Many horror purists swear that the original is nearly always the best. While that often might be the case, there’s no reason to completely write off more recent remakes. Sometimes, given the context of the times, a new director can interpret the story’s subtext a different way and put a whole new spin on a movie, making it more relevant to the audience of the time. Other times, thanks to advances in technology, a remake can benefit from improved special effects and filming techniques that can make it worthwhile to watch for that reason alone. A movie remake can be a different and an enjoyable experience in its own right, and sometimes, dare we say, even better than the original.
The horror genre continues to be a big draw for movies goers worldwide and a successful franchise can mean big bucks for a studio. In attempts to appeal to new generations, remakes remain big business with Arachnophobia, The Wolf Man and An American Werewolf in London being just some movies, per Looper, reportedly undergoing the remake treatment. Unfortunately, and probably more so than with any other genre, studios have often focused on quantity over quality, and rushed out these remakes to market without paying any mind to script quality. To save yourself from being consumed by the hundreds of these unwatchable movies lurking out there in the darkness, we’ve put together the list below to allow you to explore five of the very best horror remakes on offer.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Evil Dead (2013)
TriStar Pictures
The original Evil Dead trilogy was a groundbreaking exercise in horror excess, which laid the groundwork and created the template for the horror-comedy genre. Fast-forward over 30 years since the release of the iconic original The Evil Dead entry, and this time around, directing duties have shifted from Sam Raimi to Fede Álvarez, in his feature directorial debut Evil Dead. Álvarez avoided falling to the same pitfalls so many remakes and reboots stumble into by taking a bit of a risk and putting his own spin on an existing classic, knowing it would be near impossible to recreate the excitement the original generated with a shot for shot remake. This iteration was far darker in tone, resulting in a genuinely terrifying affair that was generally well received by fans and critics despite the gamble, and was a success at the box office.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
4 The Fly (1986)
20th Century Studios
The living legend that is Jeff Goldblum stars as an eccentric scientist who slowly begins to turn into a fly-hybrid creature after one of his experiments goes wrong in the 1986 sci-fi horror flick The Fly. Helmed by iconic sci-fi and horror director David Cronenberg, known for his expertise in the grotesque cinematic world of body horror, this remake of the 1958 classic saw Cronenberg teaming up with famed special effects and make-up artist Chris Walas to conceptualize the gruesome transformation of the ill-fated scientist, which was intended to be a metaphor for the aging process. Perhaps a representation of the times and audiences growing desire for the extreme, Cronenberg’s decision to make the movie a more shocking affair paid off, and the movie has gone down in history and still maintains a large cult following to this day.
3 The Invisible Man (2020)
Universal Pictures
The idea of the Invisible Man is something that everyone is familiar with and has been exposed to in some form or another over their lifetime, so in order for a new iteration to really make any lasting impression, it would have to be something quite special. Fortunately, that’s exactly what Leigh Whannell delivered on his 2020 take on the H.G Wells classic novel. Released to universal critical acclaim, The Invisible Man was a surprise box office smash hit, flipping the damsel in distress trope on its head and thrilling viewers as they watched Elisabeth Moss’ character evolve into a completely relatable badass heroine for the ages.
2 Maniac (2012)
Canal++
At the time of its release in 1981, the original slasher horror Maniac, directed on a micro-budget by William Lustig, was lambasted by critics for its irredeemable violence and particularly unpleasant themes and tone, getting temporarily banned or censored around the world, but since developed a small cult following. The 2012 remake directed by Franck Khalfoun and starring renowned B-movie horror enthusiast Elijah Wood, was no less gory or brutal, but took an altogether more unique and arty approach to filmmaking, largely in part to being shot entirely from the serial killer’s point of view, meaning that his face (Wood) was rarely seen, except in reflections or in photographs. This unique approach paid off, creating a one-of-a-kind, visually stunning piece of grotesque horror art.
1 The Thing (1981)
The original The Thing or The Thing from the Other World (full title) was a black and white science fiction movie released in 1951, directed by Christian Nyby and based on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell. It was a minor hit at the time of its release, eventually becoming the highest-grossing science fiction film of the year. As time passed, appreciation for the movie increased, further resulting in it scoring a solid 86% on film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. By 1982, much of the mainstream audience had long forgotten the original, and John Carpenter had stepped in and teamed up with an ensemble cast including Kurt Russell to remake the movie, which tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the “Thing”, a vicious bloodthirsty alien creature which can imitate other organisms.
Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, while still rooted firmly in the sci-fi genre, contained far more elements of horror and was a masterclass in both suspense and tension and also outright blood and gore. The movie was a minor hit at the time, but has since been acknowledged as one of the most important and influential movies in the sci-fi and horror genres, receiving particular praise for its use of practical effects (which, per Far Out, reportedly took up $1.5 million of the movie’s budget) and its combination of breathtaking cinematography and creating intense feelings of claustrophobia.
