Talk Horror The Mouth of Madness
40 Horror Remakes And Counting…
Since 1980, there have been somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 horror reboots and remakes, and arguably more if you include films like Halloween (2018), which retconned Halloween II, Halloween: 20 Years Later, which retconned Halloween 4, or Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn unofficially being the first remake of The Evil Dead.
Yet for every The Fly or The Crazies remake, which receive positive acclaim from both critics and the audience, there seems to be an abundance of duds like the remakes of Prom Night or The House on Haunted Hill. Is there something that can be discerned from these flops?
Same Same, But Different!
Well for starters while reboots which follow the same general trajectory of the original film can be effective, shot for shot remakes typically never go well. Take the Psycho remake from 1998: it had a sizable budget, acting talent, and a respected director (two time Oscar nominee Gus Van Sant) intent honoring the legendary artisan of the original film, Alfred Hitchcock. And yet the remake was absolutely dismal, and although there was talent in the film, Vince Vaughn was never going to match the quaint brilliance of Anthony Perkins in the role of Norman Bates.
Can the Casting Really Make THAT Big of a Difference?
That brings us to the second significant point: sub-par casting. I don’t think anyone would disagree with the statement that Rooney Mara is a talented actress who has delivered some top quality performances, yet she just was not capable of matching the innocence and relatability of Heather Langenkamp in the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot. Mara is an Oscar nominated actress who you’d expect would be just as effective (if not more so) in the role of Nancy, and yet she’s often cited—I’d argue unfairly—as a significant weakness in the film. I would argue that the weakness likely lies in the differing visions between casting director and director.
Audience familiarity with the main antagonists would also potentially play a role in casting issues. While Jackie Earle Haley delivered a solidly creepy performance as horror film icon Freddy Krueger, the Gen Xers and Millennials who grew up on the dream demon will almost certainly have trouble recognizing anyone other than Robert England as capable of playing the role. That same problem hobbled the Hellraiser reboot: while Jamie Clayton did an admirable job, to many horror fans who grew up on the franchise there is only one Pinhead: Doug Bradley.
Does A Bigger Budget Make a Better Movie?
Can a bigger budget and modern effects really tell a story more effectively? Some horror franchises seem to think so. Take The Fog from 1980. It was made for just $1 million, while the 2005 remake had a budget that was more than 7 times larger when you factor in inflation, and access to more modern effects. Yet if you compare the Rotten Tomatoes reviews of both films, the original is 76% positive amongst critics while the remake is just 4% positive. I have serious doubts that the fan response was much different.
So, Is All Hope Lost For The Horror Reboot?
So was Jeepers Creepers “reborn” with the 2022 reboot, Reborn? Not by a long shot! But the reboot of Wrong Turn in 2021 did seem to make some right turns. At least according to critics. I’ll leave it to the HorrorFam to determine if they were correct. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Want to know what Steven (aka Bojangles) and Anna have to say about all the Horror Remakes, Reboots, and Requels? Check out the latest podcast here on TalkHorror or on Spotify!
Until next time…
JK away!
