Horror Forum

Without question Captain knew this editorial would hit a sour note and I think its a great piece that makes some great points that I am also sure ALOT of you wont agree with him on. Great job Captain.... great article that will really polarize alot of us lol

so true ace but then studios dont make movies to lose money.

Some of the more recent remakes have been rather good, like Last House on the Left and even Halloween last year.  I think the next few remakes will make or break the future of remakes IE Hellraiser and NOES

Excelent commentary Captn.  You make some great points.
I guess another way to look at it is that at least they are horror movies that they are remaking instead of romance, chick flicks or childrens movies.  At least we have some options.
Can you imagine if all we had to watch was Terms of Endearment and the frickin Care Bears?!
Now that would be reason to bitch!!

I'll keep bitching if it's all the same.    I don't think all remakes are bad.  Some, like The Thing and The Fly, are very good.  I don't object to someone taking an older film, or a film that was flawed due to the lack of a decent budget or the lack of effects available at the time and trying to do something better with it.  I DO object to the current trend of remaking everything that moves, even to the extent of remaking films 6 months after their release because some people are too lazy to read subtitles.  If someone has a new idea for a storyline for Jason, Freddy or whoever, why wrap it up in a remake?  Why not just make a new film in the series?

Since they are making money out of me everytime I go to the cinema or buy a DVD, I'd prefer that money was buying spent giving new writers, with original ideas, a chance rather than opening the 'Big Book of Horror Films' and sticking a pin in the Index to see what remake they will do next.  Not all those original films will work but 50 years from now, with a better budget and effects...

Last edited by jackalqueen (2009-04-10 15:44:13)

Fans of any product or genre will assume an ownership of whatever it is they love.  That's the nature of being a fan.

I think you make some very blanket assumptions as to why horror fans object to remakes.  I don't object to remaking as a practise.  I object to the massive number of remakes to have hit screens recently (did you know that since 1998, there have been almost 50 horror remakes?  Between '88 and '97, there were five.).  I object to the cynical way in which the films are remade.  I object because they're invariably crap.  Most of all, I object to films being remade which are hardly even old.  I'm looking forward to The Wolf Man, for example.  And when someone thinks to do something different with their film - My Bloody Valentine 3D, for example - I welcome it.

Of course it's all about money - but most films don't make a profit.  This is why horror remakes are so good - they'll at least break even because people will go see them based on name recognition, often that's all that's needed to the casual cinema go-er.

I think you're right - remaking horror is a lot more complex than 'omg it suxxxx!', but defending it is a lot more complex too.  And to be honest, I've seen almost as much defense of remakes as I have bitching about them.

The issue I have is just the lack of originality...It's not sentimentality just disgust over the lack of creativity.

I completely disagree with this article.  Well, maybe not completely disagree, but I disagree with it.  My opinion: Stop bitching and actually do something!  The only way to stop Hollywood from remaking horror movies is by not going to see them.  Don't give them your money.  It's as simple as that.  People can bitch all they want, but until they actually refrain from paying money to see these remakes, bitching isn't going to do shit.

That's correct, but somehow, we are lured into watching them. I for one refuse to go to a theater anymore for the simple fact that it's too expensive and there is ALWAYS someone making noise.

I too will continue to bitch about remakes. I want original ideas and well written scripts. Good actors (not necessarily know stars) and an original ending that takes me by surprise (No not a "Night" ending-a proper one).
I like older horrors, including those in black and white that used scares instead of effects. That I now find quite relaxing sans shakey cam and epileptic inducing light-shows and  effects. And I want younger people to not think that Halloween was made yesterday. That just because something is not about how much blood or how high the body count, that it is not a scary movie.
Of course some remakes are good, it's a law of averages thing. But Prom Night! or April Fools Day!.
Englund's Freddy will always be one of the scariest characters ever. Knowing that will the next Freddy fare as well? Shouldn't think so.
As someone stated earlier. It IS about the amount of remakes, because we get less choices when it comes to going to the cinema or our local DVD shop. Or we hopefully scan the world cinema section in the hopes of finding something new. Before they make it into an Americanised lacklustre remake.
As an aside at my local dvd shop they have Quarantine as a 'Look what's coming" showcase but no mention of Rec.

There is a lot I don't agree with in this article.. I think people should be allowed to bitch about remakes.. They have the right to and you have the right to say what you say.. But to basically come off like you are.. Especially with the title of this article having "bitch" makes it sound like you are talking down to people.. There is a much better way to approach it then with a headline grabber..

Some people have hit the nail on the head already about Platinum Dunes and their remakes.. Them and Sony Screen Gems really just shit out some horrible films and they have a track record.. Its the same thing as when you groan when you hear Uwe Boll is making a new movie.. When you've proven yourself incompetent enough times you can bet the next film isn't gonna be much better.

Speaking for myself I've always wanted to horror to be popular. Whenever a director that I really like releases a film I always want it to do very well.. For example when Romero came back with Land of the Dead I was really upset it didn't do MUCH better.. I mean look whats happened because of it.. He released a crappy Diary of the Dead because he couldn't get some real funding. So its not about keeping it to myself.. People complain about horror remakes for all kinds of reasons and a blanket assumption isn't the correct way to go about defending them.

Um...  No.