8 Classic Monster Movies You Never Knew Were Reboots

King Kong is often hailed as the first film of its kind, the prototypical fantasy epic, but that's not quite true. The film's special effects director, Willis O'Brien, made basically the same film in 1925, eight years before beginning work on his most famous creation.

The plot of the Lost World is virtually identical to Kong's: a charismatic explorer arranges an expedition to an undiscovered land where antediluvian beasts still thrive. Despite being accosted by some of the monsters and being endangered by the battles of others, he and his crew master this world, bringing one of its monsters to a modern city in chains. There, the creature escapes and lays waste to the world of men. The later film adds only one major element, but it's a crucial one: a monster that the audience can identify with.

Unlike the dinosaurs in either movie, Kong is an expressive beast, brimming with personality. When the dinosaurs in the Lost World fought, we were interested but not invested. When Kong battles them, it's different. He's almost human in his shape and in his motivations, and we need his help to protect Fay Wray from less anthropomorphic beasts. 

It's why you cry when Kong breathes his last, and why nearly a century later, King Kong holds up, while Lost World is merely a curiosity for film buffs.