9 Movies That Were Better Remakes Than Official Remakes
2. Disturbia Is A Better Rear Window Remake Than Rear Window (1998)
Almost identical in their story arcs, Disturbia is a clear-cut entrant as a spiritual Rear Window remake. In fact, it captured the essence of the original film so effectively it even earned Steven Spielberg a lawsuit, the case filed against him for the movie bearing too many similarities to Rear Window's source material It Had To Be Murder - a 1942 novella.
Unfortunately, instead of getting this lovely exercise in cinematic tension as an inspired Hitchcock remake, we got the dud that was Jeff Bleckner's 1998 TV movie. Whilst it tried to update the story somewhat with a high tech apartment, Disturbia's modern-day premise completely trumps it, utilising a young man on house arrest as he scopes out a neighbour he suspects of being a serial killer.
If you aren't convinced, Disturbia wins out simply for having Shia LaBeouf at his whacky best. No one does unhinged quite like that blessed man.