Tomb

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood adapts beautifully to modern settings, and the so-called “original” story has so many variations that we listen in suspense every time, wondering if this will be one of the post-Grimm happy endings (with woodsman), or if it will be inspired by the older versions of the tale, in which the girl is devoured and the wolf triumphs. The basic setup of “innocent girl encounters predator” has many possibilities, and modern riffs have varied in tone from the wacky Tex Avery cartoon Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) to the disturbing Hard Candy (2005).

Here are a few of my favourite updated versions of the popular fable:

• Freeway (1996) — Here's a gloriously skanky little thriller-satire that I somehow missed during its original theatrical run and VHS release, but which is definitely worth seeing on DVD. It's got the same sort of guilty-pleasure vibe as many a classic ’70s exploitation flick, à la Switchblade Sisters (1975) or Fugitive Girls (1974), while slyly subverting the outdated chauvinism of such fare and giving us a heroine who absolutely refuses to be a helpless victim.

When her skeevy parents get hauled off to jail for prostitution and drug offences, Vanessa (Reese Witherspoon in a career-making turn) opts to hit the road in a stolen car rather than face corrupt, state-appointed foster care again. Toting a wicker basket and a handgun, Vanessa sets out in search of her long-lost grandmother, hoping to start life anew. When the car breaks down on the interstate, she gets a ride with Bob (Kiefer Sutherland), a seemingly nice guy. (Uh-oh.) Naturally, Bob turns out to be “the I-5 Killer,” a sicko who's been slicing up wayward girls along the highway.

We already know that we're watching a modern version of Little Red Riding Hood because of the opening title sequence (which depicts a number of young honeys fleeing from the big bad wolf), so we can kind of see where this is going... but we're wrong. (SPOILER ALERT!) Once “the wolf” has shown his true colours, Vanessa draws her pistol, makes Bob pull the car over, and shoots him five times. Then she vomits, prays for forgiveness, steals Bob's wallet, and wanders into a diner to wash off the maniac's blood and to order some pancakes... and the movie isn't even close to being over yet!

• The Company of Wolves (1984) — A werewolf movie with a richly Gothic atmosphere, this dream-like compilation of dark fables uses lycanthropy as a metaphor for the onset of puberty and sexual yearning. A persnickety grandmother (Angela Lansbury) warns innocent young Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson) to stay away from men whose eyebrows meet in the middle, and tells many tales of cruelty, transformation, curses and the Devil arriving in the middle of a forest in a chauffeured limousine. We see cottages nestled in enchanted woods, witness some graphic man-to-wolf transformations and scratch our heads at some beautiful but inexplicable images that just seem to be there to look magical and odd. The narrative is a bit fragmented (out of necessity), but the visuals are sumptuous.

• Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999) — This Japanese animated feature transports the tale to an alternate-reality version of 1950s Japan, freshly freed from a brutal occupation by the Nazis and suffering from considerable internal strife. Paramilitary units use brutal means to hunt down terrorist cells, and the terrorists have resorted to using young girls to transport satchel charges to various targets; such couriers are called “Little Red Riding Hoods.” One anti-terrorist operative befriends one such courier, with tragic consequences. Thought-provoking and gorgeously animated, but a little dry and impenetrable for some tastes.

• Hoodwinked! (2005) — Red Riding Hood retold in computer animation, as a police procedural in which each major character has their own version of what happened. You haven't lived until you've seen Wolf (Patrick Warburton) wearing the least convincing Granny disguise ever, and answering Red's questions with weary irritation.

“Your mouth doesn't move when you talk.”

“Plastic Surgery. Grandma's had a little work done.”

“What big ears you have.”

“All the better to hear your many criticisms.”

In tone, it's a bit like Shrek (2001), only with worse animation and much funnier jokes. If you're looking for a family-friendly version of Rashomon (1950), this is it.

• Dizzy Red Riding Hood (1931) — Man, the early, pre-Hays code Betty Boop cartoons are messed up. Betty puts on the red hood and ventures forth, showing off her gorgeous legs and attracting the attention of a hungry wolf. Betty's protector Bimbo kills the wolf (the skeleton runs away screaming) and wears the wolf's skin in order to seduce Betty. They both wind up kissing in bed. No, I'm not making this up.

• Big Bad Wolves (2006) — The classic tale is retold by a handful of foul-mouthed gangsters sitting around a table, re-creating the opening scene from Reservoir Dogs (1992). (“Little Red Riding Hood is all about the importance... of sex education.”) You can watch the entire 13-minute short film at bbwolves.com but don't do it at work, because it contains lots of foul language and, er, “adult situations.”

• Black XXX-Mas (1999) — Speaking of “adult situations,” don't even think about watching this short if you're underage or easily offended, because it packs more raucous obscenity into its 11 minutes than most features manage in 90. We start off in heaven, where God (Manou Kersting) is playing with His gameboy (our world). Sweet little Red (Rochelle Gadd) sets forth into the mean streets to score some drugs, and gets literally eaten by a crooked cop (Kersting, again). Meanwhile, Red's father is ransacking a house, when Wolfy the cop comes home to find Red's Dad boinking his wife. Splattery violence ensues, and Red is freed from Wolfy's stomach, safe and sound.

The gross-out scenes are so ridiculously over-the-top that they aren't even offensive, and the ending is actually kind of heartwarming, in a twisted sort of way. Good, sick fun.