Hollywood loves remakes – this is something we all know well. Reproducing, repackaging, and reselling old ideas is often quite profitable, and it is something which the movie industry can’t get enough of.
But remakes are rubbish, aren’t they? Well, no, not always – sometimes remakes can be a lot of fun.
One genre which has had more than its fair share of remakes is the horror genre. Movie producers love nothing more than to remake horror stories, but thankfully some of them are pretty decent.
From The Thing to Night of the Living Dead, there are a number of horror movie remakes which are worthy of your time. Should you want to know what they are, then keep reading and prepare to sink your teeth into top-notch horror.
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The Blob (1988)
First up is 1988’s The Blob – a remake of the 1958 Steve McQueen film of the same name. This ’80s version was directed and co-written by Chuck Russell, and tells the story of a mysterious organism which crash lands on Earth and slowly devours and dissolves anything (or anyone) which gets in its way.
Taking a more brutal approach than its predecessor, with some gory special effects too, The Blob is a delightfully dark horror remake. The film flopped at the box-office during its debut, but has since found its audience and is now regarded as a cult classic.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Up next is the 1978 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers – a movie which has been remade and reworked multiple times. The first version arrived in 1956, and is considered a superb horror, however this take from ’78, which starred Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum, is also excellent.
For those who have never seen any version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the movie focuses on a group of people who become replaced by alien duplicates. The story is about paranoia and the loss of humanity and this version from 1978 is often cited as one of the best remakes ever.
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Dawn of the Dead (2004)
If you were to compile a list of the best or most influential zombie movies of all time, George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead from 1978 would most certainly be on that list. The film – set during a zombie apocalypse – follows a group of survivalists who lock themselves in an abandoned shopping mall to escape the zombie horde.
The original Dawn of the Dead is a great film, and one which will forever remain associated with the zombie subgenre, but there’s plenty of room for the 2004 version as well. Directed by Zack Snyder and written by James Gunn, this take on Dawn of the Dead has a faster pace, is more action-orientated, and is bloody marvellous too.
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Evil Dead (2013)
Speaking of bloody marvellous, Fede Álvarez’s 2013 remake/re-imagining of The Evil Dead is filled with buckets of blood and is a real treat for horror fans. The supernatural picture, about a group of people who find themselves fighting a malevolent force at a cabin in the woods, is a wall-to-wall gore-fest and a solid reworking of Sam Raimi’s 1981 film.
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The Invisible Man (2020)
Based on H. G. Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name, as well as a 1933 movie, 2020’s The Invisible Man is a superb sci-fi horror thriller about a woman who is stalked and gaslit by her supposedly deceased ex-boyfriend. Elisabeth Moss stars, while Leigh Whannell writes and directs.
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The Woman in Black (2012)
Based on the novel of the same name by Susan Hill, which was previously adapted as a 1989 British television movie, The Woman in Black is a supernatural gothic horror. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe and tells the story of a widowed solicitor who encounters a vengeful spirit.
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The Amityville Horror (2005)
Based on a 1977 novel by Jay Anson, which was originally adapted for the big screen in 1979, this 2005 version of The Amityville Horror is decent stuff, even if it offers little in the way of anything new. Andrew Douglas is on directing duties, while Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George serve up strong turns as George and Kathy Lutz, a married couple who become terrorised by something sinister in their new home.
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Child’s Play (2019)
Up next is Child’s Play – a 2019 remake/reworking of the 1988 horror of the same name. The original is a much-loved classic, which focused on a murderous doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer, while this updated version focuses on a high-tech doll which develops self-awareness and goes on a murder spree.
The original film introduced Chucky to the world and is rightfully a superb movie. However, spare some time for this remake which is gleefully fun, and offers a sci-fi slant on the story.
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The Hitcher (2007)
In The Hitcher, two college students are driving across New Mexico for spring break when they nearly hit a hitchhiker. They decide not to give him a lift, but soon find themselves unable to escape the man when he reappears at a gas station.
Directed by Dave Meyers and starring Sean Bean, The Hitcher is a remake of the 1986 film of the same name. And while it’s not quite up there with the original, it is thrilling stuff with Bean delivering a menacing performance.
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Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
A change of pace for this next movie – the musical horror-comedy, Little Shop of Horrors. The film follows the story of a florist’s assistant, who reluctantly comes to care for a sentient plant with a taste for human blood.
Little Shop of Horrors is an adaptation of the stage show of the same name, which in turn was based on 1960’s The Little Shop of Horrors. Directed by Frank Oz, the film stars Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martin and is ludicrously brilliant.
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The Fly (1986)
Next film on the list is David Cronenberg’s The Fly – a creepy sci-fi horror starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. The movie follows the story of a scientist who accidentally turns himself into a human-fly hybrid, and is a brutal remake of the 1958 movie of the same name.
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The Thing (1982)
Based on John W. Campbell’s novel, Who Goes There?, which in turn was adapted for the screen in 1951 as The Thing from Another World, 1982’s The Thing is a bona fide classic, about an extra-terrestrial life-form which assimilates itself amongst a group of researchers in Antarctica.
Directed by John Carpenter and starring Kurt Russell and Keith David, The Thing is arguably one of the greatest horrors of them all. It is proof remakes can produce different results and is a chilling tale of terror not to be missed.
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Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Directed by Tom Savini, Night of the Living Dead is a 1990 colour-remake of arguably the most famous black-and-white zombie movie off them all. The film follows a group of strangers who lock themselves up in a farmhouse, as they attempt to survive a zombie attack.
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The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
Serving as both a remake and a meta-sequel to the 1976 movie of the same name, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a surprisingly effective slasher. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the film focuses on a city being terrorised by a mysterious killer.
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The Ring (2002)
And finally, 2002’s The Ring is a US remake of the 1998 Japanese horror movie of the same name (aka Ringu). Starring Naomi Watts, and directed by Gore Verbinski, The Ring follows the story of a journalist who discovers a cursed videotape which supposedly can kill anyone who views it within seven days.
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Recap
To save you scrolling back up, here is a list of all the horror remakes worth popping on your watchlist:
- The Blob (1988)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
- Evil Dead (2013)
- The Invisible Man (2020)
- The Woman in Black (2012)
- The Amityville Horror (2005)
- Child’s Play (2019)
- The Hitcher (2007)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
- The Fly (1986)
- The Thing (1982)
- Night of the Living Dead (1990)
- The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
- The Ring (2002)
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Thank you for taking the time to stop by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about horror movie remakes – I hope it has proved useful. For more useful posts, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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