These days Hollywood is in love with remaking films, and horror films seem to be the genre most mined. As a horror fan, it’s hard not to be a bit perturbed by this. To see the legacy of your genre favorites “ruined” by a sub-standard modern studio film is a hard thing to take as a fan. I can’t speak for everyone, but for me the frustration stems directly from the idea that kids or newcomers will only know the remake. Forbes posted a list in 2013 of the Top 20 Most Successful Horror Remakes, and while their definition of horror is fairly broad (War of the Worlds???), to imagine that these remakes are supplanting the original in the cultural consciousness is hard to take. The remakes in the last 10 or so years have gone beyond the well-known titles, too, reaching deep into the film vault and coming up with films that only stalwart genre fans will have any kind of name recognition of. About.com has a list compiling all of these announced horror remakes, but thankfully many of the films listed there appear to be in development hell. For instance, what’s the point of Cronenberg remaking his own remake of The Fly? Money, of course.
That’s the bottom line with these remakes, and people come out in droves for them (as evidenced in the Forbes list). This is how Hollywood works; it was never about the art. So if you take that to heart, you’ll possibly extend your life a few years and you’ll be able to have fun with the idea of modern remakes (or at least be OK with the fact that they exist, because they will no matter how much huffin’ and puffin’ you do). I like the stance that a post over at SBD takes on the issue. They have predictions on which horror movie remakes might be hitting the silver screen next. A remake of Poltergeist drops in a few months, so their first pick is already on the money, and the upcoming 2016 Friday the 13th film is supposedly another reboot of the long-running series. Even their prediction regarding the remake of Nosferatu is kinda happening, so is it too much to consider that remakes of The Stuff or Suspiria aren’t too far behind?
So in the interest of fun, put on your thinkin’ caps and come up with some horror movies that would be horrifying/awesome/funny/whatever if they were remade! Sound off in the comments!
I’ll start it off with a few:
Night of the Creeps (oh God why did I just type that?)
Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (because they already started a remake series and this one could surely be improved)
Demonicus (because a man possessed by a demonic ancient Roman spirit demands a wider audience and a bigger budget)
Rawhead Rex (which I’d legitimately welcome a Clive Barker-approved remake of)
The Craft
That Nosferatu remake looks ugly ewwwww. I just watched the Hands of Orlock remake recently though, that might be cool except it’s science is kind of dated.
Correction: Orlac and I mean the original silent version simple and sweet.
Yeah that Nosferatu remake does look kinda strange. I love the look of the makeup FX, though. I wish more big-budget films would embrace stuff like that. That’s one of the big reasons I loved Guardians of the Galaxy, there were so many practical FX in that one.
So you watched the silent Hands of Orlac? Haven’t seen that one, but I see it’s directed by the guy that made Cabinet of Dr. Caligari so I imagine it’s pretty damn good! I’ll have to add it to my neverending movie list.
Yeah, I’m a whore for german expressionism [cough] metropolis [/cough]. Back in my happier days they had one of the world’s best piano players in Seattle improvising live to Caligari. I took my last ex and it was my first time seeing that one also [i’ve been obsessed with that song because of rob zombie’s living dead girl music video]. She then called me an idiot not long after and broke up with me. Good Riddance I Say!
Man, that sounds like one hell of an experience with Caligari. I saw a few Buster Keaton movies with live piano and it was such a memorable event. Like going back in time. Some people just can’t appreciate the good things in life!
Yeah it was very surreal, found it on the internet guess he had a violin too now I remember!!! Well enough about me, I’d be interested in which Buster Keaton’s you witnessed. And to stay on topic, The Craft probably doesn’t need a remake yet [; and your review of Demonicus is very intriguing.
I saw The General, Sherlock Jr., and a program with a bunch of Chaplin & Keaton shorts. They were all at the Silent Movie Theater in LA. Nowadays the theater is more of a standard rep theater playing all kinds of stuff, but back when I was going (around 2000 or so) all they played was silents with live music. An awesome little venue.
I honestly never saw The Craft, so I can’t say one way or another. I do think it’s a bit early for ’90s remakes, though. They’ll start coming around in the next decade or so. I have this theory that the waves of nostalgia for a decade come 30 years after, when the kids who grew up then start creating things of their own.
Demonicus is really fun if you let yourself have fun with it. Super low-budget.
Man I’d choke a turkey to see The Navigator or The General with live music. I caught Giorgio Morodor’s Metropolis on Netflix recently and I’d give it 4 stars. Techno and ancient cyberpunk yesssss.
Definitely check out The Craft [thanks to anonymous] it’s the defining goth movie of the 90’s [other than the Spooky crow movie]. Your theory isn’t far off for the new Turtles movie since i was like 5-10 when they started airing.
Yeah I’m from the whole shoe-string cinema club. Grew up listening to Quentin, Spike, Herzog, and Raimi telling me/us to steal camera’s and everything until you could afford to get them yourself. Didn’t help my/our social life hardly at all but we got the job done. When I think of film/ any kind of art you know there’s always that raw feeling in the beginning works by the craftspeople which is always refreshing to look back on after they’ve had years of success. Here’s the very intriguing part of your review to me
Haven’t seen that version of Metropolis. Hell, I still haven’t seen the newer version with all the newly found footage. I keep telling myself I’m gonna buy it but I always put it off. All I’ve ever seen is the horrid budget DVD with the worst score ever that I got right when I got my DVD player in 2000 or something like that.
I wish those people who started in low budget stuff and transitioned to bigger Hollywood movies would revisit their roots. Mostly I’m thinking of Peter Jackson making another horror movie. It’s just not the same when they don’t have that hunger to make it!
Glad you liked that part of the review. There’s good to be found in all kinds of movies, even the ones where you least expect it. And shot-on-video movies are usually pretty awful, so I was really surprised how much I enjoyed that one.
Going for the world record of replies !!! Definately check out “Morodor’s Metropolis”, it begins with a quote by Lang from way back when “To begin with, I should say that I am a visual person. I experience with my eyes and never, or only rarely, with my ears—to my constant regret.” Here’s the Trailer very poppy probably the only realistic way to view this movie for purposes other than educational as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozr62E-8AhM
Peter Jackson definately kicked major ass for the lord in his early movies. You should track down Sam Raimi’s Within the Wood’s if you haven’t seen it, it’s really spooky seeing Bruce Campbell get seriously f***ing possessed just after the picnic. Hate to keep dropping movies on you too [working on decelling] but “Drag Me to Hell” by Raimi is damn near close to his Evil Dead work with a female lead doing a great job. It’s way more badass than the Title/Trailer suggest.
Recently I became enamored with a primarily shot-on-video director named Bill Zebub, he’s a true metalhead turned fairly talented director who really knows how to unclothe the ladies [ducks for cover]!!!
Hahahaha, if nothing else I think this is the site record! I have seen Within the Woods. I got a VCD of it way back when off of ebay. Haven’t seen it in ages. I’ll have to review it one of these days. I saw Drag Me To Hell also, but I didn’t like it much. It’s definitely got that classic Raimi spirit, but I hated the main character so I couldn’t get into the movie. Maybe I should try again. Bill Zebub sounds fun… metal and shot-on-video movies sounds like a perfect match!
http://www.meetup.com/seattle-cinema-club/events/8870395/
Whoa it wont let me reply to your last post, well yeah I’d love to read a Within the Woods review on this Site that would be awesome since no official reviewers seem to have any known reviews of the movie [maybe since it’s illegal or something?] Definately give Drag me to Hell another chance, if you watch the making of that movie they totally bruce cambpell’d her and that’s really her swinging around upside down on the cieling [not some cgi effect] and really her literally dragged through the mud in the grave scene ;]. With Bill Zebub you have to choose wisely since most of his stuff his really low grade, I found Bad Acid to be awesome though since it’s the acid movie to compete with all the beer and marijuana movies. REcentely his Holocaust Cannibal might have ousted Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno due to the hidden nature of shot on video filmmaking, then he’s got a plethora of other films mostly dealing with the either the crucification themes or with interviewing real Metal musicians intermittently .
Yeah, there’s a limit of 10 replies I think, or 10 posts total in a thread, something like that. I don’t think I’ve ever hit it! I guess Within the Woods would be considered “illegal” since it was never officially released. I do plan on reviewing it whenever I can unearth my VCD of it.