Say whatever you like about Quentin Tarantino, but you cannot deny that the man loves movies. From the earliest days of his childhood, the Oscar-winning filmmaker has expressed a deep infatuation with all things film – a fondness that’s apparent in all his movies.
With references, homages, and, in some cases, parodies found throughout his films, Tarantino has made a career stringing new narratives out of beloved films. In some cases, the influence Tarantino draws from these movies can be incredibly subtle, such as borrowing specific costumes or character names from one film and stitching them into his own; in other cases, the influence might be far more obvious, with Tarantino taking plot elements from one film and using it as the backbone for his own movies.
From iconic Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s to beloved horror comedies from the 1940s, here are some of the biggest movies that influenced director Quentin Tarantino.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
As the Civil War unfolds in the American West, a bounty hunter (Clint Eastwood) and a bandit (Eli Wallach) learn of a buried treasure deep behind Confederate lines. Journeying through the war-torn country, they race against a ruthless mercenary (Lee Van Cleef) to claim the treasure first.
The biggest creative influence of Tarantino’s career, every one of Sergio Leone’s films have inspired Tarantino’s creative output over the years. Out of all Leone’s films, though, Tarantino has singled out this 1966 classic Spaghetti Western as his definitive favorite — not just in terms of Leone’s filmography, but as Tarantino’s favorite film of all time.
Tarantino has said the influence the movie has had on his career is “obvious,” with Tarantino referencing it in the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds (Angel Eye’s visit to Stevens’ farm) and, in part, in the ending of Reservoir Dogs (the three-way standoff).
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Needing a “simple” brain to revive Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange), Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) begins pursuing a baggage clerk (Lou Costello) and his best friend (Bud Abbott), who he believes will be suitable hosts for his ghastly operation.
How on earth did a movie as innocent as Abbott and Costello influence Quentin Tarantino? According to the man himself, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was among Tarantino’s favorite childhood movies, mainly because it combined his then-two favorite genres: ‘30s monster movies and slapstick comedies.
The film helped flick a lightbulb inside young Tarantino’s head regarding mixing genres — a key characteristic in almost all of Tarantino’s films.
Black Sabbath
Warner Bros
Divided into three stories, Black Sabbath follows a young woman (Michèle Mercier) who’s being terrorized by an unknown stalker over the phone, an elderly hunter (Boris Karloff) who returns home claiming to have slain a vampiric creature, and a nurse (Jacqueline Pierreux) haunted by a former patient after stealing her prized ring.
A surprising narrative influence on Pulp Fiction, Tarantino had long been a fan of Italian director Mario Bava even before seeing his 1963 horror anthology, Black Sabbath. Watching Bava’s movies, Tarantino said that he began noticing that a director could possess a distinct artistic style, evidenced by the more macabre tone of Bava’s films.
Additionally, Tarantino said he was very impressed with Black Sabbath’s anthology format. Years later, when making Pulp Fiction, Tarantino claimed that he intended to do for the crime film what Black Sabbath had done for horror.
Lady Snowblood
In late 19th century Japan, a young woman (Meiko Kaji) trained to be an assassin sets out to avenge the murder of her family.
If that plot sounds eerily identical to Kill Bill, that’s likely not an accident. While Tarantino has never discussed this 1973 Japanese film at length, the similarities are impossible to ignore. Of course, Tarantino may have added a liberal dose of themes taken from Spaghetti Westerns, martial arts movies, and Italian giallo films. Still, the basis for Kill Bill is taken almost verbatim from Lady Snowblood.
City on Fire
After an undercover police officer is found brutally murdered, Officer Ko Chow (Chow Yun-fat) picks up his predecessor left off, infiltrating a gang of thieves planning to rob a jewelry store.
What Lady Snowblood was for Kill Bill, City on Fire was for Reservoir Dogs. Unlike most other films on this list, Tarantino has openly downplayed the similarities between this 1987 Hong Kong crime film and his debut film. However, he eventually relented and admitted to borrowing heavily from City on Fire.
Enter the Dragon
Investigating a notorious crime lord (Shih Kien), a Shaolin martial arts master (Bruce Lee) enters a prestigious kung fu tournament hosted on the kingpin’s private island.
A man Tarantino seemingly has a complicated relationship with, Tarantino has made several overt efforts to pay homage to the legendary Bruce Lee, while other times portraying him in a less than flattering light (as seen with Lee’s appearance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
Nevertheless, Tarantino has stated over the years how avid a fan he was of Lee’s films, naming Lee’s all-time classic, Enter the Dragon, as one of his favorites in the kung fu genre. (On another note, the Bride’s famous yellow jumpsuit in Kill Bill Vol. 1 is taken straight from a costume Lee wore in his 1978 film, Game of Death.)
The Killing
A gang of thieves plans a daring robbery on a local horse track, only for complications to quickly arise as the heist unfolds.
Another key influence on Tarantino’s directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing was one of the first movies to introduce the idea of a non-linear storyline in a heist film. Breaking down each stage of the robbery and following several characters’ perspectives seemed to induce Tarantino to take a non-chronological approach to his film, with Tarantino saying of Reservoir Dogs, “This movie is my The Killing.”
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
When a gang of criminals holds up a subway and threatens to kill the passengers unless their ransom demands are met, a Transit Police lieutenant (Walter Matthau) is forced to negotiate with them.
A subtle inspiration on Reservoir Dogs, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’s main contribution to Tarantino’s creative canon is the use of color-coded nicknames. While Reservoir Dogs doesn’t involve any hostage-ransom situations like in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Tarantino took clear inspiration from using the characters’ pseudonyms (Mr. Blue, Mr. Brown, etc.).
Coffy
Trying to protect her community from a rampant drug epidemic, a fearless E.R. nurse (Pam Grier) battles various dealers and corrupt politicians implicated in the city’s drug trade.
Quentin Tarantino hasn’t been shy about his longtime admiration for Pam Grier, the iconic actor who appeared in several blaxploitation films in the 1970s. That being said, it shouldn’t be surprising that Grier’s films influenced the tone of Tarantino’s 1997 film, the incredibly underrated Jackie Brown. Tarantino has specifically listed Coffy and Foxy Brown as some of his personal favorites, along with other blaxploitation movies like The Mack.
Django
In a small town on the U.S.-Mexican border, a mysterious gunslinger (Franco Nero) becomes embroiled in a vicious war between an army of former Confederates and a gang of bandits who frequent the area.
An obvious inspiration for Tarantino’s Django Unchained, this 1966 Spaghetti Western is referenced several times throughout Tarantino’s 2012 film. Most clearly, Tarantino used the official main theme from the movie as the song played in the opening scene of his film. Nero, the actor who played Django in the original, even has a cameo as an unnamed slave owner in Django Unchained. (After Foxx’s Django spells out his name, telling Nero the D is silent, Nero coyly responds, “I know.”)
The Dirty Dozen
Tasked with completing an impossible mission, O.S.S. Major Reisman (Lee Marvin) is ordered to train 12 convicted Army prisoners, leading them on a dangerous mission behind enemy lines to assassinate members of Nazi Germany’s high command.
While there are plenty of elements from Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns found in Inglourious Basterds, the driving force behind the film was Tarantino’s desire to make a “bunch of guys on a mission” movie, citing World War 2 espionage movies like The Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare, and The Guns of Navarone as narrative influences.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
When their train is temporarily halted due to inclement weather, a passenger (Richard Widmark) aboard the famed Orient Express is found murdered. With everyone else onboard a suspect, skilled Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) takes it upon himself to find the killer.
The Hateful Eight is sometimes described as one of Tarantino’s slower films, but it's also most assuredly among his most literary. Propelling itself via dialogue and strong characters rather than by action alone, Tarantino has notably cited certain whodunits as inspiration for his script. In particular, Tarantino has acknowledged the comparisons between The Hateful Eight and Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries, including And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile, and Murder on the Orient Express.
The Great Silence
20th Century Fox
In the late 19th century, a mute gunslinger (Jean Louis Trintignant) protects the residents of a small town in the snow-swept mountains of Utah from a psychopathic bounty hunter (Klaus Kinski).
Directed by Sergio Corbucci, the same man responsible for releasing 1966’s Django, The Great Silence is a Spaghetti Western known for its wholly unconventional setting. Named by Tarantino as one of his favorite Spaghetti Westerns, its unique location, downbeat themes, cynical tone, and unsympathetic characters all make their way into Tarantino’s own The Hateful Eight.
The Thing
At a remote research base in Antarctica, scientists begin to suspect that a hostile, shapeshifting alien life form capable of mimicking has made its way inside the compound.
Perhaps the biggest influence on The Hateful Eight’s script can be found in John Carpenter’s sci-fi classic, The Thing. Just as claustrophobic, foreboding, and tense as Carpenter’s film, The Thing and The Hateful Eight even rely on the same composer: the iconic Ennio Morricone — a frequent collaborator of Sergio Leone, and a composer that both Carpenter and Tarantino are avid fans of.
Bande à part
Interested in making a fast buck, two young men (Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur) convince the young woman they both have a crush on (Anna Karina) to lead a robbery on her aunt’s house.
Like Sergio Leone, French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard’s influence on Tarantino cannot be overstated. While still employed in Video Archives, Tarantino made an effort to watch every one of Godard’s films, some of his favorites including Breathless and Bande à part. The latter was held in such esteem Tarantino even named his production company, A Band Apart, in reference to Godard’s 1964 film.
This post was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Richard Chachowski is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. He loves reading, his dog Tootsie, and pretty much every movie to ever exist (especially Star Wars).