The Top Ten: Films for which the pitch must have been the title
From Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies...
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Your support makes all the difference.This list was Peter Stewart’s idea. He suggested numbers 6 and 10. Daniel Jackson said that they are called high-concept films, which is a fancy way of putting it. I could also have had Bee Movie, 2007, but didn't want to throw out any of the following.
1. Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, 1958, 1993. Nominated by Leo Cendrowicz.
2. American Werewolf in London, 1981. The story starts with the American backpackers in North Yorkshire, but otherwise that’s all there is. From Peter Warner.
3. Ghostbusters, 1984.
4. My Stepmother Is An Alien, 1988. Leo Cendrowicz again.
5. Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag, 1997. Bag being taken to a gang boss as proof of deaths is accidentally switched at airport. Dark humour ensues.
6. Snakes on a Plane, 2006. That is pretty much it.
7. Lesbian Vampire Killers, 2009. Apparently. According to James.
8. Monsters vs Aliens, 2009. As Mark D says, pretty much any film with "versus" in the title: Cowboys vs Aliens; Alien vs Predator; Freddy vs Jason.
9. Sharknado, 2013. It's about sharks. In a tornado. Thanks to Stephen Fahey.
10. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, 2016. Seth Grahame-Smith, the writer, said his friend Jason Rekulak, an editor at Quirk Books, "called me one day, out of the blue, very excitedly, and he said, 'All I have is this title, and I can't stop thinking about this title'".
Next week: Most bizarre endorsements (after Chris Christie endorsed Donald Trump).
Coming soon: Songs in which someone is callously left to die for narrative convenience (such as “Give my love to Rose”, by Johnny Cash).
Your suggestions, and ideas for future Top 10s, in the comments please, or to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk
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