With remake after remake being churned out left, right and centre it’s rare that we find one to be proud of but it does happen. We swim through the absolute cesspit of modern horror remakes and find some good ones to be proud of!
So let’s dive in with a handful of modern horror remakes that really stand out for me amongst the rest.
The Ring (2002)
Based on the movie Ringu and directed by Gore Verbinksi, The Ring revolves around a cursed video tape that would kill people 7 days after you view it.
The Ring was based off the Japanese original movie and pays tribute to it in every department.
Whilst Americanized and a bit off-centre compared to that of the original it contained something new and fresh and still managed to have a creepy vibe and delivered in building tension and foreboding suspense.
Starring Naomi Watts The Ring is a movie that proves that a good remake is possible but it’s a very rare occurrence indeed, especially in the horror realm.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
What Zack Synder got wrong (and will get wrong again) in Batman V Superman (yes even the Synder cut) he managed to get right when it comes to the horror genre.
Whilst the original film was thought to be untouchable and a work of cinematic horror art there was a large proportion of fans who wrote this remake off completely.
It was arguably a film that didn’t need to be remade.
But we’re glad it was.
Yet another film that respected the original and then brought it forward and made it relevant to audiences of the time.
With some great kills, a superb opening and that continued dread of being trapped in a mall during a zombie apocalypse embedded into the mind so a whole new generation, without a doubt this remake commands our respect.
We fell in love with zombies all over again and then The Walking Dead further enforced our love for all things undead.
The Crazies (2010)
A film that for me actually improved on the original as George Romero’s 1973 virus horror thriller just… wasn’t that good.
With lots of room to improve this remake fills in the gaps with great acting talent, a great script and a wonderfully engaging and entertaining movie.
It’s rare to find a good horror remake but even rarer to find one that supersede’s the original!
Evil Dead (2013)
I watched this remake only a few nights ago and I couldn’t for the life of me think of why it was made to begin with considering the original was so damn good but it’s certainly a good remake if albeit a sloppy one at the same time.
When watching I couldn’t help but notice how the pacing was absolutely shocking, within seconds of the film opening we’re fed such little backstory with zero context and are thrust into the story with brief knowledge of who each character was but we all knew their fate.
What transpired was a bloodthirsty (if albeit hallow) gore fest of epic proportions as this cabin in the woods turns into a hotbed of undead activity.
Swapping a female lead for a male one (even though she disappears into a basement for large portions of the film) it certainly paid homage to the cult classic original.
Was it better than the original? Well, Coming Soon certainly thought so but for me, absolutely not.
It felt rushed at times and certainly didn’t have that long lasting staying power that the original had.
Many a times you only need to bring up the words Evil Dead and the remake doesn’t even cross into people’s minds during the epic conversation you’re about to engage in.
Whilst it wasn’t scary in anyway shape or form it relied on gore to deliver the desired effect and it certainly did that as I winced in my seat numerous times when watching on the big screen.
This was a remake that made me respect the original much more, I didn’t hate it or love it but it is certainly the better of the modern horror remakes.
IT (2017)
This film certainly has its critics but I personally thought it hit the nail on the head perfectly aligning itself with the classic 1990 tv mini-series.
Arguably the best horror remake of all time as Pennywise was thrown onto the big screens to a modern generation even creepier than before as we follow ‘The Losers’ who comfort this evil being as he haunts the town of Derry.
The first chapter will not be beaten for a long, long time but we’ll just ignore Chapter 2 as that was one of the biggest horror disappointments in recent memory.
It was ridiculously poor to a laughable degree and having all the characters back as their older selves just ruined the childlike innocence and horror of the first chapter.
We’ll just pretend the second one doesn’t exist for a multitude of reasons.
Check out our review of IT here.
What is your favourite horror movie remake? Leave your comments below
