10 Movies You May Not Have Realized Were Remakes

Have you ever watched a movie and been certain that the plot was all-too-familiar? Well, that may be because you have seen it before, in one form or another. Conversely, you may have cherished favourite, or one that left you wanting more... below is a list of ten entries that were adapted from other cinematic works. Have any that you feel are missing or were overlooked? Please feel free to comment or suggest others!

1. The Woman In Black (2012)

Grenada Television/Alliance Films / Via imdb.com

The Woman in Black (2012) is a big-screen adaptation of the 1989 TV movie of the same name. The films have drastically different endings and more than a few details have been altered or omitted altogether, however the tragic events surrounding the ghost of the woman in black herself have been left mostly untouched.

Fun fact: The actor who played the main character Arthur Kidd in the 1989 version (Adrian Rawlins) is the same man who played Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe)'s father in the Harry Potter films.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)/The Two Towers (2002)

Fantasy Films/New Line Cinema / Via imdb.com

Before the Academy Award-winning Peter Jackson blockbusters (long before), there was 1978's JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. When I was little, I used to get bits of this film confused with The Last Unicorn (1982), but remember both loving them and being slightly terrified.

Filmed mainly in live-action and with animation then drawn over (rotoscoping), the 1978 version is definitely an odd but nonetheless entertaining visual treat. Faithfully (mainly) covering the first two novels (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers), a second film depicting the events of The Return of the King was produced as a made-for-TV movie in 1980, but did poorly.

Fun fact: Tim Burton was an uncredited animator on the 1978 version of the film.

3. The Stepford Wives (2004)

Palomar Pictures/Paramount Pictures / Via imdb.com

A train wreck of a remake, 2004's The Stepford Wives, starring Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close and Christopher Walken was just awful, despite the all-star cast. While the 1975 film of the same name was dark and ominous in theme (and a little confusing), the remake was branded as a comedy - which really didn't work. At all. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen either, but the basic plot is a family movies to a small town from the big city where life seems a little too perfect. Eerily perfect.

Do yourself a favour, skip the campy remake and soak in the 70's glam of the Katharine Ross classic thriller, instead.

Fun fact: There was a made-for-TV sequel (sort of?) to the original film produced in 1996 called The Stepford Husbands.

4. The Roommate (2011)

Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems / Via imdb.com

The Roommate was an abysmal and completely unnecessary remake of the 1992 classic, Single White Female. It's the age-old story of girl needs roommate, girl finds perfect roommate, roommate is actually a psycho who takes over her identity and kills all girl's friends, wackiness ensues, et cetera. Check out the original and skip the impostor.

Fun fact: Whoopi Goldberg auditioned for the role of Allison Jones. Yes, really.

5. Disturbia (2007)

Paramount Pictures/Dreamworks / Via imdb.com

Disturbia is a kinda-sorta remake of the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window. They are so similar, in fact, that Dreamworks was actually sued for copyright infringement (it's true - check it out). In the original film, Jimmy Stewart is laid-up in his apartment with a broken leg and begins to suspect that the man in the neighbouring apartment building has murdered his wife, based on events he sees through his window. In the 2007 version, Shia LaBeouf is confined to his home under house arrest and, well... the same plot.

Fun fact: Despite LaBeouf's neurotic, frantic ramblings, I actually enjoyed this film.

6. Dark Shadows (2012)

Dan Curtis Productions/Warner Bros. / Via imdb.com

OK, I was super skeptical about this one - I'm really not a Tim Burton fan and was ready to completely write this remake off even before the opening credits had even rolled... but I really, really enjoyed it.

Dark Shadows is a remake (adaptation?) of the 1966 television soap opera of the same name. Forget Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Twilight - this one is the grandaddy of them all; about a family of vampires, werewolves and witches living in a gothic mansion full of secrets. Like Days of our Lives, but with half the lights turned out and the drama amped way up.

Starring a powerhouse cast including Johnny Depp (because OF COURSE), Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonny Lee Miller, Chlöe Grace Moretz and Helena Bonham-Carter, this film was a dark, campy roller-coaster ride into the supernatural.

Fun fact: Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Daniel Collins in the 1991 revival of the series, which I remember watching and loving when I was like, 13.

7. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

Lorimar Productions/Miramax Films / Via imdb.com

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) is a remake of a 1973 TV movie of the same name, about demonic creatures that plague a young woman after being released from their place of slumber under the ash pit of an old fireplace grate, in the sealed room of an old house (as one does).

They used to play the original film on late-night TV all the time when I was a kid, and I remember it being really scary despite the über-cheesy stop-motion animated mini-demons.

I remember being excited to see the remake in theatres because a: Guillermo Del Toro and b: How could it possibly be any worse than the original, considering all the advancements in CGI special effects? But alas, I was totally disappointed and couldn't wait for it to be over. Watch the Kim Darby midnight feature, instead.

Fun fact: Allegedly based on H.P. Lovecraft's The Rats in the Walls.

8. Stephen King's The Shining (1997)

Warner Bros./Warner Bros. Television / Via imdb.com

OK, let's flip this thing and reverse it... I must be the only person out there (besides Stephen King) who really didn't like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). Yes, it was visually stunning, but let's face it - it spun SO far off course from the 1977 novel, and the ending really didn't make much sense (or offer any sense of closure).

So, what did Mr. King do? He had it remade into a television miniseries in 1997, which mainly followed his original story to the letter. He even had it filmed in the same creepy Colorado hotel which inspired the novel.

I found this adaptation to be much scarier than the 1980 film, and it really did tie up all the loose ends that it's predecessor neglected to address. No kids talking to their fingers, no hedge maze and no Jack Nicholson popsicles.

Fun Fact: Steven Weber's nose actually did spontaneously start to bleed in the scene where he's talking to his dead father on the CB radio. Now that's method acting.

9. Tin Man (2007)

MGM/Imagiquest Entertainment / Via imdb.com

Right now you're thinking whaaaaaaat? They remade The Wizard of Oz (1939)? And I'm not even talking about 1978's The Wiz, which you should also probably check out... it's messed up - and I mean the Michael Jackson & Diana Ross dancing up to the World Trade Centre (yup, THAT one) kinda messed up.

No, Tin Man is a Sci Fi original miniseries which offers a modern retelling of the classic Wizard of Oz story, with a few sci-fi/fantasy twists... in a much more grown-up reality. Give it a go, it's on Netflix!

Fun fact: Fans of the broadway show Wicked will find a few Easter eggs hidden along the way.

10. Flowers in the Attic (2014)

Fries Entertainment/Cue the Dog Productions / Via imdb.com

For some reason, Lifetime decided to remake the already watered-down Flowers in the Attic (1987) and remake it into a TV movie. I read the book when I was 15 and was properly scandalized by its subject matter and was actually curious to see what they would do with it... but c'mon, they couldn't even get Corinne's green dress or her swan bed right. Malarkey, I say.

I have to admit, I totally hate-watched this with a friend who'd also read the books, and we had a blast. But only because it was SO bad. Plus, Louise Fletcher was such a badass in the original - you loved to hate her. Pop open a tub of Häagen-Dazs (their peanut-butter/chocolate is Devine) and watch that one, instead.

Fun fact: Followed almost immediately by a sequel, Petals on the Wind (2014), which was even worse that the first one.