The Greatest Horror Movie Remakes

“Nothing beats the original!” A common belief held among many film buffs. While the saying holds true in most instances, there are always exceptions to the rule. Some of the greatest horror movies ever made have been remakes. However, remakes are very difficult to pull off, especially when the original has a large fanbase. Filmmakers have to find a balance between retaining some of the aspects and charm from the original while also introducing enough unique concepts and ideas to warrant a remake. The movies listed below managed to pull off the balancing act and in some cases, bested the original. With Halloween here, there’s no better time to marathon these movies and their counterparts.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

The 2004 remake of George Romero’s 1978 classic is a lot of fun to watch. The three minute opening to the movie drops you in the midst of an outbreak as zombies begin to take over a suburban neighborhood. Zack Snyder decided to trade in the slow, clumsy zombies of years past for blood-thirsty track stars.

All jokes aside, these zombies are unrelenting, constantly wreaking havoc on the group of survivors. Romero always made the human characters an integral part of his zombie films and Snyder made sure to do the same. The movie does a great job of making the audience feel connected and sympathetic towards the survivors. Despite conflicting personalities, the common goal of survival brings the group together. Ving Rhames’ performance as the strong-willed leader of the group was a perfect replacement for Ken Foree’s character in the original.

While Dawn of the Dead (2004) may not have the social and political commentary that was always present in Romero’s films, it is a worthy remake nonetheless.

Friday the 13th (2009)

Friday the 13th (2009) is a culmination of the best aspects of the original Friday series. With a kill count of 16, Friday the 13th (2009) is heavy on the gore and has plenty of unique kills. After all, why else do you watch a Friday the 13th movie?

Instead of having Pamela Voorhees be the killer, as she was in the original, the remake chose to make Jason the killer from the start. In doing so, the movie is able to expand on Jason as a character without making him feel like an afterthought. Keep in mind, Jason didn’t even get his hockey mask until the third film in the original series. As such, Jason is more intimidating and ruthless than he’s ever been. He’s shown to be a strategic and tactical killer, capable of outsmarting (and outrunning!) his victims. More horrifying, Jason uses some of his victims as bait to lure others toward him.

Unfortunately, this was the last time Jason’s been on the big screen before the rights to the franchise got caught up in a legal battle. As of now, Friday fans await patiently for the 13th installment in the series.

Evil Dead (2013)

There is a ton to like about this movie. For one, the director (Sam Raimi), lead actor (Bruce Campbell), and producer (Robert Tapert) of the original Evil Dead movies were all brought in as producers for the project. It’s always a good sign when a remake involves people who worked on the original.

Instead of replicating what made the Evil Dead movies so great though, Fede Álvarez chose to take the series in a new direction. For starters, the tone of Evil Dead is much darker than the original’s. These deadites are in the running for the scariest demons in horror history. The gore is amped and the kills are brutal providing plenty of visceral visuals. Turkey cutters will never seem the same after watching this movie. While the Evil Dead franchise was made popular because of its satirical tone, it’s nice to see a different take on the series. Evil Dead is a perfect example of a remake that was able to balance between old and new. Even without Ash, Evil Dead is still… groovy.

It (2017)

Before It (2017) was released, many were concerned that Bill Skarsgård wouldn’t be able to fill the clown shoes that Tim Curry left behind. However, It (2017) improves upon every aspect of the original 1990 miniseries. Like Evil Dead, director Andy Muschietti chose to make the movie darker than its predecessor. As a result, It (2017) introduces the most sinister version of Pennywise yet. Skarsgård’s performance coupled with Pennywise’s shape-shifting abilities truly makes ‘It’ feel like an otherworldly being. Just as important, the kids in ‘The Losers Club’ have great chemistry together and the interactions between them feel very genuine adding to the overall story. There are many memorable scenes and scares in this movie. Georgie’s death is possibly one of the greatest horror scenes of all time, producing unrelenting feelings of dread and terror. Overall, It (2017) is an instant classic that was able to bring Pennywise back into mainstream horror.

The Thing (1982)

While The Thing is technically a remake of the 1951 movie, The Thing from Another World, John Carpenter made a point to deviate from the source material. The Thing combines elements of horror, sci-fi, and mystery to produce one of the greatest horror movies of all time.

Made in 1982, The Thing had to rely heavily on practical effects to bring its titular creature to life. Legendary special effects artist Rob Bottin was able to realize Carpenter’s vision, producing some of the most memorable and grotesque special effects in movie history. Equal parts body and psychological horror, The Thing also explores themes of distrust and paranoia as the men become increasingly suspicious of one another. The masterful original score, created by the late Ennio Morricone, creates feelings of tension and paranoia that underscore the main themes of the film. Couple this with a solid cast and a great lead in Kurt Russell as helicopter pilot RJ Macready and you get the greatest horror remake of all time.