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Weekend Discussion Thread: MSTed Movies that Could Be Remade into GOOD Movies

Alert reader Keith “Bartcow” Davis writes:

This week’s episode guide got me to thinking about the movies that I think could have been good with a better budget/actor/script. “Leech Woman” has an interesting premise, but it’s pretty much squashed by all the mediocrity around it.

So that brings me to my suggestion: What movie could conceivably be remade into a competent film (“The Island”/Parts: The Clonus Horror” excluded, of course).

My pick would be “City Limits.” It’s got all the ingredients: post-apocalyptic setting, motorcycle gangs who are into comic books, shadowy government conspiracy. It could work!

What’s your pick?

162 Replies to “Weekend Discussion Thread: MSTed Movies that Could Be Remade into GOOD Movies”

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  1. Ransom says:

    oh and season ones Untamed Youth wasn’t too bad, In fact neither was I Was A Teenage Werewolf or Girls Town, I think that a few of the older movies arn’t so bad their just slow by “modern” standards and thats kind of sad. I’ve seen Hitchcock movies that are not as good as Untamed Youth, etc.

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  2. bobhoncho says:

    Htom (#2), I have to agree with you. Manos could definitely be improved if the kind of things you mentioned were done

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  3. How about a documentary?:

    Incredibly Strange Confidential:
    http://www.castlemonster.com/strange.htm

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  4. arch hall 3 says:

    For me, EEGAH! Big misunderstood giant , rock n roll leading man , helpless woman in danger, hot cars, a manhunt by the police, tragec ending! Think of who you could put in those roles!?

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  5. arch hall 3 says:

    #99 MIKE, sounds like Killer Clowns From Outer Space, no?

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  6. Loran Alan Davis says:

    Off topic: Just watched Castle of Fu Manchu. Dear God, what a mess.

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  7. Matt D. says:

    Absolutely nobody so far has mentioned my pick, and that is The Dead Talk Back. I thought it was actually a fine film on its own. You have to radically change the opening scene with Krasker, but the rest of the movie was fairly intriguing. The final “gotcha” reveal even seemed very M. Night Shamalamadingdong-ish.

    Just ditch that Selling Wizard short.

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  8. BLOODLUST is my top pick. Maybe even BOGGY CREEK 2, THE PUMAMAN, MANOS (but that would need major changes), CREEPING TERROR, and a few others. I really depends on how creative the remake’s writer is I think.

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  9. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    If I were to remake BLOODLUST, I’d travel back in time to the 1930’s, hire Faye Wray to play the female lead, and rename it. Oh….I dunno, something like the Most Dangerous Game, or something like that…

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  10. GizmonicTemp says:

    Are we talking “good” or just “better” here?

    I could see one of the dramas, like “Teenage Crimewave”, being maid into a poignant Oscar-contender (not that that means anything to me).

    I could also see “Boggy Creek 2” remade as a slasher-type date movie.

    But what would really be sweet: Peter Jackson’s “Day the Earth Froze”. (No, not King Kong Peter Jackson, LOTR Peter Jackson.)

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  11. GizmonicTemp says:

    monoceros4 #94 “Shrews” as an X-Files episode? I like! It would fit right in too, what with the remote scientific installation where (GASP) suddenly everything goes wrong!

    Oh, and I was going to mention earlier that “First Spaceship to Venus” had an excellent story. Goofy sets, weird dubbing, but otherwise, awesome!

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  12. Cornjob says:

    Someone got the rights to the name She-Creature and made a movie that had nothing to do with the original that was pretty good. It starred Rufus Sewel of Dark City.

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  13. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    I think the movies that were almost good to begin with would be the best candidates.. This Island Earth, the Russian Troika of films, someone above said Tormented. I’ll throw Hamlet in again just to be a jerk.

    As much as I like The Dead Talk back ( also mentioned above ) I don’t think there is enough to hang a film on, but it would make a KILLER episode of ( the TV series ) Mission Impossible.

    with Leonard Nimoy as Krasker ? Or would Martin Landau be a better fit ?

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  14. Graboidz says:

    Saw an earlier post for “Horrors of Spider Island”…I’ll second that! Only this time, you know, use some spiders occasionally.

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  15. trickymutha says:

    I vote for:

    Tormented
    High School Big Shot
    Master Ninja

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  16. klisch says:

    How about a remake of Gunslinger? Jessica Alba could play Beverly Garland’s charactor, plus Jessica would look great in western wear. And for the can-can girls; Scarlette Johansson, Halle Berry, and Keira Knightley. Yep, I’d go and see that film!

    On a side note, my local library just got volume 15, so now I can finally see Racket Girls and Zombie Nightmare. :razz:

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  17. Stoneman says:

    I am coming late to this thread, I was in Ohio helping take care of my mom. So I have only been able to read some of the other posts- some pretty good ideas with casting and everything. What I am going to do is pick a movie from each season that I think could be made into a worthy movie with the right director, budget, etc.

    First, there were a couple of shorts that I think would work: Undersea Kingdom and What About Juvenile Delinquency?- the latter has a great basic idea that could be given a modern setting very easily- basically decent high school guy running with a gang, who assault his dad before meeting up with him, the subsequent falling out…yeah.

    KTMA: Legend of the Dinosaur
    Season One: The Mad Monster
    Two: Catalina Caper
    Three: Cave Dwellers
    Four: The Indestructible Man
    Five: Swamp Diamonds
    Six: The Sinister Urge
    Seven: Laserblast
    Eight: The Horror of Party Beach
    Nine: The Touch of Satan
    Ten: Soultaker

    I’m afraid I don’t have the time right now to suggest casting, direstors, etc just wanted to put those suggestions on the table. Great choice of topic this week, by the way. See ya!

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  18. Loran Alan Davis says:

    KLISCH: If you need any episodes of MST3K, check out http://www.mst3kvideos.com

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  19. Boggy Geek says:

    Angels Revenge, produced by Ron Jeremy. :oops:

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  20. Ben says:

    I agree with those who’ve suggested “Red Zone Cuba.” It’s a Coen brother treatment away from being a masterpiece of bleak nihilism.

    But then again, I’m also the guy who thinks that “Plan 9 from Outer Space” has some great ideas. Martians raising the dead to attack humans is kind of brilliant, really.

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  21. Bonnie says:

    My answer to this is always– barring Parts: The Clonus Horror– The Touch Of Satan. That movie has a lot going for it, but it’s bogged down by the script, pacing, and lead actress. I personally think it’s an atmospheric movie and I like the score a lot. If a few more horror movie elements were thrown in to give it some twists and turns, it would be quite effective.

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  22. zombiewhacker says:

    I always thought Bert I. Gordon’s “The Magic Sword” was a decent fantasy film thwarted by a low budget and abominable FX. Recasting the hero and heroine might not have been a bad idea, either.

    Now that I think about it, the same observation could be made about half the movies that have been riffed by MST3K over the years.

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  23. Patent Papers says:

    My vote would be for Soultaker. The premise is actually quite good except for a lead actress who’s in love with the camera and a “five minutes to midnight” climax that feels more like five hours to midnight.

    Honorable mention for “The Final Sacrifice”. The movie feels like some effort was made to make something decent. It was, unfortunately, undercut by a budget so low they couldn’t afford to give one of heroes a decent name and used a popup story book to portray the mythical city in the end.

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  24. Roman Martel says:

    My vote goes to Fugitive Alien. I know it was a television series, but there is enough material in the “movie” versions to create a solid, fun space opera trilogy. With a good cast, some sharp writing, and good effects you can actually have a set of fun summer movies to watch.

    Part 1 – Deals with Ken becoming the fugitive alien and meeting up with Captain Joe and the crew. The Star Wolves would be hunting him down and create a type of regular villain. The first movie should revolve around Ken helping Captain Joe accomplish his mission (could keep or lose the prison break, but I think a mission that utilizes the entire crew and Ken would work best). Note: As much as I love the goofy clown wigs for MST3K, you gotta drop them for the re-make. Who has big enough jowls to play Captain Joe these days?

    Part 2 – With mission accomplished, Joe, Ken and crew attempt to return home, but it all goes to hell when Ken’s girlfriend shows up with the Star Wolves to take Ken back. This can be a relentless chase film with Ken confronting his girl at the end. Note: toy with her being truly evil vs. brainwashed, and having Ken fall for Cammy…

    Part 3 – With the death of Ken’s ex, Ken realizes that he and his new friends are not safe until they stop the Star Wolves once and for all. They spearhead a final assault against the Star Wolves for an epic space battle and of course a one on one battle with Ken vs. Kabuki man. Note: Drop the massive “Star Wars” influence here and have a special appearance by Prince of Space

    And If I can’t pick Fugitive Alien, I think that the core elements of “Red Zone Cuba” could be turned into something interesting. The problem is how can you possibly replace the acting presence of Coleman Francis? Is it possible? Who could we cast?

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  25. ck says:

    ” I think that the core elements of “Red Zone Cuba” could be turned into something interesting. The problem is how can you possibly replace the acting presence of Coleman Francis? Is it possible? Who could we cast?”
    ==========================
    Well, there’s always John Goodman. :mrgreen:

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  26. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    RE: #124 – John Goodman could make a great Coleman Francis. “Bay of Pigs…”

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  27. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    Whoa, ck. THAT was creepy.

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  28. GizmonicTemp says:

    Boggy Geek #119 – Angels’ Revenge actually WAS a porn film originally, but they only got the beach scene filmed before the director was inspired by “Charlie’s Angels”.

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  29. FrankDTank says:

    I think they’re remaking “Kitten with a Whip” with Lindsay Lohan.

    Angel’s Revenge is my choice. QT or Robert Rodriquez.

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  30. Roman Martel says:

    I completely forgot about “Magic Sword” but that is actually a great idea. The movie has a lot of really good elements to it, and a sense of fun. I think if someone went in with a nice “Princess Bride” feel to the whole thing, and keep the colors bright and fun (too many medieval/fantasy movies are using the desaturated color look)this could be a real winner.

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  31. Boggy Geek says:

    “Angels’ Revenge actually WAS a porn film originally, but they only got the beach scene filmed before the director was inspired by “Charlie’s Angels”.”

    Well, I’m glad they changed it from a porn movie before they got to Jim Backus’ scene. Shudder. :)

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  32. The Unearthly. I’m going to sit down and write the script right now.

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  33. mikek says:

    Boggy Geek says:
    August 24th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    ““Angels’ Revenge actually WAS a porn film originally, but they only got the beach scene filmed before the director was inspired by “Charlie’s Angels”.”

    Well, I’m glad they changed it from a porn movie before they got to Jim Backus’ scene. Shudder. :)”

    Are you serious? LOL! I guess Mike wasn’t too far off when he said, “Oh no. I’m afraid that Johnny Wad is going to be in this.”

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  34. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    Castle Monster – PLEASE tell me you’ll still use the line “Time for go to bed!”

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  35. Josh says:

    Boggy Geek says:
    August 24th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    “Angels’ Revenge actually WAS a porn film originally, but they only got the beach scene filmed before the director was inspired by “Charlie’s Angels”.

    I’d like to see some documentation on that one. Aside from Susan Kiger being playmate of the month at one point, nothing I’ve heard has pointed towards pornography.

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  36. GizmonicTemp says:

    mikek #133 & josh #135 – First, where else BUT a porn film would you get dialogue like, “We wanna have some fun in the fog.” Second, yes, I’m totally kidding. Jim Backus wouldn’t’ve been a good fluffer anyway. (Is that obscene? Sorry.)

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  37. Cabbage Patch Elvis says:

    Gizmonic Temp – I don’t think it’s obscene. It’s healthy for seniors to lead active lifestyles (whatever that may entail):oops:

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  38. Yeah. I wonder if George “The Animal” Steele is still available?

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  39. “Let’s just forget we saw this. Think of the paper-work!”

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  40. Jezzicho says:

    I always thought Soultaker had a half decent premise. The only thing wrong with it was the acting. And Robert Z’Dar. And the 80’s. And the 40 minute Running-Through-The-Hospital-Ending.

    I mean…it’s expounding on the idea of the grim reaper, as people atoning for murder in their past lives. After an “incident” (which in my remake will be a high speed car crash De-Souling), the Taker comes face to face with the re-incarnation of the woman he loved, and killed, and is atoning for.

    C’mon. That premise still has plenty of room to rock :)

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  41. ck says:

    Hmm. Soultaker vs. Dead Again?
    Two premises enter, one premise leaves. :grin:

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  42. I'm not a medium, I'm a petite says:

    ck 125. You may be on to something.

    Red Zome Cuba 50th Anniversary Remoake.

    as our ummm.. heroes: John Goodman, George Clooney & Steve Buscemi.

    Ben Affleck as Chastain, Joan Cusack as Mrs. Chastain.

    Johnny Depp in the small but juicy roll of Cherokee Jack.

    by god it might just work…..

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  43. Cliff Weismeyer says:

    I actually think the biggest problem with Touch of Satan is Tom Laughlin. Subtract Laughlin’s early 70’s faddish casting of unknown “actors,” his need to insert turgid “messages” into his works and his general incompetence with the use of light and storytelling, and I think that you would have a decent little film.

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  44. JuMeSyn says:

    I notice that no one has offered Radar Secret Service for some strange reason. Can it be that having radar as the gimmick in a spy movie without any other distinguishing feature cannot be salvaged? I think so too!
    I must say though, whither season seven? The Brute Man could be turned into something interesting, and it wasn’t even close to the worst they’ve ever done as-is. Same for Escape 2000, since even though evil corporations trampling on the little people in their pursuit of money is hardly a new concept, it can be done well. Maybe even Night of the Blood Beast – like many Corman movies the execution was sorely lacking but the idea isn’t bad.

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  45. spike187 says:

    How about the Last Chase. A future with oil shortages, economic collapse, deadly virus(swine flu), and a dictatorship run by bureaucrats. Sounds like something people can relate to.

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  46. GizmonicTemp says:

    re: #136 – They also remade “Boggy Creek 2” as a porn film and called it “Search for the Beast”.

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  47. Yipe Striper says:

    Escape 2000

    you are ordered to leave the house! you are ordered to leave the house! This area has been declared uninhabitable and destined for demolition. Leave now and leave peacefully.

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  48. ck says:

    #142

    Obviously great minds think alike. I also was considering Johhny Dep for Cherokee Jack.

    And I see Meryl Streep as the blind piano lady (playing it somewhat like her Ironweed or Sophie’s Choice characters.

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  49. mando3B says:

    You know, I agree w/ #60 and others who’ve said that almost all MST movies start out with a great idea that isn’t executed competently–so, yes, even the worst could conceivably be made into interesting films. (But “Racket Girls” . . . ah, no. On the other hand, star Renee Zellwiger as Peaches, Johnny Depp as Joe . . . ) My personal choice for this treatment would be “Final Sacrifice”–the idea of the lost civilization is interesting. Too bad they didn’t take the time to fill it out a bit. And find some competent actors. And write a better script. And . . . BTW, CK #148–Meryl Streep as the creepy blind piano lady in RZC is a stroke of GENIUS!!!

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  50. Rich says:

    I’m sure I’m not the first to out forward this idea: many times the casting is no good. The people are untalented or just unpleasant to look at. Hiring good-looking or talented actors would put these crap movies over-budget wouldn’t they?

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