9. The Crow
A movie perhaps most famous for the fact its lead, Brandon Lee, was killed accidentally onset - a fact that only adds to the melancholy nature of the narrative - The Crow was released in 1994 and told the story of the death and resurrection of rock star Eric Draven to avenge the murder of him and his fiance. The film, with its amazing soundtrack that is also worth checking out, perfectly captures the mood of the times in pop culture with a very grunge-y and gritty visual setting and brutal action, while the characterisation and plot tended to be a bit lacking. The comic it was based on was originally released in 1989, written and illustrated by James O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a drunk driver. It is a very emotional book - a lot more depressing than the film - as between getting his revenge on the gang who murdered him and Shelly, Eric spends his time in their old house haunted by memories and resorting to self-mutilation as an outlet while the actual Crow that resurrected him acts as a guide and also chastises him for dwelling on Shelly's death. As such, outside of the initial concept of a Crow resurrecting someone to avenge their death, the two are pretty dissimiliar in tone and execution. The two are both great based on their own merits, and The Crow is a fine example of how an adaptation can heighten the source material without being a slave to it.