Editorials
Sincerest Form of Flattery: 5 Horror Knockoffs
The term “mockbuster” is defined by Wikipedia (the only source for accurate information…right?) as follows:
“…a movie created with the intention of piggy-backing on the publicity of a major movie with a similar title or subject or both.”
The term has clawed its way into the popular lexicon thanks in most part to The Asylum and their blatant “confuse the consumer” products such as Snakes on a Train, The Da Vinci Treasure, and When a Killer Calls. The Asylum’s first mockbuster, The War of the Worlds, wasn’t released until ’05; naturally, it coincided with the release of Stephen Spielberg’s mega-budget adaptation.
The Italians created a boon industry in the late 70s/early 80s of rehashed plots, soundalike titles, and “unofficial” sequels. There’s an upcoming doc called Remake, Remix, Rip-off (which I’m dying to see) that covers numerous Turkish “remakes” such as Turkish Star Wars. Cheap knock offs have been around as long as producers realized they could get away with it, and there are no signs of the trend slowing down. It even appears that big ol’ Hollywood could be getting into the act.
Recently, Brad took the new film, Life, to task for appearing to be an Alien clone. I’m not sure I agree with that sentiment just yet, but I also happen to be a huge fan of Alien knockoffs. B-grade riffs on Ridley Scott’s terrifying “old dark house in space” have turned in some of my favorite Corman pictures. Life is far from low budget, however. Instead, the upcoming film announced from Michael Bay sounds like a far stronger contender for this particular list: Little America is a “if they sued that other movie, they’re certainly coming for you” level take off of Escape from New York.
Now that the mini history lesson is out the way, let’s get to it. Here are 5 horrific horror ripoffs (in no particular order) that have no shame in their copycat game. (NOTE: Being labeled a “ripoff of” does not inherently make a movie bad in my opinion. I actually enjoy some of these films on a purely, brainless, B-movie level. Take of that what you will. Cheers!)
1. Offerings (1989)
First, there was Michael Myers. Now, there is John Radley. The plot of this low budget 1989 slasher flick is…well…it’s Halloween with a few absurd additions. John is a mute who suffers verbal and possible physical abuse at home. He tortures his pets out of frustration (perhaps Rob Zombie was confused and actually thought he was remaking this film). In a terrible accident brought on by local bullies, John falls to the bottom of a well, leaving him terribly burned(?). After ten years in a comatose state, he escapes from the mental hospital to begin seeking his revenge.
Right from the jump, Offerings knows what it is and is totally okay with it. The score alternates between interesting original synth to a complete copy of Carpenter’s daunting piano notes. There’s a local professor who was “involved in the case”, but it’s never really explained what his connection is to the killer. He exists solely because, well, they needed their own Dr. Loomis. Johnny doesn’t wear a mask but sports some spiffy blue overalls to silently stalk his victims, occasionally popping out of the shadows to attack.
As cheapy-cheap as this movie is, the pace moves quickly, the kills are inventive if not terribly gory, and the finale is one big chase scene. When it comes to passable, low-grade, 80’s slasher cheese – that’s about all I could ask for.
2. Creature (1985)
Creature tells the tale of space geologists who make the fatal mistake of responding to a distress signal from a rival German ship. It turns out they’ve just landed themselves smack dab in the feeding grounds of a viscous, slimy, black skinned alien being. Insanity ensues! William Malone (House on Haunted Hill, Feardotcom) directs his second feature, utilizing leftover sets and props from Roger Corman’s Forbidden World (also an Alien impostor).
The truth is there are a ton of movies whose inspiration could be traced back to Ridley Scott’s seminal film (itself reportedly inspired by Bava’s Planet of the Vampires). Creature takes the intergalactic cake for one reason alone, the actual “creature” design. One look at this thing and there is no question Giger and the Xenomorph were being, let’s say, re-interpreted here.
3. Bloody Murder (2000)
You need only look at the cover for this early 2000’s video store mainstay, which somehow spawned two sequels, to tell exactly what’s getting the rip-off treatment. Yes, Friday the 13th is hardly the most original film to begin with and countless other flicks have dared to venture into a secluded campground with a masked murderer on the loose (Joe D’Amato’s Bodycount is a fun Italian take on the subgenre), but none have ever been so egregious as this. Bloody Murder‘s legendary killer is a scrawny dweeb by the name of Trevor Moorehouse who wears a hockey mask!
The filmmakers weren’t even trying on this one. I really hate to say that as no one sets out to make a terrible film, but sometimes “terrible” does happen. It’s just that in this instance, it’s hard to imagine director Ralph Potillo was really trying to create anything beyond a paycheck. Considering this came out in the post-Scream era there’s still some knowing winks and poor attempts at humor sprinkled throughout. Once the credits have rolled, the gravest sin of all, however, is Bloody Murder is bloody boring. Ay, see what I did there?
4. Demon Wind (1990)
Do you love The Evil Dead? So do the filmmakers of Demon Wind! Okay, maybe that’s not entirely fair. They also seem to really love Night of the Demons, but…mostly The Evil Dead. This is a super cheese-ball flick about a group of friends who escape for a weekend away to a decrepit cabin in the middle of nowhere. They unknowingly unleash an ancient evil, a barrage of body jumping demons.
Lest you think “demons” and “cabin” are the only ED connection, may I point out a big book o’ magic and an ancient blade that may be the only saving grace for our hapless group? Demon Wind will try the patience of some while for others it may prove an amazing movie night flick to share with a group of pals. The effects are generally abysmal, but they’re gooey and repulsive enough to elicit the desired effect.
What’s better is that once you think the main cast has been whittled down, leaving scant opportunity for further bloodshed, along come another group of friends to join the party. This happens TWO TIMES! It’s as if the the writer/directer was on page 30 of his script (and subsequently page 60) and thought, “Damn. I need more people to kill. I’ve got an idea!” You’ll know if this is your bag from the trailer. If so, I highly recommend you track it down!
5. Shocking Dark/AKA Terminator II (1989)
Wow. With this movie we get a twofer. Not only is Shocking Dark a complete rip-off of James Cameron’s Aliens, it’s also an unofficial sequel to James Cameron’s Terminator. That’s right, this film was released as Terminator II in several countries. While the plot itself is pretty much all “bad ass military types must infiltrate a colony where all communications have been lost, only to discover rabid monsters dead-set on their demise.” The final act does shift gears into Terminator mode, just in time to justify that alternate title. And, boy howdy, when it does! It’s an insane amalgam of explosions, surprise robot reveals, and time travel.
The military grunts are all tough as nails archetypes copied from Cameron’s original film. For our heroine, we’re given a “scientist” as Bo-bo Ripley whose maternal instincts kick in upon discovering Bo-bo Newt. Unfortunately, she doesn’t elicit much in the way of confidence. She appears utterly perplexed and aimless in every close-up. In other words – you’ve got to see this movie!
This freshly grated Romano cheese is another Italian import from knockoff king, Bruno Mattei. This man has brought us such classics as Cruel Jaws, Hell of the Living Dead (which actually uses Dawn of the Dead’s score in places without any permission what-so-ever), and Robowar (AKA Robocop No. 2). Robowar is interesting in that, much like Shocking Dark, it’s a mashup of two different pre-existing films: it’s obvious namesake and Predator.
FYI: That terrifying, half naked, screaming man was a legit bumper. Variations of this were added to trailers released by the Japanese company, Caution Video.
Have you seen any of the knockoffs on this list? Did I not include your favorite copycat? Sound off below!
Also, I quickly wanted to thank those of you who have welcomed me to BD. I appreciate it and hope you’ve been enjoying my stuff. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions below or you can always hit me up on Twitter here.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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