12 Movie Remakes That Completely Screwed Up Iconic Scenes

1. The Protagonist Dies - The Wicker Man

The Original: One of the most unsettling movie endings in history, The Wicker Man concludes with Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) realising that the missing girl he has been chasing all over a remote island is not intended for a Pagan sacrifice as he believed: it was all a ruse to ensnare Howie himself as the sacrifice. Howie is then placed inside a giant wicker man and burned to death, while the islanders merrily sing and the film comes to an end. Absolutely horrifying.

The Remake: Though Neil LaBute's remake follows along similar lines, it's shot through with an absurd amount of self-seriousness given how campy and silly this take on the material is. Nicolas Cage clearly knows he's acting in a dud, so decides to have a little fun and over-act himself into oblivion, screaming "Killing me won't bring back your godd*mn honey!". It's almost impossible to take seriously, and is essentially a masterclass in how not to remake an iconic movie scene, or indeed, a great movie. The sinister dread felt at the end of the original movie is just not here: instead it's mainly cacophonous laughter.