10 Horror Remakes That Are Better Than You Might Think
To preface this article, I’d like to openly acknowledge the fact that there isn’t a single “great” film on this list. Furthermore, given the concept of this piece, it’s safe to say that you’re not going to read about any significantly original films either.
The whole remake thing kind of blew those hopes out of the water. That said, we’re going to eye 10 remakes/reboots/reimaginings that were forced through the meat grinder upon arrival, despite the fact that they didn’t entirely deserve such brutish treatment.
Believe it or not, there are a few remakes out there worth watching. The horror world would have you believe that not a single film on this list qualifies, but I’m here – battling valiantly – to prove the voices of many wrong. Dig in for a closer look at some remakes that, while not monumental, still offer some redeeming qualities.
My recommendation: Pretend the original doesn’t exist and prepare yourself for dumb, violent fun. Just don’t eat those flesh cookies!
Fright Night: Let’s get this out of the way immediately: The visual effects featured in Craig Gillespie’s Fright Night remake are terrible. Okay, they’re not terrible; they’re nauseatingly bad, embarrassingly stomach aching and downright despicable (I haven’t checked stats, but there may have actually been theatrical fatalities after being embarrassed to death by this shit). If there’s a film you can point at and say, “Now those are wretched special effects,” Fright Night is that movie. However, there’s a lot going on in this flick outside of the special effects alone.
Colin Farrell is particularly impressive as Jerry, the resident bloodsucker who’s taken to feeding on local Las Vegas call girls. Anton Yelchin – once you’ve accepted his rather extreme personality shift as Charley Brewster – works as a fine protagonist (thank the higher powers his conscience finally begins to tug at him). And the final showdown between the two, if you can get beyond the horrendous CGI sequences featuring both Charley and Jerry in the build-up (in regards to visual effects exclusively), it actually feels quite rewarding.
What it boils down to is this: Be willing to look beyond the visual effects and you’ll likely have a fine viewing experience.
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