HOLLYWOOD—I have been wanting to write this column for years, I am pretty happy I waited until now to write this column because I could truly take time to decompress, reflect and really analyze the world of remakes in the horror genre. If you were to ask me 10 years ago, what was one of the best horror remakes I would argue the 2007 Rob Zombie version of “Halloween” was decent, but in 2025 it’s not that great when you reflect back on it.
The 2009 version of “Friday the 13th” had some high points, but terrible character development and no true standout moments besides the opening sequence. We already know the 1998 version of “Psycho” was dreadful, because it was a copy and paste of the original version, just this time in color. Also, it hurts the movie if you already know the big twist of the original.
The 2010 remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” was one of the worst flicks I had seen in years. The fact that this is the type of Freddy Krueger and narrative we got almost 30 years after the 1984 original by Wes Craven was just beyond disappointing. Every other 80s slasher flick that had been remade were just as bad if not worse than the original. There was no innovation in those remakes at all.
However, I have 2 flicks that I can put into the rankings of being pretty damn solid if not almost better than the original. First on my list in the 2002 flick “The Ring.” It was the American version of the Japanese horror classic “Ringu.” Why does this flick rank high for me? I saw the remake before I saw the original.
So, I didn’t have any idea of the big twist or the inner workings of the predecessor before seeing this, which makes all the difference when it comes to watching a horror movie for the very first time, a horror remake to say the least. Naomi Watts is fantastic as the reporter trying to get to the bottom of this VHS tape that if you watch it can ultimately led to your demise exactly 7 days later.
Her son was just super creepy, and the film envelops the spectator in a narrative where you are trying to solve the puzzle before the puzzle is solved, but you don’t figure it out and when you do, your jaw is a bit dropped on the floor. This is a good reveal, and all of the clues are there, you just have to look for it. It doesn’t lose its lore on a re-watch, if anything you find more clues that help you piece the mystery of the twist in addition to trying to understand “The Ring” and why this ghostly little girl is so terrifying.
I had to truly think about the only other remake that I found satisfying in the past 20 years, and the one that I keep going back to is the 2003 film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” It is vital for you to know, I never saw the 1974 classic helmed by Tobe Hooper. I had just heard horror stories about it from my dad as a kid. Not to mention you have that infamous movie poster and the constant chatter that the movie was based on a true story.
So when I went into this movie, I truly was completely blind. I knew nothing about the hitchhiker, the sheriff and the family of cannibals that preyed on people who got lost. The villain, Leatherface, we don’t know much about him which I think makes the film unnerving. We know he wears skinned masks and he helms a chainsaw like no other, and this isn’t a small guy. This is a pretty big, husky guy, who has run faster than most killers in the horror genre, wielding a very dangerous weapon in the process.
I saw this time and time again, a chainsaw is beyond scary, because what can’t it cut thru? Probably concrete, where it would take a lot of time to put a dent into, but anything else, wood, glass, metal, you in trouble and that’s terrifying to think about.
The cinematography by Marcus Nispel is fantastic, and kudos have to go to Jessica Biel who eats up the role as our heroine Erin. You could feel the terror and fear this character endured and that’s a testament to some fine acting. Why Biel wasn’t featured in more horror films after this one, I will never know, but she damn sure should have.
I know what you all are thinking. Are those the only 2 movies? Unfortunately, yes, I cannot in good faith sit here and recommend movies that don’t deliver and were not in any fashion better than original. Most simply focused on trying to recapture moments from the classic and that’s always the problem.
Horror regurgitates its past and fans don’t want to see that. We want to see a reinterpretation of things with a first lens. There is no need to recycle moments from the past, if anything the goal should be to deliver iconic moments to be debated for the future.
