Five Reasons Why Horror Film Remakes Are Never Better Than the Original

There you are, sitting in the movie theater, waiting for the opening credits of a popular 1977 horror film remake. The trailers have been running for weeks, and you can't wait to see whether the new director's vision measures up to the original. Alas, the film is over-and you're left disappointed. This is a common scenario in the wide world of horror films. While there are quite a few horror movie remakes that can stand up to their popular originals, many would agree that remakes are viewed as cinematic "cop-outs." Why is it that film remakes generate such disappointment amongst true horror fans? Some theories abound...

Unlearning...

Quite simply, it's hard for audiences to "unlearn" the way they've envisioned a horror film that they really enjoyed during its original run. This may seem like a poor reason to bash a well-made remake of a classic horror movie. But even remakes that are in close keeping with the original (example: The Omen [2006]) still put some viewers off who are used to the grainy, fresh appeal of the classic.

Time Travel

Some of the greatest horror films of all time were made during the 1970s and 1980s-a time when technology was a lot more primitive. The lack of information available to the public during this time served filmmakers quite well. Without email, Twitter, heavy consumer Internet use, and other technological conveniences, it was quite easy for filmmakers to create suspension of disbelief. Unless a director chooses to film a period-style remake, many of the original horror movie's nuances are lost.

Computer Happy

Let's face it. Sometimes filmmakers get a little too technology-happy. The CGI effects used in many of today's horror movies sometimes take away from the authentic imagery that audiences are craving. It's much easier to be scared by costumes and make-up that are designed to look real. Somehow, being chased by "cartoon" werewolves isn't as frightening.

"Perfect" Characters

In newer films, there appears to be a growing trend to hire Hollywood's most physically appealing actors. As such, much pressure exists for the actors to be "perfect" or at the very least, "perfectly imperfect." This often takes away from the original film's integrity. Even if the acting is good, that the actors don't really look like "real" people is sometimes a huge downer. For instance, the 2005 Amityville Horror remake featured Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George. Ryan served up some pretty decent eye candy-ideal for selling movie tickets. The same might be said for Melissa George. But still, the authenticity of Margot Kidder and James Brolin's original characters left little to be desired.

Horror Movie "Trends"

One could say that timing has everything to do with whether a particular subject matter will go over well. It could also be said that film trends have a lot to do with whether horror film remakes are considered a success. If "torture porn" seems to be the flavor of the year, then a supernatural thriller remake may not do well with audience members who weren't around when the initial film was released. This isn't always true, obviously. New subject matter always tends to pique interest whether the crowd is more mature or not. In any case, current events in the world have much to do with what actually scares people. Disaster horror movies-especially those with documentary-style filming were much scarier for people after the events of 9/11. Subsequently, supernatural horror is greatly helped by the influx of ghost/paranormal reality shows on television. Filmmakers attempting to scare the masses do well to incorporate as much "current event reality" into their horror movies as possible. The more you can relate to what you're seeing on the big screen, the more frightening the experience will probably be.

SOURCES:

www.netflix.com
www.psychologytoday.com
www.about.com
www.fearnet.com