Infuriated by this atrocity, the colonists declare war on the Native people and Roger, distraught by the severe consequences of his action, promptly commits suicide.

The Puritans are more concerned with concealing the conflict from England than harassing Hester any further; she finally abandons her scarlet letter and departs with Dimmesdale for Carolina.

Reportedly, star Demi Moore wanted a score by Barry from the start (based on the composer's work on Indecent Proposal), so Bernstein's music was not going to be accepted, regardless of quality.

[8][9] Washington Post writer Amy E. Schwartz observed the critical reaction to the "nutty" film: "Phrases like 'unintentionally funny' and 'unwittingly hilarious' have gotten a considerable workout, along with variations on the judgment pronounced by the woman who was two seats away... and who, when the lights went up, cried, 'That's got to be the worst movie I've ever seen'.

"[8] More forgiving was Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle, who found it to be a "well-acted, beautiful movie", despite the "syrupy orchestral score" and "big liberties taken with Hawthorne's story".

[10] Multiple critics named the film the worst of 1995;[11][12][13] Deseret News writer Chris Hicks argued that its deviation from the source material represents "Hollywood's arrogance in its purest form".

[1] In a retrospective article, Kevin Williamson of National Review observed a "combination of awfulness and inexplicability", and claimed that "any objective and authoritative analysis will reveal that the worst film ever made is Demi Moore's version of The Scarlet Letter".

The site's critical consensus reads, "The Scarlet Letter strays far from its classic source material to tell a story that strains for steamy sensuality and leaves the audience red with unintentional laughter.