Plenty of horror movies tend to be hit-or-miss for many viewers. Many rely on jump scares, which were popular in some films such asThe Blair Witch Project(1999) and theParanormal Activityfranchise. However, many classic films had to rely on a good, old-fashioned atmosphere via costumes, lighting, coloring, and plain suspense. Many old franchises were popular using these techniques, including (but not limited to)Halloween,Friday the 13th, andThe Conjuring.
However, thanks to the technological advancements of the 21st century, many horror films that were icons of their time are now ten times more horrifying than they once were. With that and expanded storylines and well-written scripts, plenty of remakes have succeeded in their original films and even surpassed them in terms of horror, gore, and suspense. Here are the best films that have proven to be worthy successors to the original.
10’The Ring' (2002)
Remake of: ‘Ring’ (1998)
Legend has it that after watching a cursed video tape, the viewer dies after seven days. Unfortunately for young teenage Katie (Amber Tamblyn) and Becca (Rachael Bella), that appears to be the case when Katie passes away, seven days after viewing the tape. Rachel (Naomi Watts), a journalist, decides to investigate the cursed tapes after learning about them at her niece’s funeral, and she enlists the help of her ex-husband Noah (Martin Henderson). From there, the duo discovers strange and horrifying information regarding this tape.
The Ringis a remake ofHideo Nakata’sRing(1988); though it will not be the last remake of Japanese media, it is likely the best American remake based on a Japanese horror film. While the originalRingis terrifying in its own right, the American remake makes the film much more ominous due to its blueish tint, adding a hint of bleakness and misery to it. Though a minor effect, this establishes the tone of the film, giving off a hopeless, dark, ominous feeling. Not to mention, while the tape in Ring is straight-up dark and terrifying, the tape inThe Ringis a bit more subtle; it feels like a bunch of nonsense added together until Rachel and Noah figure out its meaning. This lack of cohesion and clarity simply adds to the viewer’s confusion, making them much more on the edge of their seat. Both films are exceptional horror films, but just this once, the American remake ofRinghas the horrifying edge.
9’Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1978)
Remake of: ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1956)
When a parasitic alien race begins to die out, they travel to Earth to replicate the humans and take over their lives, though they lack the humanity and empathy that make humans human. Their appearances on Earth are those of small seed pods with pink flowers. Then one day, San Francisco laboratory scientist Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) brings home a flower. The following morning, she finds that her boyfriend, Dr. Geoffrey Howell (Art Hindle), is acting odd. Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) figures it is marital problems, but when similar issues arise between others, he begins to think something wrong is afoot.
The 1978 remake ofInvasion of the Body Snatchersis one of the better horror remakes to exist. Primarily because this film takes the small town from the original and offers San Francisco as the setting. The town in the original offers an eeriness in its setting, while the much larger setting of San Francisco provides viewers with familiarity; after all, it’s a big city; how couldInvasion of the Body Snatchersprovide much horror? However, the eeriness of this film lies exactly in that: it is a big, bustling city, and no one is able to notice in time before, one by one, people are being replaced left and right. Not to mention, the original’s ending offers a more optimistic outlook: the government is now officially aware of the grim situation featuring the aliens, and they can at least attempt to do something about it. However, the remake has a more dismal ending, with Elizabeth running up to Matthew, only to her horror, he is not the real Matthew, as he screams in a high pitch, noting every one of their locations. The 1978 remake is by miles better than the original, and some of it can be credited to the performances of Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Driscoll, and Jeff Goldblum.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
8’When a Stranger Calls' (2006)
Remake of: ‘When a Stranger Calls’ (1979)
Jill Johnson (Camilla Belle), a 16-year-old high schooler, is in trouble for going over her minutes limit on her cellphone. As punishment, she is to babysit for a wealthy family. However, as the night goes on, Jill begins to receive threatening phone calls. At first, she believes someone is pranking her, but as the calls continue, she learns that something more sinister is afoot.
The original film and the remake differ significantly. In the original, the killer is caught, but he returns later to torment Jill, and then the film proceeds to follow the detective. While an interesting take and still a masterpiece to this day, this sort of concept has felt unoriginal. However,the remake expands on the introduction of the 1979 version, spending a good chunk of time establishing the setting in which the main character is trapped. Not to mention, the disappearance of her friends and the housekeeper adds a layer of atmospheric horror, leading viewers to wonder what really happened to them and where in the house the killer might just be hiding.
Watch on Apple TV
7’House of Wax' (2005)
Remake of: ‘House of Wax’ (1953)
Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her group of five friends are heading to a football game camp out in the woods near the town of Ambrose. On their first night camping out, they are frightened by a strange man in a pickup truck who appears in the middle of the night. Nick (Chad Michael Murray), her brother, smashes one of the pickup’s headlights, scaring off the driver. The following morning, the group of friends finds that one of their cars has been sabotaged; a key component, the fan belt, has been broken. Carly and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki), head out with a nearby local into the town, only to find that most of it is suspiciously quiet and empty. The only popular attraction is Trudy’s House of Wax, a museum where everything is made out of wax. Shortly after, Carly learns that many of the town’s inhabitants have been turned into wax, and she and her friends are next.
The House of Wax(1953) is a remake of another film calledThe Mystery of the Wax Museum(1933). This version follows the serial killer who was sabotaged by a business partner, and so he seeks vengeance as a disfigured, cloaked figure. While a good reimagining of the first film, the 2005 remake does the horror film justice. Different from the 1953 version, theHouse of Wax(2005) follows a party of young adults instead, leading them into the ghost town of Ambrose. This establishes a curious yet eerie atmosphere, as the characters have yet to discover the reason for the town’s odd vacancy. Not to mention, the movie establishes a likable cast of characters, with the brother-sister duo being the highlight of the film as they face off against the brothers of the wax museum.
House of Wax
6’The Amityville Horror' (2005)
Remake of: ‘The Amityville Horror’ (1979)
The Amityville Horror(2005) follows George (Ryan Reynolds) and Kathy Lutz (Melissa George), who move into a new house where a year earlier a set of murders occurred. Ronald DeFeo Jr. (Brendan Donaldson), a father and husband, killed his family, claiming to have been haunted by voices in the house. Despite this, George moves his family into this home, and they all begin to experience paranormal happenings. Then, soon after, George begins to hear things, and he grows increasingly violent and erratic with each passing day.
When people talk aboutThe Amityville Horror, very few reminisce about the 1979 version. Due to its overdone acting and lack of horror elements, the originalAmityville Horror—while based on a true story and sparking infinite sequels and spinoffs—was just not that good. However, because of the intrigue behind the concept and the horror of the realism behind it,The Amityville Horrorhas become a horror franchise people have loved, with most of the interest stemming from the Ryan Reynolds remake. The 2005 remake is atmospheric horror at its finest: the house is established as insanely creepy with the hauntings of Jody, and the acting from the cast of characters is enough to put an adrenaline rush in viewers as they watch Ryan Reynold’s amazing performance of loving dad to a malicious killer within the entire film.
The Amityville Horror
David (Shiloh Fernandez) invites his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore), friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Olivia (Jessica Lucas), and his sister Mia (Jane Levy) to a cabin to help Mia stay away from drugs, as she is overcoming her addiction to heroin. In the meanwhile, the group of friends explores the cellar beneath the cabin, coming across plenty of strung cat corpses and an odd book. Eric reads a verse from the book, and suddenly a dark disturbance troubles Mia in addition to her withdrawal symptoms. When the withdrawal becomes too much, Mia takes a car and tries to leave the forest, only to crash it and find herself being followed by something much darker. As she tries to escape this sudden darkness, she is entrapped in vines and possessed. When she returns, no one at the cabin is safe.
Many might argue that the originalEvil Deadwas meant to be funny; after all, the popular and hilariousBruce Campbellstars in it. However, even if that was the intention,Evil Deadbenefitted even more as a legitimate horror movie as opposed to a horror comedy. Technological advances and CGI have made it possible to turnEvil Deadinto a frightening horror movie, and the remake highlights all the disturbing aspects of it, such as the real horrors of sawing off limbs, boiling skin, and bodily disfigurement through its graphic nature. While the originalEvil Deadis perfect as a horror comedy, the 2012 remake solidifies it as one of the better horror films out there.
Evil Dead (2013)
Watch on MAX
4’It' (2017)
Remake of: ‘It’ (1990)
Georgie Denbrough (Jackson Robert Scott) plays about in the street on a rainy day, chasing after a paper sailboat that his older brother, Bill, made for him. However, the sailboat then floats into a storm drain, where Georgie attempts to retrieve it. In the process, he meets Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård) in the drain, and subsequently, he is dragged into the sewer. In the following summer, Bill (Jaeden Martell) and his group of friends form The Losers Club, and they decide to take on Pennywise to stop him.
The remake ofItexpanded and followed Stephen King’s novel more closely than the original did. Though the original film was a classic all on its own, with its own feeling of uncanniness making viewers uncomfortable, the remake’s additions added to the horror of the original. Not to mention, the original film, while establishing itself as a horror movie icon, often felt cheesy in terms of horror. Most of the horror came fromTim Curry’sinterpretation of Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but even then, the horror felt limited to just the acting alone. However, the remake took itself a little bit more seriously than the original, and thanks to technological advancements, the CGI adds a terrifying angle not seen in the original.
3’The Fly' (1986)
Remake of: ‘The Fly’ (1958)
Brilliant scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) meets journalist Veronica (Ronnie) Quaife (Geena Davis), and the two form a bond over his teleporting invention called telepods. This allows instant teleportation between pods, though one minor issue is that it mutilates live tissue. Seth then proceeds to try and perfect his telepods, but due to a misunderstanding, Seth proceeds to teleport himself. In that same second, a fly enters the teleporter with him. It is only during his deterioration that he discovers he and a fly have been fused together, and he desperately tries to revert the fusion.
The remake ofThe Flyis a substantially different film from its original; as opposed to the first being an accident due to life’s curiosities, the remake follows the obsession of one man and his desperation. However, while there are differences in the plot, both are horrifying in their own regard, though the remake ofThe Flyis quite possibly more disturbing simply because viewers get to watch the deterioration of Seth as he goes from seemingly normal to grotesque-looking. Thanks to the 30-year advancement in CGI, viewers are able to really see the horror ofThe Fly, making for a good rendition of the original.
2’Thirteen Ghosts' (2001)
Remake of: ‘13 Ghosts’ (1960)
Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), a widow with two children, has recently learned that he has inherited a wealthy estate from a distant relative. He, his family, and his nanny all move into the estate, and they learn about it via Dennis (Matthew Lillard), who gives them a tour while examining the glass mansion. After triggering a mechanism, Arthur and his family soon learn that there are twelve ghosts locked up in this mansion, and the family has to do everything in their power to survive while finding a way to escape.
Viewers will find that the remake ofThirteen Ghostsis the more emotional one. The CGI of the remake helps establish the presence of the ghosts much more than the original did, and as a result, this adds to the horror that the originalThirteen Ghostscould not provide. So while the original film provides a quick laugh in an attempt at horror,the remake steadily solidifies itself as a good horror film.
Thirteen Ghosts
1’The Thing' (1982)
Remake of: ‘The Thing from Another World’ (1951)
In Antarctica, a Norwegian helicopter pilot is found chasing a dog, though he is shot dead in self-defense by American researchers due to their inability to understand him. R.J. MacReady(Kurt Russell) and Dr. Copper (Richard Dysart) go to investigate the Norwegian station, finding frozen corpses and one burnt corpse of a humanoid creature. They return to their base with the corpse. While the autopsy takes place at the American base, the sled dog that was being chased earlier turns into the other dogs at the American station, absorbing the dogs in the process. The creature is then incinerated, and the researchers learn that this thing can imitate other life forms. The team then must learn who is real and who is the thing, creating a bloody battle and turning everyone against each other.
John Carpenteris a horror movie aficionado; well-known for hisHalloweenfranchise, Carpenter is no stranger to the horror genre, and most of his horror films perform well. ThoughThe Thingcame after his popularHalloween(1978) film, The Thing became one of Carpenter’s masterpieces. Even though both premises are essentially the same,The Thing from Another Worldis basically your typical alien film that lacks the excitement of the remake. Carpenter’s version ofThe Thingis more exciting in that viewers won’t know who is a fake person; it involves a lot of suspenseful horror, forcing viewers to point their fingers at every possible imitation. Though more exciting, many kudos go to the original, which viewers love to this day.
