MovieChat Forums > Thinner (1996) Discussion > Did anyone else, like me, wanted to see ...

Did anyone else, like me, wanted to see the original BOOK ending?


Which also, for one, showed in detail the fate of Richie Ginnelli character who, SPOILERS ALERT, in the book dies and his hand covered in ball bearings was found in the car. (Would be interesting to see how that looks like in a film.)

In the film at best, his final fate remains uncertain, although those who may never have heard of and/or read the book, might assume from the film that he basically lives, and even if it is true, I kind of get the sense that at best, in the film it is left open ended, as is in a way the final fate of Billy.

But does anyone know, maybe there's a deleted scene or a workprint or maybe some fan fake video of Richie getting killed and having his severed hand covered in ball bearings, someone please post it, heck, in 2021, 25 years later after this film's release, we can have a GIF like this on WhatsApp,haha, Richie Ginnelli's hand in ball bearings, lol. :)

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Let's all organize petition for that gif, Richie Ginnelli's ball bearings-covered severed hand, to appear, lol, on WhatsApp and otherwise, lol. :) :) :)

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I think this detail might have been what test audiences hated and so the ending was changed. I also think that killing Richie would have been bad for the Romany since he was mob and that would not have been the end of it and would have made things worse for them.

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BUT, SPOILERS...

He (Richie) does die in the book.

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I agree.

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The book ending is the best but the film ending is good. The daughter will die from pie and I felt that Billy was going to kill himself too, just that he was going to take Dr Mikey with him. I also wasn’t sure if the wife and Dr Mikey were actually having an affair - the possibility that he had needlessly murdered his wife and the Dr added another level of horror and tragedy.

Interestingly, the director says that Billy was actually saving his daughter by eating the pie at the end, but the lighthouse bench scene in which this exposition was made clear didn’t work and audiences did not take away the ‘rules of the pie’ as intended. That would actually have been a weaker ending.

More details here: https://youtu.be/cy4ZHZGKG1o?si=YrguP2PKpxoiK9_7

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