Venom: Let There Be Carnage Almost Had A Much Different, Much Better Title
All of my favorite movie facts have to do with the movie titles that could have been. I don't care about Easter eggs or silly cast stories. I don't want to know about that time an actor almost died on set doing an extreme stunt. I just want to know that "Halloween" was almost called "The Babysitter Murders." I don't know what it is about finding out what movies where almost called, but it opens up an alternate dimension in my mind. It transports me to a world where movie titles are a little off kilter, or in this case, entirely influenced by British goth music.
Yes, you read that right, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" almost had a name that went full goth. In an interview with Collider, "Venom" director Andy Serkis gave us a peek into that alternate name dimension, saying:
"We did think for a moment it might be called 'Love Will Tear Us Apart,' that was a going concern for a little while. But 'Let There Be Carnage' just seems to do it. There wasn't a lot of fighting over the other titles we were thinking of. Because this was such a strong contender."
Andy Serkis Will Tear Us Apart Again
Sure, "Venom: Love Will Tear Us Apart" might have required shelling out some cash to the Joy Division estate, but can you imagine the marketing campaign they could have whipped up around that title alone? You could have a "Venom" version of the famous "Unknown Pleasures" album cover and a million "Venom" trailers featuring the haunting, gravelly song. I also bet they could have tricked more than a few music nerds into shelling out for tickets if they would have called it "Venom: Love Will Tear Us Apart." I'm mad just thinking about it. How could you have a title that cool and just throw it straight into your mind trash?
And while I'm very mad Serkis didn't say screw it to the legal department (assuming that was an issue) and go with it, this does make me wonder about the other goth songs that could have worked as "Venom" titles. "Venom: The Shadow of Love" kind of works, while "Venom: Bela Lugosi's Dead" makes no sense even though it's hilarious. "Venom: Black No. 1" and "Venom: The Killing Moon" could maybe be something if you squinted hard enough? I could try and pair goth songs with the "Venom" sequel for hundreds of words and it wouldn't be fun for anyone except me, but mark my words, you'll be thinking about this for longer than you should be. It's opened up an alternate dimension in your mind where a darker, weirder, sadder "Venom" movie exists. It's a shame we can't have it.