Quentin Tarantino’s latest film has been fairly divisive, but one thing that no one can argue about it how much inspiration it takes from Western films of old. Tarantino himself would be the first to tell you that The Hateful Eight wouldn’t have been possible without the movies that came before it — and he did exactly that in an interview with Première last month.
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In the video below, Tarantino lists the five movies you should watch before The Hateful Eight. Give it a watch, and then we’ll take a deeper dive and tell you where you can (legally) stream them online:
- The Thing (1982): Tarantino says that The Thing shares the most in common with The Hateful Eight when it comes to tone and setting, as well as the involvement of Kurt Russell and Ennio Morricone. Both Hateful and Reservoir Dogs were heavily inspired by The Thing. If you’re looking to stream it, you’ll need an
Amazon Prime subscription and a Starz add-on subscription (but if you already have Prime, you can try Starz for seven days free of charge). - The Wild Bunch (1969): Tarantino admits that he’s not sure how Hateful stacks up against The Wild Bunch, but says he and Sam Peckinpah are both very “specific directors,” and that “a lot can be gained” from exposing one’s self to the visions of both directors. You can stream this one on YouTube for $2.99.
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974): There are several mysteries to keep track of throughout Tarantino’s latest, none of which I can mention here without spoiling the movie. Murder on the Orient Express is an Agatha Christie novel turned into a movie, and Tarantino clearly has a great deal of respect for the author. You might have to get creative to find this one online.
- Hombre (1967): The interviewer appears to suggest this one, rather than Tarantino coming up with it himself. But the director agrees with the assessment, noting that many “claustrophobic Westerns” influenced Hateful. Best of all, this one’s actually on Netflix.
- Khartoum (1966): Although Khartoum and Hateful don’t have much in common thematically, they share the 70mm format that Tarantino was so adamant about during the production of the movie. This one’s also on YouTube.
