The Alternate Ending To Guillermo Del Toro's Mimic That We Never Got To See

Contains spoilers for all endings of "Mimic"

If you're scared of cockroaches as they are, just try to imagine "Mimic's" extremely evolved and clever giant predator roach species – and count yourself lucky. "Mimic," the 1997 sophomore effort from director Guillermo Del Toro and his first Hollywood production, centered on the "Judas Breed," a new kind of cockroach capable of imitating the sounds of human prey. The married scientist couple (Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam) who accidentally created the conditions for the Judas Breed are now forced to destroy them before they overrun New York.

Del Toro's talent for dark visuals and strange creatures, used so brilliantly in his debut "Cronos," meant that he was a natural to take on "Mimic." But the movie's production was a huge debacle, in part because of Miramax producer Bob Weinstein, who clashed with Del Toro over different facets of production to the point that Del Toro came close to getting fired, according to a Rue Morgue interview with producer Cary Granat. While the director kept his job, he still didn't have the final cut, meaning the studio had a strong influence over the film and stuck to a happy ending.

It's too bad as both alternative endings to "Mimic" sound incredible and far better than the compromised theatrical cut.

The theatrical ending of "Mimic" is by and large a happy one akin to "Jaws," where the scientists successfully kill off the only male cockroach of the species while using a loose gas pipe to finish off the rest. The pair are then reunited by the closing credits.

The original filmed ending wasn't exactly a comforting one in comparison. The characters still meet up at Grand Central but are surrounded by the clicking noises of the insects – suggesting the Judas Breed roaches have successfully infiltrated the human population. Alas, this was rejected by test audiences in favor of the happier conclusion.

The original scripted ending, meanwhile, is absolutely wild. According to Del Toro, the central lesson of his original screenplay was "God saying, 'I'm done with you guys'" (per Den of Geek), as the roaches of the script weren't manufactured, but evolved to inherit the Earth from misguided humanity.

Instead of the last cockroach dying, it would have survived and confronted the character of Dr. Tyler (Sorvino), revealing itself to be a highly evolved specimen. The huge cockroach then forms a perfect imitation of a human being, pointing a finger at Tyler before speaking out loud in a single command: "Leave." It's an awesomely apocalyptic finish to a Miramax horror blockbuster.

Sadly we don't have either ending still, but Del Toro has expressed his satisfaction with the 2011 director's cut: "It's not exactly the movie I wanted to do, but it definitely healed a lot of wounds" (via Deadline). Meanwhile, a reboot series is all but certain.