Top 10 Most Shameless Horror Movie Ripoffs
#10: "Birdemic: Shock and Terror" (2010)
Have you ever wondered what Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" would look like with completely terrible acting and some of the worst special effects ever committed to film? Well, first of all, why are you wondering that, and secondly: have we got a movie for you! It's called "Birdemic: Shock and Terror," and it's gained a fairly large (and well-earned) reputation as, well, one of the not-greatest films ever made. This isn't to say that "Birdemic" isn't incredibly watchable, however, especially with a group of friends and some junk food. But yeah, ol' Hitch isn't exactly rolling in his grave with jealousy over this one.
#9: "Bloody Murder" (2000)
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You have to have some gall to create a film with a hockey-masked killer terrorizing camp counselors in the year 2000 and NOT expect backlash from "Friday the 13th" fans. That didn't seem to stop director Ralph E. Portillo and crew, however, from creating "Bloody Murder," which features exactly that...only without a lot of the fun. The reception to "Bloody Murder" was more or less poor from critics and fans, who didn't appreciate the lack of originality, nor the rather shallow acting, story or special effects. Horror fans can be very forgiving with their slasher faves, but the "Bloody Murder" franchise (yes, there was a sequel) rarely, if ever gets mentioned as one of the best.
#8: "Beyond the Door" (1974)
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"Beyond the Door" may be the first Italian exploitation movie on our list but trust us, it won't be the last. The country made a killing on the copycat game, from the sixties all the way through the nineties, with this film being just one of Italy's knock offs of "The Exorcist." "Beyond the Door" also has elements of "Rosemary's Baby" within its narrative of a Satanically possessed woman giving birth to the Antichrist, but what fans mainly remember about this drive-in and home video staple were the striking and goopy special effects. Head spins and projectile vomit gags are the order of the day here for "Beyond the Door," although we gotta admit that "The Exorcist" didn't have nearly as funky a soundtrack.
#7: "Dolly Dearest" (1991)
The "killer doll" subgenre of movies seems to be eternally popular with horror fans. but 1991's "Dolly Dearest" is perhaps one of the lesser-known examples of flicks indebted to Chucky and the "Child's Play" franchise. Maybe it's due to the film's limited theatrical run, or the fact that the legacy of "Dolly Dearest" on home video wasn't quite as popular as contemporaries like the "Puppet Master" franchise. This might actually make "Dolly Dearest" ripe for reinvestigation by horror fans who love the adventures of Annabelle in "The Conjuring" universe. After all, there's more than enough effort put into the doll effects here to give "Dolly Dearest" a place at your next retro movie night.
#6: "Robowar" (1988)
The plot of our next movie is a little bit of "Predator," a smattering of "Robocop" and a whole lot of Italian cheese. "Robowar" was the product of director Bruno Mattei and writer/director Claudio Fragasso, who collaborated with his wife Rosella Drudi on a number of infamous rip-offs, including "Troll 2." Don't expect even THAT level of budget with this film, however, as "Robowar" is very much a poverty row action flick. Commandos are taken out one by one in the jungle by a killer robot, only for it to be revealed at the end that the Omega-1 Hunter is actually a humanoid cyborg with a connection to our protagonist, played by exploitation veteran Reb Brown. It's cheap and trashy fun.
#5: "Demon Wind" (1990)
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Demons, a dilapidated old house and a couple of artifacts that are DEFINITELY not Kandarian Daggers from the "Evil Dead" franchise highlight this very strange horror hodgepodge. "Demon Wind" is something of a cult movie that's earned a following in recent years, after first gaining steam on the home video market. This low-budget shocker adapts much of its story from the aforementioned "Evil Dead," with a little "Night of the Demons" for good measure, but still manages to be tons of fun. There are wild special effects, amateurish acting and a seat-of-the-pants vibe to the filmmaking that makes "Demon Wind" fit in snugly amongst the movies that it uses as, uh, inspiration.
#4: "Shocking Dark" a.k.a. "Terminator 2" (1989)
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We return to Italy for our next pick, a little movie called "Shocking Dark" that was titled "Terminator 2" in certain areas… but actually rips off the plot to James Cameron's "Aliens." Confused yet? Don't worry, because the plot here will seem very familiar once you dive in. There are space marines, dangerous alien creatures and a cybernetic android relentlessly stalking the survivors… all delivered on the most micro budget imaginable. Fans of Italian trash cinema are probably familiar with this ripoff, but for those uninitiated into this wacky world, the mere existence of "Shocking Dark" may seem like some sort of fever dream. But nope... this is actually a thing.
#3: "Abby " (1974)
You've got to love when a director fully cops to riding on the success of a more popular film to make his own. The Blaxploitation boom was already in full swing by the time William Girdler decided to rip off "The Exorcist" for this new genre. "Abby" was even subtitled "The Black Exorcist" in some areas, making no bones about the fact that it borrows heavily from William Friedkin's masterpiece. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers weren't too keen on Girdler's brazenness, and sued to have the film yanked from theaters, feeling that "Abby" infringed on their copyright. To this day, only rough 16mm prints of the film seem to exist on home video, with a properly restored version of "Abby" still unrealized.
#2: "Great White" (1981)
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As we’ve seen, some of the movies on this list have been low-budget copycats that sank without a trace during their initial release. Enzo Castellari's "Great White" is something of an outlier, however, because it actually made a TON of money. That is, until Universal successfully lobbied for it to be pulled, due to this Italian film basically ripping off the plot to "Jaws" in a fashion similar to that of "Orca" in 1977. This wouldn't be the last time this sort of thing would happen either, as Bruno Mattei's "Cruel Jaws" was actually released as "Jaws 5" in some countries. That film even featured scenes that were stolen from "Great White," making the world of Jawsploitation just a little bit more weird. Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable — or dishonorable — mentions: "Offerings" (1989) Another Film Deeply Indebted to John Carpenter's "Halloween" "The Bees" (1978) Its Similarity to “The Swarm” Really Killed the Buzz "Ghoulies" (1985) Because Tiny Terrible Creatures Were Big Business in a Post-"Gremlins" World "Blood Diner" (1987) So Close in Concept to "Blood Feast" That It Was Actually First Conceived as a Sequel
#1: "Mahakaal" (1994)
Ok, so are you ready for a Bollywood version of "A Nightmare on Elm Street?" No? Well, you're getting it anyway for our number one pick! "Mahakaal" began production in the late ‘80s, but didn't see release until 1994. Not that it really matters, because any film THIS willing to adapt such a well-known property has some serious brass… claws? Yeah, "Mahakaal" goes FULL Freddy Krueger here, albeit with the same breaks for songs and dance for which countless classic Bollywood films are known. There's even a supporting character with a serious Michael Jackson fetish who has NO qualms about oversharing. It's the sort of one-of-a-kind copycat that practically BEGS to be watched. Enjoy!
