7. Strangers On A Train
One of Hitchcock's finest films in my view, this 1951 film-noir tells the story of a dark proposition made by a sadistic stranger to a tennis pro during a chance encounter on a train. The idea was simple. Each of them wanted someone in their lives to disappear but to take care of it yourself would only make you the prime suspect. So the stranger suggests the following "I do your murder, you do my murder, criss-cross". What follows is a twisted and thrilling story of murder and suspense, all the hallmarks of classic Hitchcock. So why the remake? It has now been 62 years since "Strangers On A Train" came out. After such a long time, a remake is all but inevitable. We've already seen remakes or at least inspired reworkings of Hitchcock classics such as "Psycho" and "Rear Window", why not take the chance to modernise one of his most original stories? I doubt the man himself would object, having essentially remade one of his own films, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in 1956. The 1987 black comedy "Throw Momma From The Train" was inspired by Hitchcock's "Strangers On A Train" and while not exactly a remake, paid fitting tribute to it with not so subtle references (the train being the most obvious) and a comedic accompaniment that gave the murder swap premise a new approach which audiences warmed to, especially given the inspired castings of Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal.