bruce Finds Bigfoot
Bruce Almighty (2003)
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Director Tom Shadyac Release Date May 23, 2003 Cast Jim Carrey , Morgan Freeman , Jennifer Aniston , Philip Baker Hall , Catherine Bell , Lisa Ann Walter
Bruce Almighty stars Jim Carrey as a TV reporter who is blessed with the powers of God for a short time. He uses his powers to help people around him, but he also has a lot of fun boosting his career and his love life. A deleted scene shows Bruce reporting while skydiving. When his parachute fails to open, he miraculously survives falling into the woods by colliding with a Sasquatch.
Bruce Almighty
has plenty of other ways to show Bruce enjoying his powers that aren’t so distracting, so the Bigfoot scene was unnecessary.
Having Bruce meet Bigfoot is a strange scene that doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the movie. Such an interaction would have undoubtedly made Bruce famous all over the world, so leaving it in the movie would also have felt like a big set-up with no real payoff. Bruce Almighty has plenty of other ways to show Bruce enjoying his powers that aren’t so distracting, so the Bigfoot scene was unnecessary.
7 Uncle Frank Pulls Down Kevin’s Pants
Home Alone (1990)
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Director Chris Columbus Release Date November 16, 1990 Cast Macaulay Culkin , Joe Pesci , Daniel Stern , John Heard , Roberts Blossom , Catherine O’Hara
Uncle Frank is not a nice guy, but he’s just one more obnoxious family member who Kevin McCallister has to deal with over the holidays. It’s no coincidence that his most famous quote in Home Alone is when he calls his nephew a jerk. However, one deleted scene from the first Home Alone movie almost made him seem much worse. In a brief scene, Uncle Frank pulls Kevin’s pants down and laughs at him.
It would be hard to enjoy a lighthearted Christmas movie after watching Uncle Frank violate his nephew’s privacy.
This deleted scene is extremely creepy at the very least. It’s played for laughs, but a grown man pulling down a child’s pants is uncomfortable to watch. Fortunately, this scene never made it into the movie. If it had stayed in, it might have cast a long shadow over the entire film. It would be hard to enjoy a lighthearted Christmas movie after watching Uncle Frank violate his nephew’s privacy.
6 Chewbacca Rips Someone’s Arm Off
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens 4.0 8
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Director J.J. Abrams Release Date December 17, 2015 Cast Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Max Von Sydow , Peter Mayhew , Simon Pegg
Chewbacca rarely gets the opportunity to show off his true power, but the wookie stands head and shoulders above most other characters. One deleted scene from The Force Awakens shows what Chewbacca is really capable of. While Rey has an altercation with Unkar Plutt, the ruthless scavenger voiced by Simon Pegg, Chewbacca interrupts and pulls his arm clean off.
This deleted scene makes for a shocking moment, but it might have been too distracting if it had been left in the final cut.
This deleted scene makes for a shocking moment, but it might have been too distracting if it had been left in the final cut. It’s disturbing to see one of the heroes resorting to such brutal violence, especially when the situation could have been handled in many other ways. Leaving this scene in The Force Awakens would have completely changed the way that Chewbacca is seen. Han Solo’s trusted friend would have become a volatile, violent maniac.
5 Hannibal Sheds A Tear For Buffalo Bill
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs 2
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Director jonathan demme Release Date February 14, 1991 Cast Jodie Foster , Anthony Hopkins , Scott Glenn , Ted Levine , Anthony Heald , Brooke Smith , Diane Baker , Kasi Lemmons
Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs helped create one of the creepiest movie characters of all time, but there are plenty of deleted scenes, some of which show a slightly different side to Hannibal. One notorious deleted scene shows Hannibal advising Clarice on how to catch Buffalo Bill, and there are tears in his eyes as he empathizes with the serial killer.
He is always in control of his emotions, and it seems unlikely that a psychopath would suddenly develop such deep empathy.
Hannibal believes that Buffalo Bill was made into a killer by years of systemic abuse and neglect, and this appears to resonate with him. This deleted scene reveals a little bit more about Hannibal’s own past, and how he views himself. It’s a strangely lucid moment that seems out of character. Although Hannibal is a violent serial killer, he doesn’t show many signs of remorse, let alone self-pity. He is always in control of his emotions, and it seems unlikely that a psychopath would suddenly develop such deep empathy.
4 Ferris Admits To Stealing From His Father
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
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Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 4.5 3
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Director John Hughes Release Date June 11, 1986 Cast Jennifer Grey , Matthew Broderick , Mia Sara , Alan Ruck , Jeffrey Jones
Ferris Bueller is a lovable scamp who proudly flaunts society’s roles while showing his friends a good time around Chicago. He may be a bit of a renegade, but a deleted scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off makes him look far worse. In the short scene, Ferris breaks the fourth wall to tell the audience that he funds his schemes by stealing his father’s credit card. This is more problematic than any of his other misdeeds.
Stealing a credit card would change Ferris from a fun-loving kid who’s easy to forgive into a wannabe criminal.
Stealing a credit card would change Ferris from a fun-loving kid who’s easy to forgive into a wannabe criminal. It’s a small detail, but a surprisingly sinister one. It also jars with Ferris’ whole philosophy. His belief that people need to slow down and enjoy themselves from time to time wouldn’t be the same if he was doing so at the expense of someone else who had done nothing wrong. This deleted scene makes Ferris look like more of a selfish anarchist.
3 Bill Murray & Dan Aykroyd Play Two Homeless People
Ghostbusters (1984)
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Director Ivan Reitman Release Date June 8, 1984 Cast Bill Murray , Dan Aykroyd , Sigourney Weaver , Harold Ramis , Ernie Hudson , Rick Moranis
The cast of Ghostbusters includes several former cast members of Saturday Night Live, and the movie sometimes seems like one long sketch. However, there’s one deleted scene that would have made it resemble a quirky sketch comedy even more. A brief scene features Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd playing two homeless people chatting to one another in the park, completely unrelated to their other characters.
The deleted scene is too confusing in
Ghostbusters
, because there’s no other instance in the movie where one of the actors plays multiple characters.
The deleted scene is too confusing in Ghostbusters, because there’s no other instance in the movie where one of the actors plays multiple characters. It just looks like Peter Venkman and Ray Stantz are pretending to be homeless for some unknown reason. The tone of the scene is also quite jarring. Murray seems to be playing his character from Caddyshack, which doesn’t fit in with the rest of Ghostbusters.
2 Sam Backflips His Way Through The Airport
Love Actually (2003)
Love Actually 4.0 3
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Director Richard Curtis Release Date November 14, 2003 Cast Colin Firth , Emma Thompson , Liam Neeson , Keira Knightley , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Laura Linney , Alan Rickman , Hugh Grant , Bill Nighy , Andrew Lincoln
Love Actually almost ruined one of its most romantic moments in the strangest way possible. The scene of Sam running through the airport to see Joanna before her flight leaves is an iconic moment, but the original idea involved Sam cartwheeling and backflipping his way through airport security. This was supposed to pay off the subplot of Sam being a talented gymnast, although all of his gymnastics scenes were cut.
Sam’s story evokes the purity of young love, and it wouldn’t do this if Sam was hard to relate to.
Love Actually‘s romantic scenes tend to work so well because Richard Curtis is an acute observer of human relationships. The deleted scene, while entertaining in its own way, is completely unrelatable. It doesn’t fit with the tone established by the rest of the movie. The strange burst of action is completely fantastical in a way that sticks out far too much. Sam’s story evokes the purity of young love, and it wouldn’t do this if Sam was hard to relate to.
1 The Alien Crab Walks Over To Lambert
Alien (1979)
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Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 22, 1979 Cast Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto , Bolaji Badejo
Part of the reason why Alien is such a terrifying horror movie is that Ridley Scott only shows the alien in short bursts. This makes it seem even more terrifying, because its appearance is a mystery that keeps shifting for so long. One of the deleted scenes almost ruined this illusion, with a scene that shows the alien sitting still in front of Lambert, before awkwardly crab walking toward her.
The alien never looks more obviously like a man in a costume than it does in the deleted scene.
The deleted scene is supposed to be tense, with the alien slowly approaching Lambert as if it’s toying with its prey. However, it looks goofy in practice, and the alien never looks more obviously like a man in a costume. The framing of the scene is peculiar, with Scott’s use of wide shots taking away the alien’s imposing aura. The best Alien movies have always had more creative approaches to showing the xenomorph.