3. Shocking Dark Is Not The Terminator 2 You're Looking For
The first Terminator film didn't give much of a clue as to what was to come. James Cameron's directorial film debut proper is a small, cheaply-made, but effective sci-fi thriller that's very much of its era. The follow-up kicked things up a notch to an unprecedented degree: a greatly improved budget, yes, but also an expanded scope with even more time travelling, a friendly Arnie, a Guns 'N' Roses soundtrack and ground-breaking special effects. It took seven years for Cameron to make T-2, and all that time between the first instalment and Judgement Day was apparently not fast enough for one enterprising group of filmmakers. In 1990, Terminator II hit video stores of a less discerning nature; otherwise known as Alienators and Contaminator, it was actually filmed under the name Shocking Dark. Most bizarrely, it ripped off a totally different Cameron film. Shocking Dark was in fact more of a take on Aliens, courtesy of Italian director Bruno Mattei. It's essentially a frame-for-frame remake of that first Alien sequel, subbing in the useless Burke character for a lumbering, shiny, Terminator-esque cyborg. Two Cameron rip-offs for the price of one! Mattei made a habit of blockbuster rip-offs, including the aforementioned Jaws 5.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
