9 Remakes That Were More Influential Than The Original

8. The Thing

The Thing From Another World is a classic b-movie from 1951 and features a group of scientists in the Antarctic encountering a plant-like alien; one that looks suspiciously like a bloke in a monster suit. The film is also a favourite of director John Carpenter, who initially baulked at the offer of remaking it until he realised he could do something completely different.

He went back to the original book - which featured a monster who could imitate other forms of life – which led to the groundbreaking design of The Thing. Although the movie wasn’t initially a hit it’s reputation steadily grew over time, with fans loving the mix of paranoia, great acting and the amazing effects.

The film would prove to have a big effect on filmmakers like Chuck Russell and Quentin Tarantino, with Reservoir Dogs and The Hateful Eight practically being spiritual sequels. The latter movie in particular – featuring an all-male cast stranded in a snowy location and paranoid of one other – is the closest to a real sequel we’ll ever get. Hell, it even has Kurt Russell and his awesome facial hair!