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Ma (2019) starring Octavia Spencer originally had a WAY more disturbing ending

ByMads Lennon|
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 16: Actors Octavia Spenser (L) and Tate Taylor attend the special screening of Universal Pictures' 'Ma' at Regal LA Live on May 16, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 16: Actors Octavia Spenser (L) and Tate Taylor attend the special screening of Universal Pictures' 'Ma' at Regal LA Live on May 16, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)

The 2019 horror film Ma starring Octavia Spencer recently hit Netflix just in time for Halloween and quickly entered the Netflix top 10 as people revisited the twisted movie.

But did you know that the original script for Ma used to be way more disturbing than the final version that hit our screens? And no, I’m not referring to the alternate ending that is available to watch on the Blu-ray either.

Spoilers ahead for the Ma ending

Ma’s climactic ending features the titular antagonist tormenting all of the teenagers in her basement. One girl gets her lips sewn shut, another gets stuck in a dog collar and temporarily hanged. Prior to that Sue Ann had already killed multiple people, seeking revenge on her high school tormentors for the horrific way she was treated.

Perhaps the most disturbing moment in the finished film is when Ma murders Luke Evans’ character by injecting him with dog blood, but the sewn mouth is up there, too.

Well, speaking of sewing things… Director Tate Taylor, who previously worked with Spencer on films like The Help, once revealed that the first version of the script had Sue Ann behead her victims and sew their heads onto each other’s bodies.

Here’s how Taylor explained it to CinemaBlend in the interview:

"“A woman buys beer and then they end up…well, the script then had their heads being chopped off and sewn on different bodies. So then I’m like, ‘Well, you got to keep it in reality, you know?’ So that was the journey. The shifts in the script came from me creating her backstory, which has empathy, and as it came in some of the scenes just had to reflect that.”"

It sounds like the change came about because Taylor felt that ending wasn’t realistic. Plus, both he and Spencer thought the original version lacked a backstory that would make audiences at least somewhat empathetic to the character of Sue Ann. In fact, the first script didn’t have any backstory for her at all.

Is it weird I kinda wish they did keep the head swap in the final version? That would have been pretty twisted.

Ma is streaming now on Netflix.

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