Spoiler warning; duh.

One of the things I loved about Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe is that it didn’t end with a button, and left me with a lot of questions. For example, how did he capture the initial girl in the first place? Was there a prequel in mind? Is there more about the blind man’s (played by Stephen Lang) history we don’t know? As for the conclusion, they never even set up a sequel, although they did reinforce that Lang’s character was in fact alive.

So, it made me think, was there more planned for the finale? I’m not one for epilogues, but this conclusion really felt anti-Hollywood, which surprised me quite a bit.

Doing some digging, I was able to learn that there was in fact a cute little button at the end of the film, one that was way more definitive, yet created even more questions. Was it shot? Yes. Why isn’t it in the film? I don’t know, but can speculate that either Alvarez wanted the ending to be more ominous and finite (in case they never make a sequel), or that this ending just created more confusion among casual viewers.

Here it is:

CUT TO: INT. BUS STATION LOBBY – NOON The midsize station is filled with commuters. People criss-cross through the lobby area. Rocky and Diddy walking ahead. Backpack with the money strapped on. The CAMERA drops low behind the two sisters as they disappear in the crowd. We hold a beat in this sea of legs, then — CLOSE ON: A cane enters the frame. Moving slowly, scanning every inch of the floor. FIN.

The more I think about the film, it becomes clear to me that the filmmakers made a strong attempt to keep information to an absolute minimum. The less that’s revealed, the scarier, IMO. Don’t Breathe is shrouded in confusion, but nothing that’s unrealistic, which I believe only heightened the experience. The decision to omit this ending, as cool as it may be, was a good one.

If you’re hoping to see the footage, I’ve got some good news for you. You won’t have to wait for the home video release as the extended ending is quite literally hiding within the red band trailer. Don’t believe me? Here’s the shot…