10 Knock Off Horror Movies That Are Worth Watching

Knocked Off - The Evil Dead

Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods is like a treasure trove of horror knock-offs. It imitates so many paranormal flicks, slashers, and monster movies, the film would be regarded as a parody if it didn't have some genuinely scary and unnerving moments. Although the writers drew inspiration from every scary movie you could imagine, the premise is basically a retelling of The Evil Dead. Like Sam Raimi's classic, the story begins with a bunch of college students hanging out in a dilapidated house for the weekend. After reading an incantation from an old diary, the gang accidentally resurrect an army of ghouls.

The Cabin in the Woods makes no effort to hide where it draws its inspiration. (Like The Evil Dead, the zombies are referred to as Deadites.) However, this premise is deliberately misleading. Even though most of the first half follows the tired horror movie formula, the climax goes into a direction no one is prepared for.

Anyone watching The Cabin in the Woods expecting a by-the-numbers knockoff of The Evil Dead will be pleasantly surprised (and terrified).