Top 5 - Horror Movie Remakes

It’s the Halloween season, which means it is horror movie season. This is the time of year where we want have our hearts racing, palms sweating, and get the crap scared out of us more than usual. With the recent Hollywood trend of remakes, horror movies are probably the most popular genre to remake, as they are inexpensive to make and it’s relatively easy to garner up a few scares to two. A lot of them are terrible, but there are a few that are genuinely good. Here are my picks for the best horror movie remakes.

5 – LET ME IN (Matt Reeves, 2010)

ORIGINAL – Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Let the Right One is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen. It is a dark, twisted, original horror film that also doubles as a coming of age film. Giving it an American remake was bound to happen, but only two years after the original came out was a bit rushed. Thank God the remake has Matt Reeves at the helm, because he captured everything that was great about the original. The tone was eerie, the characters were fully fleshed out, and the horror was never ending.

4 – FRIGHT NIGHT (Craig Gillespie, 2011)

ORIGINAL – Fright Night (Tom Holland, 1985)

Both Fright Night films fall into that Horror/Comedy genre. They both have plenty of scares, but also have plenty of laughs to go along with it. The original is such a movie of 80’s that it would be tough to fit it in a modern era. But director Craig Gillespie made a movie that is just as fun and scary as the original. With Gillespie’s perfect direction, a great balance of tone, and a terrific cast of Anton Yelchin (R.I.P), Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Toni Collette, Imogen Poots, and Colin Ferrell, who has more fun here than in any other movie, Fright Night is creepy, entertaining fun.

3 – WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (Jim Mickle, 2013)

ORIGINAL – We Are What We Are (George Michel Grau, 2010)

I haven’t seen the original We Are What We Are. In fact, prior to making this list, I didn’t even know the original existed. Finding out that We Are What We Are is a remake immediately earned a spot on this list. I absolutely loved We Are What We Are when I saw it at Sundance 2013 and love it to this day. Jim Mickle’s atmospheric family drama about a family of cannibals is beautifully shot and utterly horrifying, with some truly shocking moments. We Are What We Are is a horror movie that not a lot of people have seen, but one that needs to be seeked out by everyone, as it is one of the best horror movies of the decade.

2 – DAWN OF THE DEAD (Zach Snyder, 2004)

ORIGINAL – Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)

George A. Romero is the godfather of the zombie film. Having essentially created the genre with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, Romero set a tone for what a zombie film should be. Is it the smartest move to remake one of the best movies from a legend? Probably not. But Zack Snyder decided to make his directorial debut remaking Romero’s iconic Dawn of the Dead and the result is surprisingly excellent. With a smart script from James Gunn, slick direction by Snyder, and a charming cast, Snyder made this movie his own while also keeping the themes of consumerism that Romero had in the original. It’s also scary as hell. Snyder did Romero justice and has never been better as a director.

1 – IT (Andy Muschietti, 2017)

ORIGINAL – It (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1990)

Yes, the original was a T.V. movie. Yes, this is far and away the newest movie on the list, as it came out just a couple months ago. But Andy Muschietti surprised everyone with his version of It. This is far more than just your average horror movie and more than just a remake. This is a movie that dives into the characters and focuses on the story than trying to get cheap thrills out of jump scares. There are plenty of scares and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise is absolutely terrifying. But this movie all about the kids and their journey. If focuses on them overcoming their fears and coming together to defeat Pennywise and learning the true power of friendship. This version really brings King’s vision to life and elevates everything from the original, which is why It is the best horror movie remake.

What are your favorite horror movie remakes? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.