16 Best Horror Remakes
I have done a few pieces on horror remakes and if there is one thing that we can all likely agree on its the fact that as a rule horror remakes suck. Hollywood in my view uses remakes as an easy cash grab with little effort on story, character or unique and inspiring filmmaking. That said there have been some great horror remakes made over the years and this is my list of the 16 Best Horror Remakes ever made. Included with each film I have added the films approval listing on our site which is its average score based off of staff and reader reviews. Please note these films are listed in no order other then the way my brain spit them out.
Last House on the Left: The remake of Wes Cravens Last house on the left is violent, sadistic and unnerving and delivers one of the best remake experiences you could possibly hope for. Hollywood is typically afraid of crossing any sort of cultural lines and Last House on the Left is the exception as its easily one of the most violent horror movies to come out of Hollywood in awhile. Lots of films are gorey but very few are truly disturbing and the Last House on the Left is definitely disturbing and gorey. The first film was edgy controversial and became a cult classic and although the remake doesn’t live up to those standards it is still one of the best horror remakes ever made and is also one of the better horror movies to come out of Hollywood in the last 10 years despite it being a remake. The remake of Last House on the Left has a 82.61% approval rating where as the original only has an approval rating of 67.14% which means fans feel you should be watching the remake first!
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The Last House on the Left (2009) Masters of horror Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham revisit their landmark film that launched Craven’s directing career and influenced decades of horror films to follow: The Last House on the Left.Bringing one of... |
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Last House on the Left (1972) Wes Craven's first film was a crude but shocking horror opus that, like George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), became a grind house hit largely because it went much further than terror films before it had been willi... |
82.61% Approval
The Grudge: Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of my least favourite actresses. I am one of the few who never watched Buffy and for whatever reason she has always irked me. That said The Grudge is one of the few movies I can say creeped me out badly. I watched it with a few friends in a very dark basement and needless to say had anything gone bump in the dark I would have gone screaming in acapello out the door. I am to this day terrified of pale skinned little girls with long black hair. Unlike with Last House on The Left the remake got less then stellar reviews from fans. The remake has a 48.13% approval rating where as the original has an approval rating of 90%.
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Ju-On: The Grudge A volunteer home care worker, Nishina Rika (Megumi Okina), enters the home of a bed-ridden patient and discovers a strange ghostly presence lurking behind a door sealed with duct tape. Her discovery unleashes a horrible evil which... |
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The Grudge Produced by Sam Raimi, under his production banner "Ghost House Pictures" for Columbia Pictures, "THE GRUDGE" will combine elements from the original Japanese horror film, "Ju-On" and its three sequels. The film centers on a cur... |
The Fly: Remember when Jeff Goldblum was a Hollywood star and made good movies? The Fly is one of those movies. David Cronenbergs remake of the original 1958 film is gruesome well written and poignant. It tells the story of a scientist whose life comes apart as he chases his dream of a teleportation device. Unfortunately as he begins to perfect the technology he not only estranges himself from his love but mutates into a hideous half human half fly creature with a gruesome outcome. The Fly is a must see for horror fans and is not only a great remake but a fantastic horror film in general. The remake has an 88% approval rating and nobody has reviewed the original which makes me think not many people are fans of the original. If you have seen it be sure to submit a review.
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The Fly (1986) David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of the 1958 SciFi classic about a scientist who has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a brilliant but eccentric ... |
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The Fly (1958) A brilliant scientist (David Hedison) becomes obsessed with perfecting a device that can transmit matter from one location to another. Successful in his initial tests, he decides to experiment using a human being - himself. But a... |
The Ring: The Ring is another one like The Grudge that did a great job of getting under my skin. The concept of a VHS tape infecting people sounds cheesy but it was executed to perfection making it not only terrifiying but also a mesmerizing experience. Well shot with a very artistic feel The Ring has an outstanding cast an incredibly creepy story and is sure to give you the night time willies. True to classic form the original film has an 80% approval where as the remake only has a 57% approval rating with fans.
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Ringu Exactly one week after staying at a remote cabin, a group of Japanese teenagers all meet sudden inexplicable deaths. A cousin of one of the victims, reporter Reiko Asakawa (Nanako Matsushima), begins an investigation that leads to... |
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The Ring It sounded like just another urban legend-a videotape filled with nightmarish images, leading to a phone call foretelling the viewer's death in exactly seven days. As a newspaper reporter, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) was naturally... |
Funny Games: Funny Games is somewhat unique in that the remake came along only 10 years after the original and was directed by the same person Mcihael Haneke. A scene by scene remake Funny games tells the story of two sadistic brothers who take a family hostage and play a set of gruesome games that leads to a terrifiying and grizzly outcome. Funny Games for me is the JAWS of home invasion movies and features some insane imagery and implied violence that will make you sit up. Funny Games has a spectacular cast and a great director with enough money to make the film really shine. Funny Games will leave its mark on you and is a great film in general. Once again as you can see from ratings below fans like the original more then the remake but in this case just slightly more.
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Funny Games (1997) Two well educated young men, which call each other Paul and Peter amongst other names, approach a family on vacation. They are, apparently, friends of the neighbours, and at the beginning their real intentions are not known. But ... |
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Funny Games (2008) In this provocative and brutal thriller from director Michael Haneke, a vacationing family gets an unexpected visit from two deeply disturbed young men. Their idyllic holiday turns nightmarish as they are subjected to unimaginable... |
Frankenstein: Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is actually the first Frankenstein movie I saw and to this day it is still my favourite. Of course Monster Squad is a close second J . The film starred Robert DeNiro, Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter and is more love story then terror piece but it has enough of both that in the end you will find the film tragic, creepy and it will tug at your heart strings. This film is easily as good as the original black and white Frankenstein combining fantastic storytelling with a top notch cast and visual fx that continue to hold up. If you have not yet seen Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein you need to just so you can experience true empathy for a murderous monster that is out for revenge over love lost. In a shocking display we do not have reviews for either film in our database so please take a minute and review them if you have seen them.
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Frankenstein FRANKENSTEIN is James Whale's first stylish, expressionist film (INVISIBLE MAN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) to grace the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s (DRACULA, THE MUMMY). Scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) a... |
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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein True to the original, here is the story of a young doctor whose obsession with death leads him to create a life. But his "creature," crafted from the bodies of convicts and the brain of a brilliant scientist, is a hideous mockery ... |
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The film made almost $80million at the box office and is a prime example that shows that horror remakes make alot of money. Rated R the film had a budget of just under $10million and combined some good writing with a good cast and some great moments of absolute carnage. Although it does not contain the same magic the original does that should not be held against the film. It is a remake and although it tells the story well it can never live up to the original. Obviously one of the major draws for the male demographic was Jessica Biel and of course for horror fans in general the over the top gore and out right carnage in this R rated remake. This go around the remake was appreciated almost as much as the original with fans as you can see by its approval rating below.
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) This is the bizarre and tragically gruesome account of what happened to five young friends one summer afternoon in rural Texas. After hearing reports of grave robbing, the group sets out to check on a family grave. Soon aft... |
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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) On August 20, 1973, police were dispatched to the remote farmhous of Thomas Hewitt, former head-skinner at a local slaughterhouse in Travis County, Texas. There officers made a chilling discovery: the butchered remains of 33 peo... |
Hills Have Eyes: I was very wary about the remake for Hills Have Eyes but surprisingly I was quite impressed with the outcome. This R rated remake definitely knew how to please the most discerning horror fans with outstanding FX a story that was well written and a cast of outstanding actors. Made for around $15million this R rated Mutan Festival went on to make over $40million at the box office and generated alot of buzz with fans. This is one remake that I felt was far superior to the original with top notch FX, great kills and a budget that was reflected in the film. The sequel which came shortly after although insanely violent and at times quite interesting for me was not near as good as the remake or the original film.
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The Hills Have Eyes (2006) A new take on Wes Craven’s 1977 film of the same name, THE HILLS HAVE EYES will be directed by award-winning French filmmaker Alexandre Aja from a screenplay he penned with Grégory Levasseur. The film will be produced... |
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The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Horror auteur Wes Craven followed his threadbare but horrifically compelling cult classic Last House on the Left with this wonderfully demented morality fable about a bloody war of attrition between two extremely different familie... |
Dawn of the Dead: I am a massive fan of George Romero and Dawn of the Dead. Although Diary of the Dead and Land of the Dead have let me down Dawn of the Dead is one of his best films and is a defining film for the zombie genre. When the remake came along I was very wary but when it finally arrived I was completely blown away. Although not a true remake in my eyes the film was terrifying, action packed and simply put .. mind blowing. Lots of action, a cast of new and interesting characters and some of the best zombies I have seen in a movie in awhile. The film differs so much from the original its hardly fair to compare it but without question Dawn of the Dead is one remake which is well worth watching and gave a whole new generation of fans a respect and admiration for zombie movies and George Romero. The fact it starred Ving Rhames an all around bad ass and Sarah Polley who I have a huge crush on was an added bonus.
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Dawn of the Dead George Romero's 1978 follow-up to his classic Night of the Living Dead is quite terrifying and gory (those zombies do like the taste of living flesh). But in its own way, it is just as comically satiric as the first film in its ta... |
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Dawn of the Dead (2004) As the United States is turned upside-down by a strange plague-like event in which millions of corpses walk the earth as blood-thirsty zombies (with the recently-deceased that the zombies kill usually returning as zombies themselv... |
Night of the Living Dead: The remake of Night of the Living Dead is one of my favorite zombie films and in fact.. may be my favorite of them all. The fact that Tom Savini directed the project is an interesting note. Tom Savini did an outstanding job on this film and proved that he is much more then just a talented FX man and actor. He has serious skills behind the camera and with George Romeros help he managed to modernize a classic while still staying very true to it. Night of the Living Dead (1990) is a MUST see for any fans of horror.
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Night of the Living Dead It's hard to imagine how shocking this film was when it first broke on the film scene in 1968. There's never been anything quite like it, though it's inspired numerous pale imitations. Part of the terror lies in the fact that this... |
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Night of the Living Dead (1990) While visting the grave of their mother, Barbara and her brother are attacked by a rabid flesh-eating Zombie. Barbara manages to escape, and reaches the relative safety of a seemingly deserted farmhouse. She is joined shortly by... |
The Thing: The Thing is a classic and one of the greatest scifi horror films ever made. Hands down. The remake of the film which starred Kurt Russell is easily one of my all time favorite films and one I have watched more times then I can count. As much as I never call for a remake the plans to remake it again have me quite excited. If they can even tough on half the magic of the original and the first remake I am sure it will also be an instant classic. The Thing is terrifying with great acting, a top notch story and visual fx that will impress even the most finicky horror fans.
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The Thing John Carpenter's The Thing is both a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film of the same name and a re-adaptation of the John W. Campbell Jr. story "Who Goes There?" on which it was based. Carpenter's film is more faithful to Campbell's... |
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The Thing from another World This movie remains a sturdy blueprint for fusing horror and science fiction. The formula has been employed countless times since, fleshed out with more extensive and elaborate production values, and manned by higher profiled ... |
Rob Zombies Halloween: There were alot of things that bothered me about Rob Zombies Halloween but there were also alot of things I liked. I liked how Rob took the time to tell the background of the character and give us an indepth look at the character bringing a new creepy look to a terrifying classic killer. HALLOWEEN was dark, gritty, violent and the definition of what a good horror remake, or re-envisioning can be. Much like Dawn of the Dead it brought alot of new things and also brought some of the old to make a remake that is tops on my lists for must see horror. The fact the movie made almost $60million speaks for itself.
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Halloween (1978) It was "The Night HE Came Home," warned the posters for John Carpenter's career-making horror smash. In Haddonfield, Ilinois, on Halloween night 1963, 6-year-old Michael Myers inexplicably slaughters his teenage sister. His psych... |
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Halloween (2007) Rob Z's vision of this film is an entirely new take on the legend and will satisfy fans of the classic "Halloween" legacy while beginning a new chapter in the Michael Myers saga. This new movie will not only appeal to horror fans,... |
The Blob Remake: I love the Blob remake for a variety of reasons. Well shot with a perfect cast its the definition of a campy good time. By no means scary to me this action scifi tale of a blob that wants to eat all of mankind is both fun and entertaining and very much deserving to be in any horror collectors collection. Think of it as a more friendly version of The Thing. Admittedly as much as this movie did not scare me at all the thought of a massive blob eating people is pretty damn scary. A fun factiod worth noting is another Blob Remake is in the Works
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The Blob (1988) A strange gelatinous organism from space falls to Earth in the small American town of Arborville. The blob engulfs and eats dogs, then humans, then everything in sight as it grows larger and more harmful to the townspeople. The go... |
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The Blob (1958) THE BLOB is one of the quintessential films for lovers of those science-fiction/horror/monster/camp films of the 1950s. A red, gigantic, gooey, gelatinous glob arrives from outer space and proceeds to terrorize a small town. The... |
House of Wax Remake: I have to admit right up front I avoided this film like the plague since the directors chose to pull a stunt move by casting Paris Hilton. I hate Paris Hilton and casting her is basically saying to me 'please do not buy my movie its not a serious movie'. That said unlike Repo The Genetic Opera I actually though Paris Hilton did a pretty good job in this film. It was both creepy and fun and the scene where Paris Hilton bites the big one resulted in cheers and hollers of happiness from the audience when i first saw it. Both gorey and entertaining I have to confess that I did enjoy this remake. I bet not many of you did. Or did you?
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House of Wax (2005) A group of friends on their way to a college football game falls prey to a pair of murderous brothers in an abandoned small town. They discover that the brothers have expanded upon the area's main attraction - the House of Wax -... |
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House of Wax (1953) House of Wax brought Vincent Price into the horror genre, where he fit as snugly as a scalpel in a mad scientist's hand. A remake of the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum, this entertaining Gothic shocker casts Price as a sculpt... |
The Toolbox Murders Remake: I am going to go out on a major limb here and say that I think the remake was better then the original. I enjoyed Toolbox Murders immensely. It was dark, creepy and all around just plain fun. It also has an approval rating of 80% in our Film Database. It redefined the words 'holy crap its time to move'. When a mutated killer decides the best kinda tenant is one that is a mutilated and eventually dead tenant its probably time to move out. Although they do not have another remake of this one planned their is talk of a sequel to Toolbox Murders which will most likely ruin everything like so many unneccesary sequels do.
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Toolbox Murders (2004) There is always something magical about historic Hollywood hotels. Virtually without exception, their walls bore witness to extravagances and excesses beyond imagination. That much can certainly be said of the Lusman Building, a d... |
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The Toolbox Murders (1978) In a quiet apartment complex in Los Angeles, a deranged handyman goes on a killing spree, savagely murdering ‘immoral’ women with the tools of his trade -- claw hammers, power drills and even a deadly nail gun! ... |
My Bloody Valentine 3-D Remake: My Bloody Valentine got rave reviews from horror fans but despite that I still could not bring myself to see it since for me 3D is a headache making gimmick I cannot tolerate. That said when it came out on DVD I picked up a copy, watched it in 2D and enjoyed myself quite a bit. Clearly the 3D was the driving factor for the film and it wont win any awards but My Bloody Valentine 3D is a fun waste of 90minutes and if your a fan of the original you will definitely appreciate the remake.
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My Bloody Valentine Twenty years ago in the sleepy mining town of Valentine Bluffs, a fatal mining disaster occurred on Valentine's Day while key members of the crew were decorating for a party. The sole survivor of the accident killed the absentee c... |
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My Bloody Valentine 3-D Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent... |