When it comes to comparing horror movies and their remakes, the originals always seem to be the best. There have been some great remakes, but most have been fairly disappointing. Needless to say, they bring some form of entertainment, whether it's good or bad.
Some horror remakes don't capture the same essence as the original, and that's why they lack in the horror department. Some films try to go too deep or be too serious and lose what made the original so good in the first place. It's always hard to capture the original's magic through a modernized lens: some filmmakers learned this the hard way.
'Pet Sematary' (2019)
When Pet Sematary was adapted for the big screen, fans of the book had their horrors realized, while newcomers were left scared beyond their wits. When a family moves to Maine, their cat is accidentally killed, and one of their neighbors advises them to bury it in the ground near the old pet cemetery. The cat then returns to life, but it has changed for the worse.
The difference between the original and the remake is that the practical effects were more striking than the VFX work they used in the 2019 version. The story seemed to drag a bit more in the remake, which made the film, directed by Matt Greenberg, feel boring.
'Poltergeist' (2015)
The story of the original Poltergeist is simple: a family's home is haunted by a host of marauding specters. Fans of the film appreciated its simplicity because the tension made the original so fun to watch. Flash forward to the remake, which takes the anticipation of each reveal right out of each scene.
The beauty of the first one comes down to how subtle the jump scares were. The music cue would come in, and the anticipation would be there every moment. When the remake lacks any form of suspense or tries to make an intricate story over something as simple as ghosts haunting the house, the horror elements get lost, and the focus tends to shift as it did in this remake directed by Gil Kenan.
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2022)
In 1974 director Tobe Hooper gave horror fans one of the best slasher moves of the '70s. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a simple story about five friends who head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of one of their grandfathers. On the way there, they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within, armed with a chainsaw.
There sometimes can be films that lean towards social commentary and modernity instead of focusing on simple slasher tropes that make horror films great. There are ways to create different visuals and have certain images be remembered instead of just being in it for the kills, like the 2022 version directed by David Blue Garcia.
'The Omen' (2006)
There is just something about children in horror films that gives audiences chills, and The Omen (1976) was one film to do that. The original starred Gregory Peck as his character Robert adopts Damien (Harvey Stephens) when his wife delivers a stillborn child.
Odd things happen when Damien is around, including suspicious deaths and a miscarriage. Once Robert investigates his adopted son's background, he discovers the child may be the antichrist. The remake in 2006, directed by John Moore, lacked any intrigue for Damien because the sinister essence was stripped from him.
'Halloween' (2007)
The Halloween franchise has had its ups and downs, and when Rob Zombie took over, that's arguably when things took a turn for the worst. John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) shouldn't have gone past the first installment, at least in terms of being exclusively about Michael Meyers. In fact, Halloween was envisioned as sort of an anthology film series by Carpenter and producer Debra Hill. Regardless, Zombie's version of the film failed to live up to the high standards set by the first, especially with Michael Meyers' mask.
Zombie's is a re-imagined version with a new cast, but it feels like a parody of the original. The remake has its cult following, and fans still enjoy watching the film because of Zombie's unique style. It almost feels like a cheaper, more underdeveloped version of the original.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (2010)
Sequels are always welcomed, especially if they carry a similar aesthetic and story structure as the original, but remakes are tricky. In the original Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) is a horror icon. The makeup and prosthetics for his particular character are extremely hard to recreate if you do not have the same team working on it. Sadly, this is precisely what happened in 2010.
Director Samuel Bayer completely missed the mark in what made Kruger so menacing in the first place. They took the story too seriously when Kruger was always campy horror fun. The film feels less like a Nightmare on Elm Street movie and more like any other slasher movie you would see in the early 2010s.
'Child's Play' (2019)
Chucky has haunted many people because of his character design. The 1988 version, directed by Tom Holland, took a straightforward approach to the character and the story. What started as a joyful day for young Andy (Alex Vincent) becomes a nightmare when his new toy doll comes to life.
Technology can sometimes work for horror, and sometimes it can ruin a simple story. In this case, writers Tyler Burton Smith and Don Mancini tried to make it relevant and updated the look of Chucky. He looked way too polished compared to the original.
'Psycho' (1998)
Alfred Hitchcock is a director who developed the horror genre on screen in the early '60s. Psycho cemented Hitchcock as one of the greats, as his music cues and close-ups made everything more suspenseful. Looking back at his work, it's more of a psychological thriller than a straight horror movie, but it still manages to get those early horror elements to fit in.
Some directors are bold enough to take on films of this caliber, and Gus Van Sant tried his best. The remake was a shot-for-shot remake of the original with a couple of updated scenes, which would make anyone question why they would even watch the remake in the first place.
'The Grudge' (2020)
The original version of The Grudge, released in 2004, was terrifying. When an American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, she must try to stop the spirit before they take another life. The 2020 rendition of The Grudge notably had Sam Raimi on board as a producer, best known for creating the horror series The Evil Dead. However, his involvement did little to save the results.
The story is completely changed in the 2020 version, directed by Nicolas Pesce, and lacks any tension among the characters in the house. Even the jump scares are weak and add nothing to the film's horror elements.
'House of Wax' (2005)
1953's House of Wax, directed by Andre de Toth, hit all its horror beats perfectly. It was gruesome, suspenseful, and a lot of fun to watch. When an associate burns down a wax museum with the owner inside, he manages to survive, only to become vengeful and murderous.
House of Wax is another simple story that gets the early 2000s treatment of pop culture relevance and an updated story. A group of teenagers become stranded near a wax museum and must fight to survive before becoming the next exhibit. When the story is reworked that much, it can take away from what originally worked.