Death Becomes Her 25th anniversary: 12 things あなた may not know about the classic comedy 

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The film’s special effects were pretty explosive in 1992 (Picture: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

Death Becomes Her might not have given Meryl Streep one of her 20 Oscar nominations, but it remains one of the most entertaining movies on her five decade-spanning career.

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The story of two lifelong rivals who try to cheat the ageing process with the aid of a magic potion, Robert Zemeckis’ wonderfully camp black comedy reaches the quarter of a century today.

To celebrate, here’s a look at 12 things you may not know about the 1992 hit.

Reviews at the time of Death Becomes Her’s 1992 release were decidedly mixed, but it still managed to bag a coveted Oscar.

The film picked up Best Visual Effects ahead of Alien 3 and Batman Returns, and also won a BAFTA and Saturn Award in the same category.

However, Streep wasn’t a fan of how much the film relied on its award-winning special effects.

The screen legend described the shoot as tedious and ‘like being at the dentist,’ and claimed it would be her ‘first, last and only’ effects-driven movie.

Guess we shouldn’t expect her to turn up in a superhero universe any time soon.

One of the film’s most famous scenes sees Goldie Hawn’s aspiring writer Helen Sharp and Streep’s Broadway star Madeline Ashton go head-to-head in an increasingly brutal fight scene.

But Hawn was left (faintly) scarred for life during its filming when she was accidentally hit in the face with a shovel by her co-star.

Death Becomes Her was released in the States on the final weekend in July 1992, the same date that Buffy The Vampire Slayer the movie also hit the big screen.

But the original version of Joss Whedon’s fantasy was no match for the dream team of Streep, Hawn and Willis.

Death Becomes Her reached number one with takings of $12m, while Buffy could only manage $4.5m to land at No.5.

5. Bruce Willis wasn’t the first choice to play Ernest

Bruce Willis picked up an American Comedy Award nomination for his performance as Madeline’s alcoholic long-suffering husband Ernest.

But he was only given the role after producers’ first choice, Kevin Kline, pulled out.

Robert Zemeckis is perhaps best-known for directing the iconic Back To The Future trilogy, which explains why Death Becomes Her features a subtle reference to the adventures of Marty McFly.

Helen first drinks the potion on October 26, 1985, which just happens to be the present date in the original Back To The Future.

7. Isabella Rossellini’s nude body double is now a star in her own right

Best-known for starring in and co-producing Hallmark Channel fantasy series The Good Witch, Catherine Bell, above, has also enjoyed recurring roles in Army Wives and JAG, as well as a major part in recent Adam Sandler comedy The Do-Over.

But one of her first Hollywood jobs was to pose as Isabella Rossellini’s nude body double in Death Becomes Her.

Death Becomes Her was originally intended to be a follow-up to Tales From The Crypt, the 1972 British horror anthology which also spawned a successful HBO TV series.

Although Zemeckis’ offering became a movie in its own right, its trailer still featured a snippet of Danny Elfman’s Tales From The Crypt score.

Tracey Ullman was supposed to play a bartender in the movie (Picture: Getty)

Death Becomes Her was supposed to be a reunion between Plenty co-stars Streep and Tracey Ullman, but the latter’s performance was left on the cutting room floor after failing to impress test audiences.

The British comedian was cast as Toni, a bartender who helps Ernest fake his own death so then they can run away together.

However, early viewers wanted a darker ending, and so Ullman’s scenes were removed.

However, Ullman’s performance didn’t entirely disappear into the Hollywood vaults forever.

Despite not featuring in the finished film, the star can be briefly seen on two occasions in the early Death Becomes Her trailer.

Death Becomes Her appeared to undergo some major last-minute editing judging by the amount of footage that appears in the trailer but not in the actual film.

Madeline driving down a sunny street in her convertible; Ernest dragging a frostbitten Madeline up the stairs; and Madeline’s agent discussing her client with a young woman at a book party were just some of the shots that went missing after appearing in the first preview.

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Alongside Ernest’s fake death plot, another alternate ending was proposed but eventually scrapped in the scripting stage.

It saw Helen and Madeline stealing a car to chase after Ernest before driving off a cliff in an accident similar to the one Helen had previously planned to stage early in the film.

The two characters would then emerge from the burning wreckage as charred skeletons.

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