In the world of horror films, we are getting less and less scary, original films (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, INSIDIOUS, SAW) and getting more remakes of films that clearly had their heyday in the 80's (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and HALLOWEEN) Studios think that they can make a crap film, slap a classic title on it, and have a franchise. But notice how barely any of these remakes get sequels. The studios just keep making terrible, "updated" versions for "modern" audiences. But these films usually barely make back their budgets. I think people are tired of these horrible remakes and would rather just watch the originals.
Now, not all remakes are bad. I thought A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET did a good job of bringing Freddy back to his classic, scary roots. I didn't think that FRIDAY THE 13TH was a total failure, I liked how they set up the origin and how they had Jason were the bag for the first few kills. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE still had they same tone, but the movie itself was not that great, in my opinion. I think that Hollywood needs to remake and reboot films that deserve to be remade and rebooted. I was alright with the 2003 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE because there had been 3 sequels, and none of them were financially successful or that great. However, I don't feel that HALLOWEEN needed a remake because H20 semi-rebooted the series already. 2011's THE THING is unique because even though it was kind of a remake, it is actually a prequel that tells what happened in the Norwegian camp. The fact that it was actually good helped, too.
Now, if a franchise needs a reboot, it needs a reboot. There is no way to follow up 1998's GODZILLA. That is a franchise that needs a new direction. But one bad sequel does not warrant a reboot. Back in the 80's, after HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH, they didn't reboot the series. They just made HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS, and the franchise was back on track. Well, for a little while. Then HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS came out, and they did the same thing again. They made HALLOWEEN H20, which rebooted 4,5, and 6, but followed 1 and 2. Then they made HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION, which followed H20. However, when RESURRECTION, wasn't well received, they made a remake which wasn't that great. Then they made a sequel which was downright crap. Now the studio feels the only thing to do is reboot again.
My point is, the studio screwed the franchise. If they had just tried to make a decent sequel, we would probably have HALLOWEEN 11 or 12 by now. All I'm saying is, studios, don't let your franchise get to the point where they have to be rebooted. And if you, have to do a remake, make it good. Keep in mind, John Carpenter's THE THING is a remake itself. But that is a remake that brought something new and fresh to the series. But if you're gonna do a remake that turns your killer into a crying 10 year old for a fourth of the movie, I'd rather see a sequel to RESURRECTION instead.
How do you feel about remakes, particularly those in the horror genre? Leave a comment below, and let me know what you think.
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