Ahhh the horror re-make. For some reason the last ten years has seen virtually every decent (and not so decent) horror film remade or updated. Or re-booted, whatever the f*ck that means.
Sometimes it can work. Low budget originals can be enhanced by modern day production values. Some originals had a solid idea but didn't make the most of it at the time. I get it. Some things can be improved upon and I'm all for that. But it wasn't until I did a little bit of research that I understood the full extent of just how many there were. Remakes and sequels are the cancer within the horror genre at this moment in time.
That's not to say there isn't a wealth of great horror films being made right now, it's just that it's becoming harder to find them and harder to see them at your local cinema. The last few years have been particularly saturated with remakes. Check out some of these bad boys.
The Omen (2006), When a Stranger Calls (2006), Prom Night (2008), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), The Crazies (2010), Last House on the Left (2010), House of Wax (2005), The Eye (2008), Mirrors (2008), The Fog (2005), The Wicker Man (2006), The Thing (2011), The Hitcher (2007),Black Christmas (2006), Piranha (2011), Friday 13th (2009), A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Halloween (2007)
I wouldn't object if they were made to a high standard but that isn't the priority. It is, as is so often the case in life, all about money. I mean how many of the above are actually as good as or better than the originals? The Hills Have Eyes, The Crazies. Piranha 3d at a push maybe (and that is only because of Kelly Brook). It's all a lazy money making exercise. And boy do they make some money. The Ring and The Grudge both made over £100m at the box office. Even trash like Friday 13th took £65m. It seems that they guarantee bums on seats.
But they also tarnish the names of the originals they imitate. Rob Zombie trying to redo Halloween? Piss off. And leave Freddy Krueger alone while you are at it. I mean how long is it before they attempt to do an updated version of The Shining? Or The Exorcist? Oh no wait, they'll just do a shitty sequel instead.
And the sequel problem is just as rife too. Four Scream films, four Paranormal Activity films (even though I am a big fan of this series), five Final Destination films. I mean come on! But the series that symbolises this more than anything is the Saw series. I liked the original, I didn't even mind the next two. But Seven frigging films in seven years. Jesus Christ that's ridiculous. And they just got progressively worse. I mean it was literally a case of just making a carbon copy of the last film with different actors in. What's that? Jigsaw isn't dead and... oh god wait, there is a big twist at the end? I did not see that coming!
I understand that when a film is successful in the genre, they make the most of it by releasing follow up films. But it's just a shame that they don't attempt to make a decent film in the process. It sullies the good name of the original.
With so much remaking and updating going on you'd think that there is limited space for the original horror movie to announce itself. But thankfully the genre is alive and kicking in the US and in Europe. Films like Insidious and Paranormal Activity were both original and hugely profitable. Blair Witch shows what an original idea can achieve. And Europe seems to be the place where a lot of good ideas are at right now. Rec, Let The Right One In, Dead Snow, Inside. All evidence that France, Spain and Scandinavia are all at the forefront of the genre. Just don't expect to see any new additions at the cinema. Unless the Yanks decide to remake them that is.
RB
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