Horror Movies Which Didn’t Need Remakes

There’s a rule that there are some movies which should just be left alone. Some remakes are quite enjoyable, but there are also others which just hit the mark entirely. With seemingly more remakes, reboots and re imaginings of classics being made, it seems appropriate to make a list of the horror movies which didn’t need remakes.

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Who could possibly replace the magnificent icon Robert Englund as a generation’s favourite slasher villain? Nobody, apparently. Filling in his shoes in this largely unpopular romp was Jackie Earle Hayley (A.K.A Rorschach from the 2012 adaptation of Watchmen) who, despite being an excellent actor, was unable to make this movie work. Much of the acting is wooden, the effects aren’t brilliant and Freddie isn’t developed as a villain and loses much of his comedic cheek from Englund’s brilliant portrayal of the villain. Is this remake unredeemable? No. Was it necessary? Definitely not.

Halloween

Strictly speaking, Rob Zombie’s take on the John Carpenter classic wasn’t a total failure; the movies were good, they were gripping, they were strange but flowed well. The only issue is, they weren’t necessary. What seemed to upset people the most about the beloved slasher was that Zombie gave Myers a personality and made him a sympathetic character opposed to the classic brainless killer. Whilst being a very enjoyable couple of films, Zombie should’ve known better than to remake one of the greatest horror movies available.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Surely nobody could ever touch Tobe Hooper’s genre-defining horror rampage? Surely not? 2003 changed that. Though an enjoyable movie, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one movie that didn’t need remaking. The original had it all: a creepy antagonist, intense chase sequences, a solid plot. The remake had all three, but no amount of intense chase sequences could ever make up for Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece. Even more poorly received than this 2003 remake was the 2013 reboot entitled Texas Chainsaw 3D. When will they learn that there’s only one true Leatherface?

The Blair Witch Project

One word pretty much sums up the thoughts on everyone’s minds when the remake of this revered classic was announced; why? Years on, we’re still wondering what possessed director Adam Wingard to pick up this project. Everything that made the original to be so great was diminished with this remake. During the filming of the source material, the cast genuinely believed that the Blair Witch legend was very much true and during filming, the director would mess with the cast by rustling their tent at night (as is seen throughout the movie), meaning that the fearful reactions were largely genuine. What was a found-footage triumph and one of the most innovative horror movies of the 20th century was remade into some sort of joke. Part of what makes the original so brilliant is that the appearance of the Blair Witch is never revealed, but we’re shown the witch in her full glory in the 2016 remake. Nobody asked for a remake, even fewer people liked it. Why was it created?

Night Of The Living Dead

The master of zombies’ Living Dead trilogy is one of the best movie trilogies of all time. So immortalised is it in cinema history that the whole zombie genre essentially spawned itself out of the depths of George A Romero’s masterpiece. Night Of The Living Dead was another movie to fall foul of the whole remaking classics trend. Whilst not being a poor movie per se, this remake didn’t attempt to change almost anything about the original, essentially just leaving this 1990 remake as a carbon copy of the original. Not even horror icon Tony Todd (A.K.A Candyman) could make this remake justifiable.

Martyrs

If you’ve ever seen Martyrs, you probably have very little faith in humanity. Depressingly nihilistic, Martyrs follows a young girl, Lucie, who escapes a secretive group of people who tortured her horrifically in their search to find out if there’s life after death. The original packed a punch so potent that even now, people are still horrified from its initial fallout. Ghastly, gruesome and grisly, Martyrs is nihilism personified. In 2015 Martyrs was remade and was, in turn, horrifically received and slated across the board.

Some movies simply cannot be touched and should never be remade. It goes back to the old adage of if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Instead of originality, some people bafflingly choose to churn out run-of-the-mill remakes/reboots in an attempt to cash in on the original. Rarely does this ever go well. What’s the worst horror remake you’ve ever seen?