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Italian Cinema's Wild West: Unofficial Sequels Galore!
11 Aug
Summary
- Italy created many unofficial sequels from the 1970s to the 1990s.
- Hong Kong also produced many unofficial sequels during its film golden era.
- Unofficial sequels span genres from horror to fantasy, often with wild plots.
During Italy's film industry boom from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, unofficial sequels to popular Hollywood movies became rampant. Films like 'Alien' and 'The Exorcist' saw numerous Italian imitations due to lax copyright laws. This era also produced 'Jawsploitation' movies and even bizarre mashups like 'Shocking Dark,' which borrowed from both 'Aliens' and 'Terminator.'
Lucio Fulci's 'Zombi 2' (1979) is a notable example, benefiting from confusion with George Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead,' released as 'Zombi' in Italy. The court ruled 'zombie' as a common word, uncopyrightable. Hong Kong also embraced this trend, with films like John Woo's 'Hard Boiled' receiving unofficial sequels abroad.
Italy wasn't alone; Hong Kong also produced unofficial sequels, such as 'The Last Blood by God of Gamblers' being re-released as 'Hard Boiled II'. The 'Mr. Vampire' series notably led to many unofficial spin-offs, including the peculiar 'Crazy Safari' set in Africa. Even as recently as 2015, 'Ouija 4' capitalized on American horror with a completely unrelated story.
In the United States, stricter copyright laws made unauthorized sequels rarer. However, public domain works and creative 'reimaginings' offered workarounds. Examples include Filmation's 'Happily Ever After,' a 'Snow White' sequel, and Disney's own 'Return to Oz,' which cleverly navigated rights issues from MGM's classic. These films highlight diverse motivations, from financial gain to genuine fan devotion.
