There's a lot of grumbling and complaining about remakes, and it's understandable. A lot of them aren't really necessary and seem made just for the sake of it.
If I can choose I probably rather have something new (or an adaptation of a good novel), but I'm not as opposed to remakes as many. I'm always curious to see what another director might make of it.
And there HAVE been remakes that were able to add something to the original: The Thing, Cat People and House of Wax. I'm not so curious about these 'classic' remakes, as most everyone will like these, but more about the remakes of about the last 20 years, roughly since The Haunting (1999), which I think was the first of the remake wave that continues to today.
Here's a reminder, although this list isn't complete - it doesn't mention tv-remakes and I think some aren't remakes (or maybe I just don't know the original. Is Knock Knock a remake?):
Category:Horror film remakes - Wikipedia
I'll go alphabetically:
Coma - A mini-series that felt pretty throwaway at first, but I still keep thinking about it. The first part is a little slow, but the second part is quite good and tense. What helps is some major names in supporting roles: Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss. But the lead actress (Lauren Ambrose) who I don't know from anything else was good as well, although she doesn't have such a distinctive face as Geneviève Bujold of course. I think it works for me, because hospitals are such natural settings for tv anyway with so many shows about them. It does have a very abrupt ending - for some reason they didn't even show the end titles here. But certainly compared to the Rosemary Baby's tv mini-series, which I didn't like at all, this was much better.
The Fog - I'm in the minority here, because it's generally loathed. I liked the actors, especially Selma Blair and Maggie Grace (she was my favourite actress on Lost), and that it was fairly close to the original - just expanded a little on it. I think it still has enough atmospheric scenes and liked that you get to see more aboard the Elizabeth Dane, although that also humanizes the lepers more and make them less scary perhaps.
Friday the 13th - It was more of a reboot probably. I liked the idea of the tunnels Jason uses to get around and generally it was a fun return to the atmosphere of the early Friday the 13ths (before he went to Manhattan and outer space).
The Grudge - There's a big difference between the theatrical version and director's cut, it's only a couple of minutes - but these make all the difference. I saw it in the theatre at a premiere attended by Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it disappointed somewhat, yet the director's cut was a big improvement.
House of Wax (2005) - The main new idea is silly (the house is actually made of wax), but on the whole I think it was fun. The film looks very good and takes it time building things up without becoming slow.
The Last House on the Left - Technically a huge improvement over the original, it lacks that really sick atmosphere, but instead becomes a satisfying and tense thriller.
Let me in - About equal with its original, certainly for emotional impact, although I like the setting of the original a bit more. And that one had also a scene with loads of cats that didn't make the remake.
Poltergeist - Again in the minority. It adds only one new ingredient really (a drone with a camera that can fly into the spirit realm), but still I quite like it. I though it was just such a nice family and the use of 3D (the drone) added more than usual. Not as good as the original, but about on par with its sequels.
Silent House - Have not seen the original, but I did like the one-take thing - I suppose real time does help to put you a little more into the action (similar with Hitchcock's Rope). And the first film I saw with Elizabeth Olsen who's really good and always chooses dark roles like this.
Sisters - I've only seen it because it was on demand here, there isn't a dvd sadly. This was a pretty good remake of De Palma's film. The thing I never liked about De Palma's film is the sequence toward the end in black and white - maybe because that feels more amateurish than the rest of the film. Here it was done differently and more to my taste.
Sorority Row - This one I like a LOT. I really like the comedy which is quite understated (some people don't catch it all) and well delivered by the cast. And of course it has Carrie Fisher as the house mother who tries to shoot the killer in a great scene. Also the plot is rather solid.
The Wolfman - Also loved this one. In colour it feels more Hammer than Universal, but that isn't a bad thing. You can tell there were some script problems probably: especially Gwen's (Emily Blunt) role doesn't feel worked out wel. But on the whole I just loved the look and feel of it. It also proves you can be both atmospheric AND very gory in a horrorfilm - doesn't have to necessarily be either one or the other.
Funnily a remake that is generally regarded as one of the best ones, Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead, I didn't like at all. First I felt since it was based on Romero the zombies shouldn't run, but secondly because they skipped the whole tv-station/housing project/helicopter part and go straight to the mall, you don't feel the scope of the zombie-apocalypse. It also feels too cartoonish often to me - despite the subject there is a certain realism about the original - the result of it being filmed on actual locations in a non-Hollywoodmanner I think.
So, those were mine, what are yours?
If I can choose I probably rather have something new (or an adaptation of a good novel), but I'm not as opposed to remakes as many. I'm always curious to see what another director might make of it.
And there HAVE been remakes that were able to add something to the original: The Thing, Cat People and House of Wax. I'm not so curious about these 'classic' remakes, as most everyone will like these, but more about the remakes of about the last 20 years, roughly since The Haunting (1999), which I think was the first of the remake wave that continues to today.
Here's a reminder, although this list isn't complete - it doesn't mention tv-remakes and I think some aren't remakes (or maybe I just don't know the original. Is Knock Knock a remake?):
Category:Horror film remakes - Wikipedia
I'll go alphabetically:
Coma - A mini-series that felt pretty throwaway at first, but I still keep thinking about it. The first part is a little slow, but the second part is quite good and tense. What helps is some major names in supporting roles: Geena Davis, James Woods, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss. But the lead actress (Lauren Ambrose) who I don't know from anything else was good as well, although she doesn't have such a distinctive face as Geneviève Bujold of course. I think it works for me, because hospitals are such natural settings for tv anyway with so many shows about them. It does have a very abrupt ending - for some reason they didn't even show the end titles here. But certainly compared to the Rosemary Baby's tv mini-series, which I didn't like at all, this was much better.
The Fog - I'm in the minority here, because it's generally loathed. I liked the actors, especially Selma Blair and Maggie Grace (she was my favourite actress on Lost), and that it was fairly close to the original - just expanded a little on it. I think it still has enough atmospheric scenes and liked that you get to see more aboard the Elizabeth Dane, although that also humanizes the lepers more and make them less scary perhaps.
Friday the 13th - It was more of a reboot probably. I liked the idea of the tunnels Jason uses to get around and generally it was a fun return to the atmosphere of the early Friday the 13ths (before he went to Manhattan and outer space).
The Grudge - There's a big difference between the theatrical version and director's cut, it's only a couple of minutes - but these make all the difference. I saw it in the theatre at a premiere attended by Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it disappointed somewhat, yet the director's cut was a big improvement.
House of Wax (2005) - The main new idea is silly (the house is actually made of wax), but on the whole I think it was fun. The film looks very good and takes it time building things up without becoming slow.
The Last House on the Left - Technically a huge improvement over the original, it lacks that really sick atmosphere, but instead becomes a satisfying and tense thriller.
Let me in - About equal with its original, certainly for emotional impact, although I like the setting of the original a bit more. And that one had also a scene with loads of cats that didn't make the remake.
Poltergeist - Again in the minority. It adds only one new ingredient really (a drone with a camera that can fly into the spirit realm), but still I quite like it. I though it was just such a nice family and the use of 3D (the drone) added more than usual. Not as good as the original, but about on par with its sequels.
Silent House - Have not seen the original, but I did like the one-take thing - I suppose real time does help to put you a little more into the action (similar with Hitchcock's Rope). And the first film I saw with Elizabeth Olsen who's really good and always chooses dark roles like this.
Sisters - I've only seen it because it was on demand here, there isn't a dvd sadly. This was a pretty good remake of De Palma's film. The thing I never liked about De Palma's film is the sequence toward the end in black and white - maybe because that feels more amateurish than the rest of the film. Here it was done differently and more to my taste.
Sorority Row - This one I like a LOT. I really like the comedy which is quite understated (some people don't catch it all) and well delivered by the cast. And of course it has Carrie Fisher as the house mother who tries to shoot the killer in a great scene. Also the plot is rather solid.
The Wolfman - Also loved this one. In colour it feels more Hammer than Universal, but that isn't a bad thing. You can tell there were some script problems probably: especially Gwen's (Emily Blunt) role doesn't feel worked out wel. But on the whole I just loved the look and feel of it. It also proves you can be both atmospheric AND very gory in a horrorfilm - doesn't have to necessarily be either one or the other.
Funnily a remake that is generally regarded as one of the best ones, Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead, I didn't like at all. First I felt since it was based on Romero the zombies shouldn't run, but secondly because they skipped the whole tv-station/housing project/helicopter part and go straight to the mall, you don't feel the scope of the zombie-apocalypse. It also feels too cartoonish often to me - despite the subject there is a certain realism about the original - the result of it being filmed on actual locations in a non-Hollywoodmanner I think.
So, those were mine, what are yours?