In honor of this week’s release of the reboot/remake of the 80s classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, here’s the Top Ten Movies You Don’t Know Are Remakes.
While doing research I was going to do a general Top Ten Remakes list, but I discovered a lot of films that I personally didn’t know were remakes. Many people today believe that the art of the remake in Hollywood is new, but that isn’t true. Here’s a list of some that you might not know are actually remakes:
10. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (dir. Frank Oz)
This film was originally made in 1960, where a horticulturist’s curiosity gets the better of him after he adopts an odd looking plant he discovers it feeds only on human blood. Music and Steve Martin playing the sadistic dentist makes this one of those movies that I enjoyed as a child and has become exponentially better as I grew older.
9. The Birdcage (1996) (dir. Mike Nichols)
This movie was introduced to the world in 1978, but back then it was known as La Cage aux Folles. Nathan Lane and Robin Williams star in this brilliant gay comedy about two men in a serious relationship trying to do something for Williams‘ character’s son, by pretending to be straight for one night while they meet their soon to be in-laws.
8. Munich (2005) (dir. Steven Spielberg)
The brilliant 2005 film that accounted the assassination missions that were done in direct retaliation for the murder of the Israeli athletes and the 1972 Munich Olympics. This was originally called Sword of Gideon in 1986. It’s great to see it through Spielberg‘s eye though. He has a sense of the spectacular and how to make scenes grow in tension from moment to moment.
7. Vanilla Sky (2001) (dir. Cameron Crowe)
Four years prior to the release of this film there was a foreign film that came first. In 1997, the movie was called Abre Los Ojos. I haven’t seen the original but I actually do love this Cameron Crowe film with Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.
6. The Bourne Identity (2002) (dir. Doug Liman)
This one is tricky now. This one was originally made into a made for TV film (of the same name) in 1988 with Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne. It’s a remake in my eyes. Based on the famed Robert Ludlum novels we watch as Jason Bourne travel around Europe trying not to get killed by the CIA while at the same time trying to figure out who he is.
5. True Lies (1994) (dir. James Cameron)
James Cameron‘s cinematic opus long before he made Avatar is a remake of the french film La Totale (1991). Except this version is so much better because it stars Arnie.
4. The Thing (1982) (dir. John Carpenter)
This one is based on the 1952 science-fiction film The Thing from Another World. We watch Kurt Russell and his friends try to survive this invasion by this ‘Thing’ that taking residence inside of them and copying them. It’s science-fiction/horror at it’s greatest.
3. Heat (1995) (dir. Michael Mann)
In 1989 Michael Mann made a TV film by the name of L.A. Takedown. If you don’t believe me check out the video below of the robbery scene from the TV movie. Do you think it looks familiar?
2. Twelve Monkeys (1995) (dir. Terry Gilliam)
When this film was originally released it was in 1962 and it was then called La Jetee. Terry Gilliam explores the weirdness of time travel while at the same time showing us what it would be like if the deadly disease was released into the world.
1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) (dir. Sergio Leone)
For those of you who don’t know, the man with no name didn’t originate in Italy but rather in Japan. The original to this was released in 1961 and was directed by the great Akira Kurosawa. Back then though, it was called Yojimbo. To this day my father refuses to believe that this movie is a remake and due to his inability to want to watch a movie with subtitles, I can’t get him to watch the original. However, just imagine this movie amplified by 1000 and you’ll understand how awesome Yojimbo really is.
What are your favorite remakes?