6 Movies & TV Shows That Stole From Lesser-Seen Cult Classics
1. Hateful Eight Is A Cowboy Remake Of 1982’s The Thing
Quentin Tarantino is at it again, borrowing from a criminally under seen horror movie from the 80s. This time it is The Thing. In his past films, Tarantino would steal whole plots and scenes, recently he has been more subtle with his homages (or theft).
It is no secret, The Hateful Eight uses unused music by legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone originally written for 1982's The Thing, but that is not the only "Thing" Tarantino borrows from John Carpenter's classic film.
Both The Thing and The Hateful Eight are ensemble pieces featuring Kurt Russell, both movies take place in one snow-drenched location, and both are heavy on themes such as group isolation and paranoia.
Simply replace helicopters with horses and buggies, an alien with Jenifer Jason Leigh and a blood test scene with poison coffee and you can see that Tarantino is raising his kleptomania-style of film making to artistic levels of ingenuity. Oh, and don't forget about the secret hiding underneath the floor.
At the end of both movies, two men are left alive. All four of these characters across two movies are stranded in a snowed-in prison and left to die as the credits roll.