I've already given countless examples of filmmakers taking the piss, but now shit is upgraded to a more obscure level.
Miscellany
Dark Waters (2019) vs Erin Brockovich (2000)
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) vs Carry On Cowboy (1965)
The Heat (2013) vs The Guard (2011)
Heathers (1988) vs Massacre at Central High (1976)
Unfriended: Dark Web (2018) vs The Den aka Hacked (2013)
The Wraith (1986) vs The California Kid (1974)
The Wild (2006) vs Madagascar (2005)
Dark Universe (1993) vs First Man into Space (1959)
Xtro (1982) vs Inseminoid (1981)
Source Code (2011) vs Dèjá Vu (2006)
Monsters, Inc. (2001) vs Little Monsters (1989)
The Big Chill (1983) vs The Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980)
Wings (2012) vs Cars (2006)
Earth vs. the Spider (2001) vs The Fly (1986)
The Last House on the Left (1972) vs The Virgin Spring (1960)
Munchies (1987) vs Gremlins (1984)
Motel Hell (1980) vs Eaten Alive (1976)
The Prowler (1981) vs My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Doom: Annihilation (2019) vs Aliens (1986)
Bite (2015) vs The Fly (1986)
Nightlight (2015) vs The Blair Witch Project (1999)
A Star is Born (1937) vs What Price Hollywood? (1932)
The Shape of Water (2017) vs Revenge of the Creature (1955)
Goodnight Mommy (2014) vs A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Meat and gravy
Summary and/or background history is at my discretion.
Countdown (2019) vs Bedeviled (2016)
Both concern 'killer apps', with supernatural bastard responsible.
To be honest, the former also smells of Final Destination and Ring.
Ironically, P. J. Byrne (Final Destination 5) stars as excitable priest Father John.
The River Murders (2011) vs Striking Distance (1993)
Lead officer investigating a series of murders realise that victims are either women he's previously banged or been in a relationship with.
Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014) vs Texas Chainsaw (2013)
Central protagonists inherit a swanky building and discover they're related to something nasty.
Still, at least the buzz of Leatherface's chainsaw is better than incestuous cannibal sex cult.
Good People (2014) vs Shallow Grave (1994)
Tenant dies from a drug overdose leaving a wedge of cash.
Having a good time has consequences.
Heartstopper (2006) vs Shocker (1989)
Prior to being executed in the electric chair, a serial killer made a deal with the Devil.
The Tortured (28 August 2010) vs 7 Days (22 January 2010)
Parents sabotage prison transport and introduce their son's/daughter's murderer to pain.
The Island (2005) vs Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)
A facility breeds clones to harvest organs for the rich.
Found (2012) vs Fade to Black (1980)
Horror movies become all too real for a lonely individual.
iGirlfriend (2016) vs Weird Science (1985)
Nerdy kids design a virtual woman who comes to life.
The twist is that apart from modern day tech (iPhone app replaces computer), bitch tries to murder its creator.
The Roommate (2011) vs Single White Female (1992)
Zero subtlety here.
If marketed as a remake, then no problem, but by failing to make that admission...
The Quest (1996) vs Bloodsport (1988)
In his directorial debut, the Muscles from Brussels decided to imitate what made him a household name.
Suffice to say, it wasn't very good.
Full Love (2010) would be the only other addition to his CV.
The Invisible Man (2020) vs Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Wife flees from abusive husband.
Ignoring sci-fi undertones, similarities are undeniable.
Shit man, they even live by the sea.
Hard Candy (2005) vs Extremities (1986)
The tables are turned on a sexual predator.
Blood Diner (1987) vs Blood Feast (1963)
Stand-alone film was conceived as a sequel, but Jackie Kong (great name by the way) decided to rehash original instead.
Actual remake was brought by Marcel Walz in 2017 and belated sequel All U Can Eat was released in 2002.
Dementia 13 (1963) vs Psycho (1960)
Orders were passed by producer Roger Corman for Francis Ford Coppola to create a trashy rip-off with more gore.
It was remade in 2017.
One Tough Cop (1998) vs Bad Lieutenant (1992)
The murder of a nun complicates the life of a drug-addicted cop in debt to loan sharks.
Despite resembling Abel Ferrera's film, Werner Herzog insists Port of Call New Orleans (2009) is neither a sequel or remake.
Hmmm.
Mortal Kombat (1995) vs Enter the Dragon (1973)
Characters and scenes mirror (pun intended) the ultimate martial arts epic.
Still, gotta admire hammy acting, curious omission of gore and laughable nods to video game franchise.
Flawless Victory.
The Horseman (2008) vs Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
Following the drug-induced death of his daughter, father is sent a snuff sex tape, which spells trouble for those involved.
Plot may be different, but Australian revenge thriller clearly noted Shane Meadows' gritty classic.
The Fan (1996) vs The Fan (1981)
Films of same name (obviously ignoring remakes/reboots) are usually chalk and cheese, but here's an exception to the rule.
De Niro stalks Wesley Snipes' baseball pro and Michael Biehn goes for Lauren Bacall's stage actress.
Oh, The Fanatic (2019) is already infamous for all the wrong reasons.
The Strangers (2008) vs Them¹ (2006)
A couple's idyllic break is ruined by mysterious assailants.
Title card claims French horror is 'based on real events'.
¹ntbcw Them! (1954).
Midsommar (2019) vs Midsommer (2003)
Ari Aster's unrelated follow up to Hereditary takes multiple cues from The Wicker Man (1973), but I suggest something far more sinister
If name wasn't similar enough, here's the gist of Danish horror.
To get over his sister's suicide, Christian and friends visit Sweden for a certain festival, but supernatural presence poops on party.
WHAT?
Okay, there's no ghost, but even so.
America reset locale and remade it as Solstice in 2008.
Cheap Thrills (2013) vs 13: Game of Death (2006)
How far would you go for money?
At one point in dark Thai comedy (adapted from manga My Mania), contestant is forced to literally eat shit.
(Wretches).
Dolly Dearest (1991) vs Child's Play (1988)
By the time blatant rip-off was released, Child's Play 3 was out.
Keep up for Christ's sake.
Rather bizarrely, Zapatlela (1993) is the Marathi-language version of Child's Play.
Patrick² (1 October 1978) vs The Medusa Touch (7 April 1978)
Hospitalised patients unleash psychokinetic powers.
²Popularised Ozploitation and remade in 2013.
Ma (2019) vs Misery (1990)
Let's look at some parallels of how antagonist mimics Annie's behaviour .
Holding prisoner hostage;
Forcing meds down their throat;
Tying whoever to bed and torturing them; and
Gunning down cop when rumbled.
Necromentia (2009) vs Hellraiser (1987)
The lives of four people are explored through a tattooed Ouija board.
Hell and 'cenobites' await.
Southern Comfort (1981) vs Deliverance (1972)
A group of men clash with hostile locals and quickly regret doing so.
Don't go squealing like pigs now yer' hear?
Apocalypto (2006) vs The Naked Prey (1965)
A man must survive the pursuit of a vicious tribe.
House of 9 (2005) vs Cube (1997)
Nine strangers who don't know each other from Adam are drugged, kidnapped and sealed in a house together and tasked to figure shit out.
Premise is nigh on identical to Saw II, which was released a few months later.
Coincidence? Who knows?
Making Contact aka Joey (1985) vs Poltergeist (1982)
A ventriloquist dummy possessed by a demon terrorises a young boy.
Joey enters the spirit realm to destroy the evil.
Telekinesis mixes things up.
House of Wax (2005) vs Tourist Trap (1979)
Aside from title and setting, remake has jack shit to do with 1953 film of same name, which itself, is a remake of Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).
However, it shares a LOT more in common with something else.
Outland (1981) vs High Noon (1952)
Plot is thematically the same, only on Jupiter's moon Io.
Sean Connery's Marshal O'Niel is Gary Cooper's Will Kane.
Sweetheart (2019)
Blumhouse effort begins as Cast Away (2000) and becomes Predator (1987).
Interesting combination yes?
Whatever, humanoid sea monster sucks ass.
Evil Clutch (1988) vs The Evil Dead (1981)
Demon takes the human form of a seductive succubus.
From the swooping camera and gory goo, influence is there for all to see.
In Time (2011) vs Logan's Run (1976)
People are genetically engineered to not age when they reach the age of 25.
Once this happens, a one year countdown appears on their forearm and when 'timed out', die instantly.
In LR, everybody is destroyed when they hit 30 (film) or 21 (novel).
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) vs Carrie (1976)
Due to Paramount failing to reach an agreement with New Line, instead of Freddy vs. Jason, we got Jason vs. Carrie, err Tina.
Although Freddy's hand popping up at the end of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) officially teased shit, eagerly anticipated match-up wouldn't come to fruition until 2003.
Contracted (2013) vs Thanatomorphose (2012)
After having sex, a woman's body slowly decomposes.
Home straight
Final section begins with two budget shy Alien (1979) knock-offs.
Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)
A pot was found at the end of a galactic rainbow.
Unfortunately, it contained shit rather than gold.
Due to the inclusion of marines, Aliens can be thrown in too.
This was the last entry to use number in title.
But what about Back 2 tha' Hood (2003)?
Nah, play-on words don't count.
Dracula 3000 (2004)
Count Orlock (what the Nosferatu?) is the xeno aboard the Demeter.
(Sigh).
For the record, this is not a direct sequel to Dracula 2000, as number in title refers to year set.
Virus aka Hell of the Living Dead (1980) vs Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Instead of shopping mall, we get laboratory in Papua New Guinea.
It makes no bastard difference.
Watchers 3 (1994) vs Predator (1987)
Following the result of a top secret government experiment, a group of ex-military convicts are sent to the jungles of South America to destroy creature called the Outsider.
As with original and sequel, there's a hyper intelligent golden retriever that's psychically connected to monster.
The Crazies (1973) vs Doomwatch³ (1972)
A military plane carrying a bio-weapon codenamed 'Trixie' crash-lands and contaminates the water supply, causing people to either die or become homicidal.
Water is contaminated by chemical dumping and anybody who eats fish subsequently caught will become deformed and murderous.
Accusing the great George Romero of foul play?
May God forgive me.
³Adapted from BBC TV series of same name.
Showdown (1993) vs The Karate Kid (1984)
The first derivative of 80's classic was No Retreat, No Surrender (1986).
Anyway.
New kid on the block Ken clashes with Tom who's proficient in karate. Ex-cop now school janitor teaches Ken how to defend himself.
Ken (Daniel)
Tom (Johnny)
Billy (Mr. Miyagi)
Sensei Lee (Kreese)
Julie (Ali)
For shits and giggles, Hilary Swank played another Julie in The Next Karate Kid (1994).
Ken befriends Mike (who provides comic relief) and Brion James is Vice-President Kowalski, which is a probably a nod to Blade Runner (1982).
Campus rules are a giant list of things you can't do.
No... smoking, profanity, graffiti, fighting, weapons or sex.
Killjoys.
Billy gets Ken into shape by getting him to clean toilets and mopping floors. During which, Ken quips "I get it! By the time this is over, I'm going to learn some karate stuff, right? It's like wax on, wax off, paint the fence, sand the floor."
Funny.
About halfway through, Robert Radler rips up rule book by introducing an illegal fighting tournament, a la his very own Best of the Best 2 (1993).
After Ken defeats Tom, Lee beats the shit out of student, with baddie taking on Billy and ultimately losing.
The crazy thing is that Jeff Wadlow stole concept for Never Back Down (2008).
Zombies: The Beginning (2007) vs Aliens (1986)
Picking up immediately after Island of the Living Dead (2006) left off, marines investigate an undead outbreak on a remote island.
Congratulations Bruno Mattei - you've somehow managed to trump Shocking Dark (1989).
Sharon (Ripley)
Taylor (Hicks)
Thompson (Hudson)
Young (male Vasquez)
Barker (Burke)
Jurgens (Gorman)
Just after 'Med Lab', here's next scene in full.
Taylor: I don't understand. Why would he do such a thing?
Sharon: He wanted to make sure these creatures get back to Tyrel Incorporated in one piece.
Taylor: Yeah, but we would have stopped him.
Sharon: It was the only thing he could do to make sure nobody could stop him by falling prey to a zombie like what he did to me. Then once he got back, he could make up any old story.
Thompson: Consider yourself dead asshole.
Barker: These are just words, you don't know what you're saying. You're still in shock.
Sharon: You know what Barker, I don't know what species is the worst. You, or Tyrel Incorporated, or those zombies out there.
Thompson: Let's put him out of his misery.
Sharon: No! He must return.
Rings a bell, right?
No?
Well maybe this will convince you.
Hudson: I say we grease this rat-fuck-son-of-a-bitch right now.
Hicks: It just doesn't make any goddamn sense.
Ripley: He figured that he could get an alien back through quarantine, if one of us was... impregnated... or whatever you call it, and then frozen for the trip home. Nobody would know about the embryos we were carrying... me and Newt.
Hicks: Wait a minute, now... we'd all know.
Ripley: Yes. The only way he could do it is if he sabotaged certain freezers on the way home... namely yours. Then he could jettison the bodies and make up any story he liked.
Hudson: Fuck. He's dead. You're dog-meat pal!
Burke: This is so... nuts. I mean, listen - to what you're saying. It's paranoid delusion. How - it's really sad. It's pathetic.
Ripley: You know Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.
Hicks: Alright, we waste him. No offence.
Ripley: No! He's gotta go back.
Regrettably, there isn't a Zombie Queen.
Sharon finds the nest and learns that disembodied brain (dubbed Monster Experiment) uses human hosts to bear demonic children.
She torches offspring and 'father' inexplicably explodes.
Can it get any worse?
Find out next time.
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