William Shakespeare is widely considered one of the greatest storytellers of all time. His plays have been entertaining us for centuries, largely remaining unchanged from the playwright’s original vision for his stories. However, the weirdest movie adaptations of Shakespeare plays take a more liberally creative approach to his work.
Shakespeare’s stories are versatile, sure. But some movies twist the plot until it’s all but unrecognizable, and others lift it exactly and place it in an bizarre or unexpected location. Regardless of what it is that makes them odd, here are 7 of the weirdest movie adaptations of Shakespeare plays.
7. Strange Brew (1983)
Based on: Hamlet
On the surface, a comedy about two slacker brothers falling into a conspiracy involving a brewery doesn’t sound like it has too much to do with Shakespeare. However, 1983’s Strange Brew is actually based on the broader plot points of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Why exactly the ’80s comedy sought such lofty inspiration is anyone’s guess, but there we go.
Strange Brew stars Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, reprising their legendary Canadian comedy characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. The two unemployed slackers stumble into jobs in a brewery after a scam involving mice goes wrong. While there, they uncover the suspicious death of the brewery’s former owner at the hands of the evil Brewmeister Smith (Max Von Sydow).
Special Brew is every bit as madcap as it sounds. It has achieved cult status, particularly in Canada, and maybe that’s – in some small part at least – thanks to its Shakespearean influences. Hamlet is a surprising influence, but it’s all there when you look close enough.
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