It goes without saying that Hollywood is suffering from a complete lack of originality these days. It’s either a sequel, a remake or a reboot of some sort. It also goes without saying that most horror movie remakes are generally pretty lousy, mostly because the people remaking these movies have no understanding of what made the original film so good. That being said, there are remakes out there that are actually pretty good. Not necessarily better than the original film, but not a complete waste of time. Every once in a while, though, you come across a remake that outshines the original film in nearly every way. Granted, these films are few and far in between, but it is definitely worth seeking them out. For this post, I’m going to go over what I consider to be some of the best horror remakes. Movies like 2005’s House of Wax don’t count as they really don’t have anything to do with the original film outside of the name. So, with that in mind, let’s dig up some good remakes.
Evil Dead
The original Evil Dead, released in 1981, is considered by many to be one of the best horror movies ever made, and I tend to agree with that assessment. The original film had its problems, but those problems stemmed from the cast and crew not having enough experience making movies, so there is definitely a very workman-like quality to the film that actually adds to its charms. In 2013, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi teamed up again to co-produce a new Evil Dead film. Featuring all new characters in an all-too familiar location, the new film follows the same kind of outline as the original, but instead of a group of people on vacation and hanging out, the folks in the remake are staging an intervention for one of their own who is a drug addict. Discovering an ancient book in the basement, all hell breaks loose. While the original film is definitely a horror movie, it also had a sense of humor, which permeated the whole thing, including the effects. Here, the goings-on is strictly a dead-serious affair. I think that actually works in its favor. The effects are outstanding as the effects are mostly practical, including the blood rain storm that happens towards the end of the film. It’s a pretty intense film from beginning to end, and I think it deserves a place alongside the other Evil Dead films.
The Last House on the Left
Wes Craven’s first feature film, The Last House on the Left, was one of the most shocking movies to be released in 1972. It had a group of criminals kidnap two young women who were on their way to get drugs, and end up getting assaulted and murdered. It was shown in some pretty graphic detail, but people seemed to have had more of a problem with the revenge part of the film where the parents went after the criminals. The 2009 remake of the film, takes a far more grittier approach to what happens. The rape scene isn’t protracted and is thankfully pretty short, but this version also leaves one of the girls alive after the ordeal, which allows for the film to have a little bit of hope in the end. The revenge aspect is still pretty brutal. While I definitely appreciate the directness of the original film, I feel that the tone in the remake is far more consistent. It doesn’t have the goofy cops or silly music of the original film. It actually feels more realistic, except for the ending, which was….weird.
John Carpenter’s The Thing
John Carpenter’s The Thing is a film that is actually more of an adaptation of John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There than a remake of The Thing From Another World, but it still counts. The Thing follows a group of researchers in Antarctica as they come across a shape-shifting alien creature. That’s pretty much the gist of the story. This film got nailed to the wall back in 1982. It was one of two extra-terrestrial films to come out at that time, the other being Steven Spielberg’s E.T. Guess which one did better. The average film-goer was not in the mood to watch a blood-thirsty alien wreak havoc in an isolated research station. Yet, the film gained an audience and is ultimately more appreciated now than it was over 30 years ago. The effects are all practical thanks to the work of Rob Bottin. The creature designs and the gore are still second-to-none. It’s not just the effects that still stand-up. The atmosphere and the isolation really bring the dread, and the level of paranoia adds to an already intense film. It’s one of my favorites.
The Blob
The Blob was one of the most unique monster movies to come out of the late 1950s. It featured the legendary Steve McQueen going up against an indestructible gooey mass that devoured people. It was definitely a pretty silly movie, especially when you tried to have a 20-something Steve McQueen portray a teenager. That being said, it was still a fun film. It developed such a massive following that starting 2000, the town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania began holding an annual “Blobfest” commemorating the film. The film did actually get a sequel in the 70s, which was lame, but the movie that most horror fans will drift towards is the 1988 remake. While it still follows the same outline as the original film, the 1988 movie takes it to a whole new level by making it a full-blown horror movie. The 1988 remake is one of the goriest movies to come out of the decade and it was also one of the few movies where nobody was safe, not even kids. While the film was definitely gruesome, it also had a sense of humor. It definitely pokes fun at the idea of slasher movies and the irritating things that people experience in theaters. Don’t you just hate it when people talk during the movie? The Blob has an answer for that.
The Fly
The 1980s was a pretty strong year for horror movies, especially when it came to remakes. The Fly is one of the most interesting and fantastic remakes I’ve ever seen. Featuring a strong performance by Jeff Goldblum, The Fly follows a scientist as he tries to develop teleportation as an alternative to normal modes of transportation. Something goes wrong when he gets stuck in one of the pods with a fly and the two are accidentally spliced together. The Fly is as much a horror movie as it is a tragic love story. Jeff Goldblum steals the show as Seth Brundle, a scientist whose body is changing because of an accident with his experiments, and his performance is extraordinary. The effects are incredibly gruesome, gooey, and gory. But there is a real human and emotional element that really ties the whole thing together. The Fly is one of the best movies of its kind.
The Hills Have Eyes
The Last House on the Left was not the first Wes Craven film to be remade. His 1976 film, The Hills Have Eyes, which featured a family that gets stranded in the middle of a desert being set upon by a group of inbred cannibals, got the treatment in 2006, when French director Alexandre Aja took the helm. Again, like the other films on this list, The Hills Have Eyes follows the same outline as its predecessor, but it also changes things around a bit. Instead of inbred cannibals, we have a group of mutated inbred cannibals as a result of nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert. The make-up effects and gore are truly and the isolation is harrowing. The film doesn’t really shy away from the violence which is pretty brutal. You also have a pretty strong cast that includes Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, and Billy Drago. It’s an intense film with some pretty outstanding visuals. It pulls no punches, and I’m thankful for that. Definitely check this one out.
I’ve seen a lot of horror movie remakes, but these ones are the best ones of the bunch, in my opinion. They prove that a movie doesn’t necessarily have to be original, but it has to be well made and tries to bring something new to the table. The Best of October continues.