Remakes and homages
- One of the director’s most renowned and imitated films spawns countless spoofs and homages
- From play to screen and beyond: blatant rip-offs and affectionate nods permeate popular culture
- Just one official remake based on same source but many others take cue from its basic premise
- Best range from unfairly overlooked, contemporary film noir to modern horror and thrillers
Note: this is part of an ongoing series of 150-odd Hitchcock articles; any dead links are to those not yet published. Subscribe to the email list to be notified when new ones appear.
Rear Window: Writing on a Classic, Pt 2: More writing | Collectors Guide, Pt 2: Soundtrack and essays, 3: Home video, 4: Remakes
Print by Doublenaut Design, 2023
Contents
- Homages
- Witness to Murder (1954)
- The McGuffin (1985)
- Rear Window (1998)
- Mimic 3: Sentinel (2003)
- Number 37 (2018)
- Related articles
Homages
Surprisingly, I could only find two audio dramatisations of Cornell Woolrich’s origin short story: one for BBC Radio from 2005, and an independent production (part 2) from 2015. Meanwhile on screen, Rear Window has just one official remake but countless spoofs and homages – or rip-offs, depending on your, ahem, point of view. A 2015 stage adaptation starring Kevin Bacon took its cue from the set of Rope by creating different apartments and levels in the single performance space with constantly revolving, morphing walls and floors. It’s clearly a different beast from the film, being adapted from the original source story, and reviewers were keener on its technical virtuosity rather than its script. But unless you completely reinvent such a well known property, as happened with The 39 Steps, you’re inevitably going to draw comparisons and come up short.
A homage of sorts comes in the shape of Funko’s officially licensed Rear Window Game. It’s been generally well-received but many concur with the verdict that while physically well-designed, “the game itself seemed needlessly complex and oddly unrelated to the actual movie in terms of plotting and characterizations. With merely a few hours of tailoring by someone actually familiar with the movie it could have been much better.” Videos, instructions.
The video for popular French singer Renan Luce’s first single, from 2006, is based squarely on Rear Window with a quick splash of Psycho:
Making for almost as compulsive viewing as the film itself, the 20-minute art installation Rear Window Timelapse (commentary), “remixed” by Jeff Desom in 2012, really ought to have been licensed by Universal for an extra.
In a similar but static vein is Rear Window composited by Boris Rautenberg, with a modified Hitchcock cameo! WIP.
Following in the footsteps of Marilyn Monroe and numerous other A-listers paying homage to their screen idols in the Christmas 1958 issue of Life, Vanity Fair painstakingly restaged scenes from the Master’s most iconic American movies with today’s stars for their March 2008 Hollywood Portfolio.
Behind the scenes, video, reprint, with originals | Death and the Master: The Mythology of Hitchcock
Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem channel Grace Kelly and James Stewart for Vanity Fair
US media author and scholar Louise Krasniewicz’s hobby is making prize-winning miniatures and so far she’s created two incredibly detailed tableaux of Rear Window and The Birds. Spanish artist The Smallest Boy sells pretty but pricey framed, limited edition “three dimensional paper artworks” based on various films including Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds. Elsewhere, the talented “David Miniatures” astounds with his meticulous set recreation which led to an appearance on the most excellent Good Evening: An Alfred Hitchcock Podcast.
“In one of my Master’s courses, we had to re-imagine an opening for an Alfred Hitchcock film. Rear Window is one of my all-time favorites, so I decided to try it in more of a light-hearted, Saul Bass-ish style. The video was made in Photoshop and After Effects, and is an example of what students could produce to help out their teachers, clubs, sports, and the school.” – Ben Dunkel, Savannah College of Art and Design
Witness to Murder (1954)
- US: Kino BD and DVD (2014), also in 5-DVD and 5-BD Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema/reissue
The few releases of this underseen gem only have the trailer and there are no legit streaming options but it’s well worth checking out!
The McGuffin (1985)
A beautiful youthful-looking blonde attacks an elderly widow. Through the rear window of a small London apartment the terrified widow is seen being tormented by burning cigarettes and brute physical force. Paul Hatcher (Charles Dance, The Golden Child), who lives for movies, is held spellbound. His world is a mixture of fantasy and reality, and this scene was better than any movie he had ever screened – it was really happening. So like any Hitchcock character would, Hatcher reaches for his camera. But he isn’t quick enough… the blinds are drawn… the ladies have vanished. Hatcher’s curiosity turns to psychotic obsession and for days he finds himself prowling about his neighbor’s doorstep… waiting… watching… witnessing her murdered corpse. Now the killers are after Hatcher – the man who knows too much. Luring him with erotic fantasy, trapping him into a web of intricate, deathly deception. Hatcher’s celluloid dreamworld swiftly collides against a nightmarish frenzy of real flesh and blood. What will be the final cut? Reminiscent of the late Alfred Hitchcock’s mastery, The MacGuffin is filled with electrifying tension, thrilling twists and unexpected turns, ultimately exploding into pure terror… beyond a shadow of a doubt! – US Sony VHS (1987)
This archly self-conscious Hitchcock homage (note background poster above) is a BBC TV movie based on an eponymous 1984 novel The+McGuffin+John+Bowen by author-playwright John Bowen. Named after one of Hitch’s favourite plot devices, taken on its own somewhat tongue-in-cheek terms, it’s an entertaining enough diversion. It’s only been released on VHS in the US B00021MZUU (alt), Greece and Sweden but there’s a ropey copy on YouTube originating from its sole UK airing.
Rear Window (1998)
Superman and the mermaid: Christopher Reeve and Daryl Hannah
- US: Echo Bridge DVD (2005, reissued 2014)
- Echo Bridge 4on1 DVD (2014)
- Prime Video
- UK: Prism/Boulevard DVD (2003, reissued 2010)
- Italy: Medusa/Digivision DVD (2002, reissued 2007)
Christopher Reeve (Superman I–IV, Remains of the Day) and Daryl Hannah (Blade Runner, Grumpy Old Men) shine in this riveting update of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated suspense classics! After an accident confines him to a wheelchair in his high-tech apartment, architect Jason Kemp (Reeve) grows increasingly obsessed with the private lives he sees played out in the windows of the neighboring building. Then, a young woman mysteriously vanishes from one of the units. Did the woman’s abusive husband murder her, as Jason believes? Or is it just his overactive imagination? But even with his alluring colleague (Hannah) acting as his “legs” in the search for clues, Jason can find no evidence to offer the skeptical detective on the case (Robert Forster). And when the deadly truth is finally revealed, Jason will find himself alone trapped in a room with a view… to terror. – US Artisan VHS (1999) trailer
- Germany: Paramount/More DVD (2004, reissued 2011) bootleg
- France: Free Dolphin/DVDY DVD (2000, reissued/alt/alt 20–)
- Netherlands: Bridge DVD (2004)
- Australia: Ezy/RHI DVD (2004, reissued 2006)
Dozens of latter-day works pay homage to Hitch’s film but the only direct screen remake of Cornell Woolrich’s short story on which it’s based is a TV movie starring Christopher Reeve. It cleverly allows the actor to incorporate his real life predicament of being paralysed from the neck down following a 1995 horse riding accident. Note all these barebones DVDs are pretty much interchangeable: the US, UK and Oz have no subs while the rest have additional foreign sub/dub options.
- CD MovieScore Rear Window OST (2014) – David Shire (53:47)
Mimic 3: Sentinel (2003)
Terror has been reinvented!
The studio that thrilled you with the Scream, Hellraiser and Children of the Corn movies now delivers Mimic 3: Sentinel, the third and the scariest entry in the unstoppably suspenseful and terrifying Mimic legacy! When residents of his apartment building begin to disappear, Marvin comes to believe the unthinkable: the mutant breed of giant carnivorous insects that once plagued society are back and beginning to revisit their devastation! Though he’s confined to his room due to a severe illness, Marvin must rally whatever support he can in order to exterminate these horrifying creatures before he ends up their next victim! Filled with all-new action and incredibly eye-popping special effects, this terror-filled thriller is a must-see for all fans of intense big-screen excitement! By far the scariest Mimic yet! – US Buena Vista VHS and DVD (2004)
I’m surprised this stylish, twisted take on Rear Window’s central premise but with even more horrific consequences, isn’t ever mentioned in Hitchcock literature. It’s the second sequel to Hitch aficionado Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic (1997) and anyone familiar with the auteur’s superb melding of sci-fi, fantasy and horror needs no further recommendation from me. Mimic 2: Hardshell (2001), made without any involvement from del Toro, suffers for its lack of a strong female lead and trying too hard to, er, mimic its predecessor. However it’s still an entertaining watch, adding more meat to the Mimic mythos and even its own obvious Rear Window reference when its protagonist fends off a killer by repeatedly setting off her camera’s flashbulbs in their face.
Mimic 3, again made without del Toro’s involvement but instead that of J. T. Petty, a similar talented young writer-director, is a definite step up in quality while not quite reaching the heights of the original. Made on a much smaller budget than either of its forebears, Petty takes the film in a different direction, confining most of the action to a single apartment – or two. I guess it would work well enough as a standalone film but you should see at least the first in the series, and preferably the second as well, to really appreciate it.
There are various single DVDs available but these trilogy sets, with both sequels and their extras on the second disc, are the best way to go. Note the first film is in del Toro’s preferred director’s cut in the sole Blu-ray set, whereas the DVDs have the theatrical version. Extras for Sentinel are the same on all releases: an audio commentary by director J.T. Petty, a “Behind the Scenes” featurette (14:53) and cast auditions (15:54).
- Prime Video HD
- US: Lionsgate/Paramount 2-BD Mimic: 3-Film Set (2012, reissued 2020)
- Lionsgate/Paramount 2-DVD Mimic: 3-Film Set (2012, reissued 2020)
- Canada: Alliance 2-DVD Mimic: Triple Feature (2012)
- UK: 2-DVD Mimic Collection (2006)
- Italy: Eagle 2-DVD Trilogia Mimic (2014)
- Australia: Paramount 2-DVD Mimic: 3 Movie Collection (2021)
Incidentally, the first film is the only one so far to get the 4K treatment, in both cuts, with a second audio commentary added to its already generous selection of extras.
- US: Kino 2-UHD-BD/BD (2026)
Number 37 (2018)
For a pretty good idea of how Rear Window might have turned out had Hitch been born in South Africa 100 years later, don’t miss the gripping thriller and loving homage Number 37, a feature-length remake of an acclaimed 2014 short film. Indeed, its very title looks like a subtle reference to Hitch’s films Number 13 and Number Seventeen. Mostly available on streaming, the only physical releases I could track down are a pair of German-subtitled discs with several of the items I’ve linked to here, and a deleted South African DVD.
- US/UK: Prime Video HD | alt trailer; clips, etc; clip
- Germany: BD and DVD (2019) trailer
- Japan: Prime Video HD | trailer
Rear Window: Writing on a Classic, Pt 2: More writing | Collectors Guide, Pt 2: Soundtrack and essays, 3: Home video, 4: Remakes
Related articles
This is part of a unique, in-depth series of 150-odd Hitchcock articles.
