10 Horror Movie Remakes That Were TOTALLY Different

1942's original Cat People - a horror centered around a woman (Simone Simon) who believes she will turn into a panther when sexually aroused - was produced in a more demure, creatively constrained era where director Jacques Tourneur had to merely imply the story's sexual overtones.

It's certainly an envelope-pushing piece of work for its time, but for the 1982 remake, director Paul Schrader opted to eschew any and all subtlety whatsoever, delivering a scandalously sexy erotic horror that went to all the places the '42 film couldn't.

But Schrader's remake is far more than a mere sexed-up retelling filled with nudity and violence: it also takes the basic, elemental premise of the original story and contorts it in a more twisted, melodramatic direction.

Perhaps most notably, there's the inclusion of an incestual subplot by way of protagonist Irena's (Nastassja Kinski) brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell), who wishes to mate with his sister.

Schrader also decides to explore the cat-people mythology in far greater detail, with some visually striking sequences depicting their origins.

And additionally, there's the mesmerising synth score from Giorgio Moroder and title track by David Bowie, both of which help lend the remake a totally different flavour to its predecessor.

They're both great films, and though the '42 original is considerably more acclaimed, it's also an undeniable product of its time, unable to capture the red-blooded vigour that made the remake so memorable.