Are We Headed For A Second Wave Of (Terrible) Hitchcock Remakes?
The '90s saw a wide variety of movie trends, from Tarantino-inspired ultraviolence to a resurgence of big-budget disaster movies to the mass delusion that Pauly Shore was an enjoyable human being to watch for 90 minutes. The decade also saw a staggering number of Hitchcock remakes; new versions of those classic films crafted by the master of suspense/making people poop their pants.
Of course, we all remember Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Psycho (updated for the '90s with more disc-mans and jerk-off scenes), but there was also A Perfect Murder, a new spin on Dial M For Murder starring Michael Douglas and a pre-snake oil-peddling Gwenyth Paltrow. Plus, we got TV remakes of everything from Notorious, to Lifeboat, to Rear Window. The latter of which starred Christopher Reeve just three years after he was confined to a wheelchair following his horseback-riding accident.
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Now we may be at the beginning of yet another wave of Hitchcock remakes -- which, admittedly, is the least scary of the "second waves" currently going around. Just a few years ago, there was the Psycho prequel series Bates Motel, and now we're seeing a veritable smorgasbord of Hitchcock overhauls. This year Netflix released a new Rebecca featuring Lily James and ex-Lone Ranger Armie Hammer.
Then there's the upcoming Strangers, which is basically Strangers on a Train (but with teen girls instead of sad middle-aged men) starring Maya Hawke from Stranger Things, and Camilla Mendes from Riverdale -- the Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito of the 21st century. And we just learned that actress Alicia Vikander is executive producing a Dial M For Murder series that "reimagines the classic suspense thriller story from the female perspective," which sounds promising. So until they remake Vertigo with Instagram influencers, or replace the rope in Rope with an iPhone cord, let's remain optimistic.
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Top Image: Netflix
