Horror Remakes (That Don't Suck)
Ah, remakes. So many awful, awful remakes. Floating on the sea of unnecessary garbage made solely to cash in on a familiar name, there are a few gems waiting to be found. I think it's time to give them some love for doing it right.
Again, there are a few films I left out, either because I didn't see them or felt they changed a bit too much to qualify as true remakes. Or because they sucked or were completely unnecessary. And yeah, I'm looking at you, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
-The Thing. Best. Remake. Ever. Easily the greatest creature flick of all time, the protean shapeshifter/body snatcher in Carpenter's version makes the creature in the original look almost laughable. A deep sense of isolation and paranoia inundates the film, filling the spaces between the creature's appearances with incredible atmosphere. The film's ending is ambiguous, and one of the bleakest you'll find in a film. Easily in the running for my favorite horror movie of all time.
-The Fly. Cronenberg was the perfect choice to make this film. His fascination with body horror brings a whole new element of the grotesque to the transporter mishap, and his characters are far more layered than in the original. The effects are great, and Goldblum's transformation becomes genuinely squirm-inducing as the movie goes on.
-The Blob. Right from the start, this one gets a lot of things right. The characters (even relatively minor ones) are established and made likable even before the monster arrives. The effects work is first-rate for the time, and most of it holds up surprisingly well. This is also one of the only horror movies from its era that had the guts to kill off of one of the child characters, and brutally at that.
-The Horror of Dracula. Oh yeah, I didn't forget Hammer. The studio was the king of horror remakes in its day, drawing inspiration from Universal's monster pictures. The sets are beautiful, perfectly capturing the gothic atmosphere of the scenes. And you know what? Damned if I don't actually like Lee's Dracula a little better than Lugosi's (but only just). Cushing is equally impressive as his foe, Professor Van Helsing.
-The Curse of Frankenstein. My second Hammer entry on this list, and the studio's first color horror film, actually predating the entry above. Cushing's sociopathy and scientific obsession cement his Doctor Frankenstein as a true villain, unlike his more sympathetic, if manic, Universal counterpart. This element actually gives the film a dual protagonist and antagonist, making everything leading up to the creature much more entertaining and losing some of the original's cheese. The gore in the movie was also revolutionary for the time, pushing the boundaries and drawing controversy.
-Invasion of the Body Snatches. Hoo-boy, this is a nasty one. Upping the paranoia in the '50's version to 11, there's not a moment in this film where the characters feel safe, culminating in an incredibly dark final act. And is there anybody who doesn't remember the creepy screaming alarm sounded whenever a pod person spots a human being? Criminey.
-Night of the Living Dead. Yeah, I already covered this one earlier, but like Horror of Dracula, it bears repeating. The update to Barbara from trauma case to increasingly resilient survivor would be enough to warrant a watch, but Tony Todd's performance as Ben is another high point. The ending, while a bit different from its predecessor, still works quite well.
-Dawn of the Dead. While I do have some issues with it (like the most random-ass, unnecessary sex scene I've seen in a movie and a lame extra scene during the credits), the remake of Romero's classic is actually pretty good. The opening scene is very effective at throwing the viewer into a world taking its first steps into hell. The idea of a pregnant woman getting infected was a genuinely interesting idea, and one that panned out pretty well. Having a neighbor across the street was another nice way to add some extra tension.
-Evil Dead 2. Half-remake and half-sequel, but I'm going to allow it. Changing tone from straight horror to horror comedy should've been disastrous, but Sam Raimi pulled it off like a pro. Bruce Campbell's Ash is at his best here, stuck amusingly between action hero and schmuck. There are a ton of great scenes, ranging from Ash battling his demon-possessed hand to a battle against the previous owner's snake-headed wife. One of my favorites.
-Cape Fear. Man, Robert DeNiro sells this thing. Big time. His Max Cady is one of the creepiest human villains to hit the big screen, capable of being cunning, charming, or incredibly brutal at the drop of a hat, making him even more dangerous than Mitchum's earlier portrayal. And he has more validity to his hatred to further sell his motivation. The film's tension never lets up once it gets going as Cady gets ever closer to his target.
Again, there are a few films I left out, either because I didn't see them or felt they changed a bit too much to qualify as true remakes. Or because they sucked or were completely unnecessary. And yeah, I'm looking at you, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
-The Thing. Best. Remake. Ever. Easily the greatest creature flick of all time, the protean shapeshifter/body snatcher in Carpenter's version makes the creature in the original look almost laughable. A deep sense of isolation and paranoia inundates the film, filling the spaces between the creature's appearances with incredible atmosphere. The film's ending is ambiguous, and one of the bleakest you'll find in a film. Easily in the running for my favorite horror movie of all time.
-The Fly. Cronenberg was the perfect choice to make this film. His fascination with body horror brings a whole new element of the grotesque to the transporter mishap, and his characters are far more layered than in the original. The effects are great, and Goldblum's transformation becomes genuinely squirm-inducing as the movie goes on.
-The Blob. Right from the start, this one gets a lot of things right. The characters (even relatively minor ones) are established and made likable even before the monster arrives. The effects work is first-rate for the time, and most of it holds up surprisingly well. This is also one of the only horror movies from its era that had the guts to kill off of one of the child characters, and brutally at that.
-The Horror of Dracula. Oh yeah, I didn't forget Hammer. The studio was the king of horror remakes in its day, drawing inspiration from Universal's monster pictures. The sets are beautiful, perfectly capturing the gothic atmosphere of the scenes. And you know what? Damned if I don't actually like Lee's Dracula a little better than Lugosi's (but only just). Cushing is equally impressive as his foe, Professor Van Helsing.
-The Curse of Frankenstein. My second Hammer entry on this list, and the studio's first color horror film, actually predating the entry above. Cushing's sociopathy and scientific obsession cement his Doctor Frankenstein as a true villain, unlike his more sympathetic, if manic, Universal counterpart. This element actually gives the film a dual protagonist and antagonist, making everything leading up to the creature much more entertaining and losing some of the original's cheese. The gore in the movie was also revolutionary for the time, pushing the boundaries and drawing controversy.
-Invasion of the Body Snatches. Hoo-boy, this is a nasty one. Upping the paranoia in the '50's version to 11, there's not a moment in this film where the characters feel safe, culminating in an incredibly dark final act. And is there anybody who doesn't remember the creepy screaming alarm sounded whenever a pod person spots a human being? Criminey.
-Night of the Living Dead. Yeah, I already covered this one earlier, but like Horror of Dracula, it bears repeating. The update to Barbara from trauma case to increasingly resilient survivor would be enough to warrant a watch, but Tony Todd's performance as Ben is another high point. The ending, while a bit different from its predecessor, still works quite well.
-Dawn of the Dead. While I do have some issues with it (like the most random-ass, unnecessary sex scene I've seen in a movie and a lame extra scene during the credits), the remake of Romero's classic is actually pretty good. The opening scene is very effective at throwing the viewer into a world taking its first steps into hell. The idea of a pregnant woman getting infected was a genuinely interesting idea, and one that panned out pretty well. Having a neighbor across the street was another nice way to add some extra tension.
-Evil Dead 2. Half-remake and half-sequel, but I'm going to allow it. Changing tone from straight horror to horror comedy should've been disastrous, but Sam Raimi pulled it off like a pro. Bruce Campbell's Ash is at his best here, stuck amusingly between action hero and schmuck. There are a ton of great scenes, ranging from Ash battling his demon-possessed hand to a battle against the previous owner's snake-headed wife. One of my favorites.
-Cape Fear. Man, Robert DeNiro sells this thing. Big time. His Max Cady is one of the creepiest human villains to hit the big screen, capable of being cunning, charming, or incredibly brutal at the drop of a hat, making him even more dangerous than Mitchum's earlier portrayal. And he has more validity to his hatred to further sell his motivation. The film's tension never lets up once it gets going as Cady gets ever closer to his target.
No comments have been added yet.
