In cinema, if there's one genre that's seen numerous remakes, it's horror. This increasingly common trend can seem worrying, as is the case with the recent announcement of an American remake of Takashi Miike's Audition. However, some remakes have become true classics. Here are, in our opinion, the 9 best.
#1 Nosferatu (1979)
Robert Eggers' Nosferatu was much talked about last December. Despite its qualities, it is not the best remake of F. W. Murnau's masterpiece. In 1979, Werner Herzog delivered his own vision and transcended the source material. More contemplative, the director reinvented the Dracula myth into a grimy gothic romance. The film is thus morbidly beautiful and leaves a lasting impression on the retina. As for the thrills, Klaus Kinski as Count Orlok is as terrifying as he is pathetic, a significant change from Murnau's version.
#2 Halloween (2007)
In John Carpenter's Halloween, Michael Myers was pure evil. For his 2007 remake, Rob Zombie made the controversial choice to give that evil a face. The director explores the boogeyman's origins, making him more human without taking away his monstrosity. Here, Michael Myers is a bloodthirsty brute, and it's even more disturbing because Rob Zombie treats his actions with realism.
#3 The Thing (1982)
The remake status of The Thing is debatable, since John Carpenter was primarily inspired by Bill Lancaster's The Thing, published in 1938. However, it is undeniable that the director also took elements from Christian Nyby's The Thing from Another World, a film to which he also pays homage in Halloween. That said, given its importance, we couldn't ignore it. Indeed, even though it flopped at the time, The Thing is now recognized as a masterpiece. It's the epitome of a perfect remake, and has even become an absolute benchmark in horror cinema, thanks in particular to its impressive special effects.
#4 The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
The Hills Have Eyes by Wes Craven never had a good reputation, and the release of Alexandre Aja's remake didn't help it get a better one. The French filmmaker's version is intended to be more visceral and more topical, particularly for its discussion of nuclear power. The film is gut-wrenching, much more so than the original. Without questioning Wes Craven's legendary status, it must be recognized that Aja has far surpassed his model.
#5 Evil Dead (2013)
Before Alien: Romulus, Fede Alvarez had tackled another cult franchise. Unlike this one, his Evil Dead is very different from Sam Raimi's film.The director chose to abandon the zany tone for a much more serious approach. Despite this, he had fun offering an incredibly gory work, with an ending that resembles a real bloody firework. Emetophobes are therefore warned: move on.
#6 The Fly (1986)
Kurt Neumann's The Black Fly was a 1950s horror classic starring Vincent Price, adapted from the short story The Fly by George Langelaan. Although the creature is present, it only appears briefly, which is not the case in David Cronenberg's The Fly. The remake departs completely from the novella and the original film by choosing to show Seth Brundle's gradual transformation. True to form, Cronenberg does this in a repugnant manner, while injecting a philosophical dimension that makes the scientist's fate profoundly tragic.
The Thing and The Fly are often cited among the best remakes of 1950s films, but another one deserves to be mentioned just as well. The Blob by Chuck Russell is an unjustly forgotten feature film, even though it has nothing to envy of the two previously mentioned. It's a ferocious and enjoyable gem that completely eclipses the 1958 Steve McQueen film The Blob.
#8 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
To touch Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is to attack a masterpiece of cinema as a whole. Remaking it, therefore, posed an impossible challenge: to do better. Marcus Nispel's film didn't succeed, but it's safe to say it did its best. The best addition he could have made was the character of the sheriff, played by R. Lee Ermey, who brings a real breath of fresh air to this remake.
#9 Friday the 13th (2009)
The first Friday the 13th is not the classic you might imagine. It's an opportunistic work that wanted to ride the wave of the success of Halloween. While it brought a lot to the slasher genre, it is clearly not the best horror film, nor the best film in its own saga. This time, Marcus Nispel had everything it needed to do better, and he did it. Goodbye Pamela Voorhees, and welcome Jason. His version is much more gripping and enjoyable than the original film. The director also delivers a beautiful homage to the first films in the franchise. He respected the fans, and we hope the upcoming prequel series will do the same.
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