Cave-dwelling carnivores, parental possessions,
psychologists chased by psychopaths. It's all been done before, and done again.
Leave it to the film industry to release two radically similar movies a month apart. When
M. Knight Shyamalan's film "The Sixth Sense" hit big screens everywhere, it became a sensation. It
largely did so by positioning itself as a horror film, then shifting gears and turning into a
thriller. The narrative twist is considered one of M. Knight Shyamalan's best on-screen magic tricks,
and word of mouth made audiences feel like they had to see it, putting the director on the map.
However, many fans forget that another film — one with a better pedigree — was
released around the same time and was devoured in its wake.
"Could you just get to it, please?"
"Stir of Echoes" is based on Richard Matheson's classic novel. The film adaptation was directed
by one of the most successful screenwriters of all time, David Koepp, and stars Kevin Bacon.
The film follows Tom, a working-class man who lives in Chicago with his
pregnant wife. During a gathering one evening, Tom allows his sister-in-law,
Lisa, to hypnotize him. While susceptible to hypnotic suggestion, Lisa tells Tom to be more
open-minded. Afterward, he begins seeing frightful visions of the dead. However,
just like "The Sixth Sense," the apparition isn't necessarily harmful.
Both films feature lead characters who can converse with the dead, ultimately helping
the spirits resolve their worldly issues. These similarities beg the question: why did
"The Sixth Sense" gross about 32 times more at the worldwide box office than its ghostly counterpart?
These two voyeuristic tales take people-watching to the next level. In 1954, Alfred Hitchcock
released his now-classic thriller, "Rear Window," about a man recovering from a
broken leg in his apartment. To pass the time, he begins watching his neighbors out of his rear
window. When one neighbor's wife disappears, the protagonist becomes increasingly convinced
that he witnessed a murder, eventually roping his girlfriend into the suspicion as well.
53 years later, Shia LaBeouf would star in "Disturbia," a film about a troubled
teen reeling from the recent passing of his father. Remanded to house arrest and
similarly passing the time by people watching, LaBeouf's character begins to feel there's
something off about the man next door. It's a paranoid thriller for the new century,
and was one of the early films that helped propel LaBeouf into stardom.
"Disturbia" stirred some controversy in the film industry when it was released.
While "Rear Window" is based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 story,
"It Had To Be Murder," a 2008 lawsuit was filed against Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks alleging
that the studio had made "Disturbia" without obtaining the rights to adapt the same story.
The claim was ultimately rejected, with the U.S. District Court judge Laura Taylor Swan writing:
"The main plots are similar only at a high,
unprotectable level of generality [...] Where 'Disturbia' is rife with subplots,
the short story has none. The setting and mood of the short story are static and tense, whereas the
setting and mood of 'Disturbia' are more dynamic and peppered with humor and teen romance."
In the second half of the 20th century, the idea of satanism began to take hold as a
threat to Americans, laying the groundwork for the infamous Satanic Panic of the '80s.
When Roman Polanski released "Rosemary's Baby," it was a huge hit. The film starred
Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as a young couple living in an upscale apartment in New York City.
Featuring many cryptic, horrific moments that ultimately lead to Rosemary becoming
impregnated with the son of Satan, decades later it still remains a discomforting watch.
"Hail Satan! Satan is his father,
and his name is Adrian. He shall overthrow the mighty and lay waste their temples."
In 1976, Richard Donner's "The Omen" was dropped into the middle of this moment,
with strong groundwork already laid for many of its terrifying themes. Following Gregory
Peck and Lee Remick as they experience a deceptive childbirth that might just
lead to them possessing the son of Satan, the theme was unmistakably similar to "Rosemary's
Baby." Both films essentially tell the same story, ending on the same ominous idea:
The antichrist has been born, and the world is about to be plunged into darkness.
John Krasinski blew audiences away with 2018's "A Quiet Place," which
he wrote and directed. The film features a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by blind,
otherworldly creatures hunting and killing anything that makes a noise. Krasinski also
starred in the film as a survivalist family man guiding his family in the ways of this new
reality. The family's daughter is deaf, making her uniquely suited for humanity's response to
their new predator. It was a pulse-pounding movie, sure to give viewers a few gray hairs.
[Man screams]
In 2019, Netflix released the film "The Silence," barely a year after
Netflix's "Bird Box" had become a hit as another sensory-driven horror film.
"The Silence" features a family caught in a post-apocalyptic world where a strange
species of creatures from underground have emerged known as vesps. They viciously hunt
and kill based on sound and seek the areas with the most noise for hunting. Protagonist Hugh,
played by Stanley Tucci, must work to ensure his and his family's survival. Interestingly enough,
Hugh's daughter, Ally, is also deaf. In thrillers like these,
it seems, screenwriters are very quietly stealing from each other.
Ready for a claustrophobic adventure in the deep, dark underground? If so, then these two films are
for you. However, there's far more to be afraid of than tight spaces and getting lost in the darkness
in these subterranean thrillers. The 2005 Neil Marshall breakout "The Descent" depicts a group
of thrill-seekers who decide to explore a strange cave system. In an unsurprising turn of events,
they encounter predatory creatures long trapped underground which hunt by using sound.
2005's "The Cave" follows explorers who attempt to investigate a cave system that
has been covered for many years. Deep below the surface, they soon discover that they've entered
the domain of horrific creatures never before discovered by man who quickly develop a taste
for the spelunkers. During their desperate fight for survival, the remaining survivors
learn that these creatures were once human, but have been transformed by an unknown parasite.
Which film pulled the concept off better? If you aren't already feeling claustrophobic,
take a look for yourself. They'd make a great double feature.
Ed and Lorraine Warren became household names with the cinematic depiction of
their paranormal exploits in "The Conjuring." Reportedly, they were involved in a myriad
of other supernatural investigations, including the Enfield haunting and an
investigation into a certain haunted home in Amityville, New York. That connection aside,
both "The Conjuring" and "The Amityville Horror" have strikingly similar premises.
2013's "The Conjuring" depicts the haunting of the Perron family after they move into a
new home in Rhode Island. The home was once the property of a witch by the name of Bathsheba,
who killed her baby in the name of the devil before cursing the plot of land and taking her own
life. The Warrens reveal that the spirit haunting the Perron home is malevolent. It eventually
attempts to possess the matriarch of the family and force her to sacrifice her own child.
"The Amityville Horror" also has a chilling real-life backstory. The film depicts the
Lutz family, who move into a home where one year earlier Ronnie DeFeo murdered
his entire family. Soon after moving in, the family begins to experience
paranormal phenomena. The father, George Lutz, played by James Brolin,
slowly becomes murderous, possessed by the dark forces to harm his family.
"I wouldn't hurt you."
Trauma often impacts people in different ways, and can take the form of fixations or possible
agoraphobia. That's the case for Dr. Helen Hudson in "Copycat," the would-be victim of an
ex-convict. Helen's criminal psychology expertise allows her to better understand serial killers.
She's then consulted by a homicide detective to help solve a recent string of murders.
What she ultimately realizes is that the murders are all copycat acts of
other notorious killers such as The Hillside Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer,
and Ted Bundy. Eventually the murderer begins targeting Helen,
and everything the perpetrator does is connected to a recent lecture she gave on serial killers.
"Copycat" may not have been a hit, in fact many have probably forgotten about it,
but Netflix's 2021 film "The Woman In The Window" has a lot in common with its 1995 predecessor.
The movie features a child psychologist named Anna, played by Amy Adams, who is similarly
agoraphobic due to past trauma and finds herself observing her neighbors in her lonely state.
At one point, Anna witnesses the murder of a woman on her street. After authorities tell her
that nothing happened, she becomes a bit unsure of her experiences. Later it is revealed that,
just like Dr. Hudson in "Copycat," a killer is targeting Anna and has been toying with her.
In this case, the similarities between the two films are every bit as fishy as they
feel. "The Woman in the Window" is based on a novel of the same name by A.J. Finn,
which is a pen name for Dan Mallory. He endured a public relations nightmare after
his book was published, and it was revealed that he had been hiding the
fact that he had lifted plot points from ... you guessed it, "Copycat."
While certainly not one of the most beloved M. Night Shyamalan films, "The Happening" did cause
a stir among avid moviegoers drawn to its haunting trailers. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey
Deschanel, the film depicts a couple attempting to find safety from a strange plague that causes
ordinary people to fatally harm themselves. Beneath the violence and terror, the film
also sends a message about nature fighting back. It's a strange film with an even stranger premise.
"Oh No."
"What, oh no?"
"Bird Box" was released on Netflix in 2018, and it seemed to share a lot of
DNA with the Shyamalan film. "Bird Box" follows Sandra Bullock and her children as
they seek a safe haven from an apocalyptic condition that has swept the entire globe.
Something is causing people to take their own lives, which occurs once they see "it." So,
in an effort to protect themselves, survivors blind themselves,
employing bandanas or blindfolds to make sure they never glimpse the evil creatures. It's a
harrowing film that promotes curiosity over its biggest mysteries long after the credits roll.