What sacrilege is this? Yeah, it actually happens. While the vast majority of remakes are rubbish, there are a good amount that are decent, but then there are those that actually exceed the original. A true rarity indeed. And in this article I'm only talking about movies that were good and then remade even better. I mean, you could remake House of the Dead tomorrow and it would probably be better, but that's not saying much. House of the Dead II sucked ass but it was still better. And while some may say some of these aren't remakes, rather other adaptations, technically every remake is another adaptation and every new adaptation is a remake, so I think they all fit. Without further ado, let's check out twelve horror and suspense remakes that are superior to the originals.
12 Horror Remakes Superior to the Originals
The Thing (1982) – John Carpenter
This remake of The Thing From Another World is obviously a standout. I mean, the original is absolutely essential sci-fi/horror but this one knocked it out of the stratosphere. It's a truer adaptation of the source material and about a thousand times more horrific. All male cast, no romantic side story, amazing FX and outstanding creativity. The claustrophobia, the focus on story and horror while giving us visuals that will stand the test of time forever. There's a reason this is one of the greatest horror movies of all time and a reason it's also one of, if not the greatest remake of all time.
Night of the Living Dead (1990) – Tom Savini
Look, I realize the original is a masterpiece and set a standard for an entire subgenre, but that's what makes this remake so impressive. It has the same basic story, but tweaks everything perfectly, throws in an incredible cast and makes everything so much more gruesome. In the original, one of the main characters is catatonic for the majority of the movie but here she's tweaked into a total badass, and it works. Remarkable FX work, amazing make-up, gore, suspense, this movie has it all. A perfect remake.
Dracula (1992) – Francis Ford Coppola
Yes, Bela Lugosi will always be Dracula and the original is nothing short of amazing, but this, this is on a whole other level. Yeah, it's a different era entirely of filmmaking, but that's kind of the point. Put together a fantastic cast, a big budget for sets and costumes and really give us the epic story the novel was. This movie succeeds on so many levels and I think that's pretty undeniable. From the direction to the FX work, the blood and romance, it really is a perfect movie. Something for everyone and it really did the novel justice.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) – Alexandre Aja
Wes Craven's original is such a good backwoods mutant slasher film set in the desert, but you can't deny Aja did a great job here. It's super gory, has excellent mutants and a pretty terrific cast too. I also felt it was a timely remake. Enough time had gone by to where a fresh look was welcome, and this also had a very respectable budget, so they were able to do more with this than the low budget original. The core of the story is the same, everything is just amplified, and that's how this should be done. It's a slasher flick, it's simple, just give us more, make it better. That was done here, it's not rocket science.
The Blob (1988) – Chuck Russell
Steve McQueen battling a biological threat is such a fun proposition, but this FX heavy remake blows it out of the water. It absolutely benefits from an era where you could just do more with a flesh melting blob on screen, and that's why this remake too was so timely. It was needed, it was refreshing. It's also well acted, the direction kicked ass and people tangled with the blob in a large variety of locations. That kind of quick paced, high kill count kind of movie is not only welcome, it's needed. This was such a satisfying remake on every level and for anyone who wants to do it again, note this film and give us majority practical FX, or it will fail.
IT (2017) – Andy Muschietti
This will be divisive for some because we all know that Tim Curry was the embodiment of Pennywise, and while the original TV movie was awesome, it was insufficient. Being truer to the novel in terms of gore and horror was what we wanted, and this movie gave it to us. It was a hard R, and it needed to be, not heavily censored like a TV movie from 1990. Granted, they did a lot with a little there but this remake was so amazing, so visceral. Add the great cast, excellent direction and wonderful FX work and it's just icing on the cake. Bonus shout out to Skarsgard who didn't try to emulate Curry and instead did his own thing, which was great.
The Mummy (1959) – Terence Fisher
Yeah, Universal knew their monsters and made some incredible movies, but Hammer did the same and made them their own. I think this is honestly the best mummy movie of all time and it actually trumps Universal's original. No small feat, as that was a great movie. But the cast here is just so amazing, the director is incredible and the storytelling is heads and tails above all others. Plus the mummy himself is just such a sight to behold, so horrific. In a long list of fantastic Hammer horror, including many remakes, this still stands as one of the most endearing, they absolutely nailed it.
The Fly (1986) – David Cronenberg
The original is another one of those quintessential sci-fi/horror movies, but here Cronenberg shows us the template for how to remake a movie. A template that is often ignored might I add. You take the original concept and general story, but you put it into the time period of your choosing, modern for the time in this case. And then you make it your own and far remove it from the series of events contained in the original. Here he took the movie and added his own trademarked body horror elements and then so much more. The cast, the sequence of events, the violence and last but most certainly not least, the FX work. Take heed Hollywood, take heed.
Cape Fear (1991) – Martin Scorcese
The original '62 version was ahead of its time, there really wasn't any other thriller like it, so how does one remake it? Well first you put on the greatest directors ever behind the helm and then you assemble one of the most talented casts in the history of cinema. The story isn't even that greatly changed, but it is much more enhanced if you catch my drift. The brutality is increased, the character interactions are richer, the tension just builds more. If you watch these back to back it just makes this movie even more impressive. The original, it's so remarkable, but this, this is unforgettable.
The Crazies (2010) – Breck Eisner
Romero made multiple amazing movies and The Crazies may not have been among his best, but it was damn good. And let's be fair, his best are goddamn masterpieces so it's hard to reach that level as many times as he did. But then this movie came out and I was like, whatever, a remake for this wasn't even on my radar. But it's great, it's legitimately great on every level. The casting, the direction, the storytelling. There was a lot of care given to this remake and it wasn't the throwaway cash grab I think we were all expecting. It's also so incredibly violent and just builds on what the original was trying to do. Probably the biggest surprise on this list.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – Philip Kaufman
For the third time I have to say, quintessential sci-fi/horror, that's what the original was. And man was it great, but this is a bonafide masterpiece of horror. The aspects of horror here are ramped up much higher than any of the other adaptations. It's so dark, so bleak, you just feel hopeless watching this and to radiate that kind of emotion from a TV screen is nothing short of amazing. The cast is extraordinary, just loaded with genre vets. The direction is perfect, the pacing is spot on. And then there's the FX work, wow, so memorable. This movie is just loaded with scenes that stay with you forever. Brilliance.
Quarantine (2008) – John Erick Dowdle
Put your pitchforks away, let me plead my case. There's a reason I put this last. REC is a great movie in every way. This is a shot for shot remake (mostly) of that movie. The reasons I think it is better are as follows. It's a very immersive movie and not having to read subtitles kept me immersed. I know my being monolingual is my shortcoming, but it was important. The acting is better. The FX work is a lot better and it allowed for more violent deaths and creative gore. But everything else is the same for both, this just does a few things a little better, and I think it's better for it. Now you can burn me, I'll be in my windmill.
This was actually a hard list to put together because while remakes become ever more common, the actual great ones, and by way of those, superior ones, are harder and harder to find. So while the collective horror community tends to cringe at every remake announcement, we still have hope. Maybe, maybe this time they'll get it right. We're going to watch it anyway, may as well hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
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