10 Film Sequels That Went In Wildly Different Directions

7. Repo Chick

Repo Chic Productions
Repo Chic Productions

Sharing the twin honour of launching actor Emilio Estevez and director Alex Cox on the world (we'll leave it to you to decide how much of an achievement it was), 1984's Repo Man was an unusual and innovative comedy about repossession and UFO obsession. Estevez played a punk debt collector (was there any other kind in the Eighties?) who found himself in the midst of mysterious goings-on involving a bizarre car.

Repo Chick on the other hand brought the concept back down to earth in 2009, but it's no less strange as a result. For starters Cox shot it all against a green screen to keep costs way, way down. This led to a deliberately stylized approach that saw extensive use of models and cut 'n paste technology.

Starring Jaclyn Jonet, the film shifted the plot from aliens to terrorism and celebrity culture, with everything tweaked to avoid a copyright dispute with Repo Man owners Universal. Cox likes to play around and this was definitely a sandpit he could throw his toys about in. Also its status as a "micro budget" flick meant recouping the money wasn't so much of a problem.

Contributor
Contributor

I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.