5 Hilariously Bad Horror Movie Rip-Offs

4. Halloween Night (2006)

Taglie: In 1982, Christopher Vail was sent away after his family was brutally murdered. 10 years later, on Halloween night, he returned.

Halloween Night is the horror movie equivalent of the “can I copy your homework?” meme. Whereas John Carpenter’s seminal slasher flick boasts the tagline “the night he came home”, Halloween Night is smart enough to advertise itself as “… 10 years later, on Halloween night, he returned”. Honestly, it’s insane anyone was ever able to see the connection.

Similar to many horror rip-offs there are noticeable differences between Halloween Night and Halloween, but the key parts remain the same: a child’s family is murdered, the child spends the rest of their lives in an asylum before breaking out and going on a wild killing spree on Halloween night.

Of course the movie is hardly any good. Cinema Crazed brilliantly described it by writing: “as a Halloween wannabe, it’s horrible, but as a slasher film on its own merits it’s horrible”.

With that said, the kills are pretty gnarly, production is wonderfully gory and the movie is short and dumb enough that there is a great time to be had with some popcorn and some friends.

Recommended for you: The ‘Halloween’ Franchise Ranked

5. Great White (1981)

Tagline: In all the oceans of the world nothing is more feared than…

The story of Great White is one of sheer audacity. It is an Italian movie made to reap the rewards and success of Jaws; one that essentially transcribed the original movie word for word, beat for beat, and scrapped any of the tension or build up. 

Its sheer plagiarism of the 70s classic blockbuster was so obvious, in fact, that Universal Pictures took the film to court in an attempt to block distribution within the United States ahead of its U.S. premiere in 1982. Though the request was denied, it took only a month for this decision to be reversed and for the film to be pulled from theaters. Not before making $18million at the box office though.

Try as they might, Universal Pictures were not successful in stopping the movie from marketing itself as an official Jaws sequel in both Spain and Japan.

Easily the most blatant rip-off on this list, Great White is like Jaws on steroids. An experience that must be seen to be believed.

Recommended for you: 10 Perfect Horror Movie Double Bills

Which rip-off horror movie do you remember accidentally being gifted for a special occasion? Do you have a favourite? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow @thefilmagazine on Facebook and Twitter for more insightful movie lists.

Pages: 1 2 3