Horror movie remakes have a pretty bad reputation, and to be fair, quite a few of them deserve it. Too often it feels like studios look at a popular old horror movie, see a ready-made fan base, and decide that slapping a new coat of paint on it is enough to justify another trip to the theater, but thankfully, not every remake is a pointless cash grab, as some actually bring something new to the table, while others simply take the original idea and make a damn good horror movie out of it.
These are nine horror remakes I actually like.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
The 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is easily one of the better horror remakes for me - it doesn't simply try to copy the original scene for scene, instead taking the basic idea and giving it the much bigger studio-horror treatment without completely losing what made the original so memorable - Andrew Bryniarski does a really good job as Leatherface, while R. Lee Ermey is absolutely horrible in the best possible way as Sheriff Hoyt.
I still prefer the original movie, obviously, but this one holds up pretty well on its own, especially compared to the 2022 version of TCM.
Friday the 13th (2009)
The 2009 Friday the 13th remake has always been one of those movies where I can see both sides of the argument - it's far from perfect, and part of me still wishes they had continued the original series instead of starting over, but I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as some people make it out to be.
Derek Mears actually makes for a pretty convincing Jason Voorhees, all the cast are perfectly decent, and the movie actually understands that people are turning up to see Jason doing Jason things - it also pays enough attention to the original movies without becoming a watered-down copy, and at least it has some personality of its own, which is always good.
IT (2017)
I'm bending the rules slightly with IT, because the 2017 movie is really more of a new adaptation of Stephen King's novel than a straight remake of the 1990 miniseries, still, considering how closely the earlier version is tied to the story for a lot of horror fans, I think it belongs here.
I was genuinely looking forward to this one when it was announced, and thankfully it didn't disappoint me - the young cast are very good, Bill Skarsgård makes for a completely different Pennywise from Tim Curry, and the movie does a good job of bringing King's story to a new generation without feeling like it was made solely because someone remembered that Pennywise was popular.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Dawn of the Dead is another remake that understood there wasn't much point in simply trying to recreate the original movie - the 2004 version takes the basic concept and goes in its own direction, which is exactly what I want from a remake.
The zombies are a major difference here, with the faster and more aggressive version of the undead making things considerably more frantic, although I do wish the movie had done a little more with some of the ideas from Romero's film, particularly the biker element - but you can't have everything, and it still works extremely well as its own zombie horror movie.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
I still have a slight preference for the original The Hills Have Eyes, but the 2006 remake absolutely holds its own - Alexandre Aja doesn't exactly go easy on the audience, and the movie has plenty of nasty moments without feeling like it's simply copying Wes Craven's film.
Michael Berryman was memorable in the original, so I was never going to complain about seeing him involved here, although I wasn't particularly keen on some of the choices made with the Pluto character, but the family stuff worked better for me, though.
My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)
Yes, I'm putting My Bloody Valentine 3D on the list - feel free to complain about it, but I actually had a lot of fun with this one, especially when I watched it in 3D, as while the 3D gimmick could have been completely pointless, if you also watched it in 3D you will remember that it actually added something to the experience, particularly during some of the more ridiculous gore scenes.
I can understand why some people don't rate it, but I've always thought it deserved more love - it has its own style, some decent kills and doesn't take itself too seriously, which is enough for me.
The Blob (1988)
The 1988 The Blob is a great example of a remake taking an old idea and doing something completely different with it, as while the 1958 version has plenty of charm, but this one goes much harder on the practical effects, gore and general nastiness, where the Blob itself is brilliantly brought to life through practical effects, and some of the ways it attacks people are still ridiculously good, although I actually think the original version of the Blob looks a little more menacing, but that's probably just personal preference, but either way, the effects work here is still seriously impressive, and considering we're now apparently getting another remake, maybe it's time to revisit this one.
The Fly (1986)
The Fly is one of those remakes where I'm not sure there's much point pretending the original is better just because it came first, because while the 1958 movie has its own charm, David Cronenberg's version takes the basic idea and turns it into something far more disturbing.
Jeff Goldblum is excellent as Seth Brundle, and watching the transformation into Brundlefly remains one of the great practical-effects achievements of 1980s horror, and the creature effects still look fantastic, with the gradual physical deterioration giving Goldblum plenty to work with as the movie gets progressively more disgusting.
It also manages to mix science fiction and body horror incredibly well without either side feeling tacked on, so for me, it's one of those rare remakes that doesn't just live up to the original, it completely reworks the material into something that stands on its own.
The Thing (1982)
And finally we get to The Thing, which is still my favorite horror remake - John Carpenter took the basic premise from the 1951 movie and turned it into one of the greatest science-fiction horror films ever made, where Kurt Russell is excellent as MacReady, but the real star here is obviously the practical effects.
The creature designs are still incredible today, and some of the effects work remains the sort of stuff that makes you wonder how the hell they actually managed to pull it off, and yes you should still watch the 1951 movie if you have not already, but Carpenter's version takes the paranoia, isolation and creature horror and pushes everything much further, and still looks fantastic decades later.
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