TOP FIVE HORROR REMAKES
It's October, it'll be Halloween in four weeks, time for a few more lists.
To kick things off, I'll start with what might have been the hardest list to come up with. Good remakes. I struggled, I really did. Because there are so few remakes that are actually worth seeing. In fact, I'll be totally honest with you. Of the five movies I'm about to list, I'd only recommend three of them.
Anyway, we already know about the mediocrity of remakes. On to the list.
5. The Blob (1988)
I saw this movie only once, and I remember about as much of it as I do the original with Steve McQueen. Oh, wait, I know more about the original than I do about the remake because I know Steve McQueen was in it. I found both movies equally entertaining and equally forgettable. It made the list mainly because it was an inoffensive remake. It wasn't a slap in the face to the original.
4. A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
I actually wrote a little about this one last year when I did my "Top Five Slashers" list. Much like "The Blob," "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is about on par with the original. Neither film is great, though I'd still give the original the edge, not just for being the original, but for being more inventive with the killings. Jackie Earl Haley makes for a great Fred Krueger in the remake, and the remaining cast are all solid. It feels like a modern, slick movie with a big budget. It's atmospheric at times, and there are some very effective moments. It's just lacking something, which is a criticism I've often leveled at the original. All in all, a solid film.
3. Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
I was ready to hate this movie. The original "Dawn of the Dead" is a special movie to me. It was one of those watershed moments in my life. There was the world before "Dawn of the Dead" and the world after and there was a distinct difference. It was sacrilege to remake it.
Now, it's not like I ended up loving the movie. It's okay. It was better than I expected, but still didn't quite match the original. Gone were the subtleties of George Romero's satire, the fun, the humor. The human element was missing. Instead, we get a bunch of stock characters in a high adrenaline environment. The original makes you think. The remake gets your heart going. But it does it well, and there are some really great scenes and cool ideas (the zombie baby is a nice touch, even if it was already done in "Braindead"). Overall, not a bad film.
2. The Fly (1986)
It was a tough call between the two top spots. I literally left it up to a coin toss. I love them both equally, and think both are absolutely superior to their original counterparts.
"The Fly" really is one of the few remakes that surpasses the original classic. While the 1958 version is beloved, with famous moments and Vincent Price, it's a silly movie. You've got this scientist walking around with a fly head, his wife is distraught and useless because it's the 1950s. It was a B movie, and, while well done, ends up just feeling like a fairly typical 50s B movie.
David Cronenberg's remake doesn't just update the setting and science of the movie. It adds very human characters, and amps up the emotion. It's tragic, and it's uncompromising in its tragedy. Cancer has no happy ending, and this is, at its core, a film about cancer. The characters are well written, the performances superb, the effects disgusting, and the direction top notch. One of Cronenberg's best.
It's October, it'll be Halloween in four weeks, time for a few more lists.
To kick things off, I'll start with what might have been the hardest list to come up with. Good remakes. I struggled, I really did. Because there are so few remakes that are actually worth seeing. In fact, I'll be totally honest with you. Of the five movies I'm about to list, I'd only recommend three of them.
Anyway, we already know about the mediocrity of remakes. On to the list.
5. The Blob (1988)
I saw this movie only once, and I remember about as much of it as I do the original with Steve McQueen. Oh, wait, I know more about the original than I do about the remake because I know Steve McQueen was in it. I found both movies equally entertaining and equally forgettable. It made the list mainly because it was an inoffensive remake. It wasn't a slap in the face to the original.
4. A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
I actually wrote a little about this one last year when I did my "Top Five Slashers" list. Much like "The Blob," "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is about on par with the original. Neither film is great, though I'd still give the original the edge, not just for being the original, but for being more inventive with the killings. Jackie Earl Haley makes for a great Fred Krueger in the remake, and the remaining cast are all solid. It feels like a modern, slick movie with a big budget. It's atmospheric at times, and there are some very effective moments. It's just lacking something, which is a criticism I've often leveled at the original. All in all, a solid film.
3. Dawn Of The Dead (2004)
I was ready to hate this movie. The original "Dawn of the Dead" is a special movie to me. It was one of those watershed moments in my life. There was the world before "Dawn of the Dead" and the world after and there was a distinct difference. It was sacrilege to remake it.
Now, it's not like I ended up loving the movie. It's okay. It was better than I expected, but still didn't quite match the original. Gone were the subtleties of George Romero's satire, the fun, the humor. The human element was missing. Instead, we get a bunch of stock characters in a high adrenaline environment. The original makes you think. The remake gets your heart going. But it does it well, and there are some really great scenes and cool ideas (the zombie baby is a nice touch, even if it was already done in "Braindead"). Overall, not a bad film.
2. The Fly (1986)
It was a tough call between the two top spots. I literally left it up to a coin toss. I love them both equally, and think both are absolutely superior to their original counterparts.
"The Fly" really is one of the few remakes that surpasses the original classic. While the 1958 version is beloved, with famous moments and Vincent Price, it's a silly movie. You've got this scientist walking around with a fly head, his wife is distraught and useless because it's the 1950s. It was a B movie, and, while well done, ends up just feeling like a fairly typical 50s B movie.
David Cronenberg's remake doesn't just update the setting and science of the movie. It adds very human characters, and amps up the emotion. It's tragic, and it's uncompromising in its tragedy. Cancer has no happy ending, and this is, at its core, a film about cancer. The characters are well written, the performances superb, the effects disgusting, and the direction top notch. One of Cronenberg's best.
remod66:
I agree with.... several of your choices. More recently, I thought the remakes of THE CRAZIES and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT nailed it...
nuka:
I would pretty much agree with that! I really liked the Nightmare on Elm Street remake...more than I thought I would! I also agree with RemoD66 The Crazies was soooo amazing, but I didn't like the remake of the last house on the left...I thought the original was more horrifying. Also Piranha 3D was a great remake!!! naked ladies everywhere and horrible gore...love it!