Top Horror Movie Remakes
The Hills Have Eyes, Halloween, Dawn of the Dead and More
A look at the best horror remakes and what makes them so good.
Some horror movies need updating. Some need new actors. Some need a CGI facelift and others are just fine. The unfortunate truth is Hollywood’s dependency on itself, via remakes of past films. It seems that any movie, no matter how ineffective it was as an original, can be remade. With that said, there are some horror movies that are worthy of their remake status. When a film is remade, it should be out of homage, honor, and merit. Because of this, a remake should inspire you to see the original.
So, what I present to you is a list of the best horror movie remakes, based on quality of film, need of modernization, effectiveness, and status of the original film.
8. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
The original, by Wes Craven, brought a lot to the table. However, with the remake, Alexendre Aja, is able to push the envelope a little and include more gore than was capable back in 1977. Not a great movie, but overall it was a successful update.
7. Halloween (2007)
Many will argue the need or purpose of this film. The biggest obstacle it faces is that John Carpenter’s original didn’t need to be updated. With that said, what Rob Zombie did add was useful. The addition of a young Michael Myers answers questions that the sequels didn’t.
6. 2001 Maniacs (2005)
Standing firm that anything Eli Roth has his hands in is horror cinema gold, the remake to Herschell Gordon Lewis’ film, Two Thousand Maniacs, offers a needed new look. While the film itself didn’t woo critics, it offers what horror fans love to see; gore, Robert Englund, one liners, and symbolism.
5. Village of the Damned (1995)
While any movie involving kids tends to creep out viewers, the same can be said about any film by John Carpenter. If you put the two together, you have a winner. The 1960 original was a great film, but Carpenter does a top notch job of updating it. The acting is great (especially by Christopher Reeves and Mark Hamil), and the premise is shot well.
4. The Ring (2002)
Many might protest the plague of recent Japanese remakes, but The Ring was right on time. Updating the 1998 version was essentially more of an Americanizing. It offered scares to a new audience, but on a grander scale, it opened the door for countless other Japanese remakes. To the astute viewer, this movie brought a broad introduction of Japanese horror masters such as Hideo Nakata, Takashi Miike, and Masaki Kobayashi
3. House of Wax (2005)
While the remake did in fact steer away from the original premise a little, it proves that some films needed a little more than updating. Vincent Price’s original was extremely out of date, and the Jaume Collet-Serra remake gave great awareness to 1950’s classic. The film doesn’t spare on the kill scenes, but also has great depth with characters and symbolism.
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2004)
Any horror movie fan is going to put Leatherface in the slasher hall of fame. However, this film offered millions of misinformed fans about the dangers of lonely rednecks. After the mess that Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger made with The Return of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film revitalizes the franchise. The original is still a classic, but it is outdated with hokey acting and unappealing special affects. This one still gives me shivers.
1. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
George A. Romero is a very influential director. So, many were skeptical about Zack Snyder reimagining the film. While the film stays pretty close to its original, it is still a reinvisioning of the original mall brawl. Once again, special effects were working against the 1978 splatter fest. This movie entertained countless zombie fans, and with good reason. The film is solid, the gore is awesome, the setting gives the characters hope, and the premise condemns them. This film revitalized the zombie genre, but also stands well on its own two feet.
