An original horror film is almost an oddity nowadays. Every
time a scary movie comes to theaters, it’s almost always based on a previously
made movie. Baffled by the lack of original horror films that have come out in
the last several years, I decided to find out what fueled horror film remakes
and what makes a good horror film remake.
I began by watching The Blob (1958) and the remake with the
same title (1988). The original film felt very 50s, down to the heroic Aryan
teenager and his dutiful, straight-lace girlfriend. Steve, the protagonist,
spends the majority of the film trying to convince the authorities that the
blob exists, which creates a sense of apprehension and frustration. The blob is mysterious and mindless, having
crashed in a meteor with no explanation as to its origins. Once Steve has had
his 1980s remake, he seems a lot less heroic. He smokes, drinks, and works hard
to impress his aggressive, sassy high school sweetheart. His destruction of the
blob seems almost accidental, as if he didn’t mean to save the day. The tension
that existed in 1958 version is gone, given that the existence of the blob is
no secret during most of the film. The new and improved blob is, thanks to 80s
paranoia, a result of some government experiments, adding a pointless B story
to the film. Overall, I enjoyed the 1958 version much more. While the film was
cheesy and the effects were pathetic compared to our advanced CGI technology,
the blob that killed a couple dozen people in 1958 was much scarier than the
one that murdered hundreds in a bloody, gory mess in 1988. 
I next watched the classic zombie flick Dawn of the Dead (1978)
and its 2004 remake of the same name. The first thing I’ll mention is that the
2004 version is more of a re-imagining than a remake, given that the plot and
characters are different. However, the title remains the same, so it is
essentially a remake of the original film. The original follows four survivors
of a zombie apocalypse (Peter, Roger, Francine, and Stephen) and their struggle
trying to survive in an abandoned shopping mall. The film is slower-paced than
most zombie flicks I’ve seen, feeling more creepy than downright frightening. The
effects leave quite a bit to be desired, but that isn’t surprising given the
technology they had back then. However, it was one of the first zombie films
ever made, which means the remake had quite a bit to live up to. The only real
similarity between the 1978 version and the 2004 remake is that it involves
zombie survivors living in a mall. The film relies heavily on cheap scares to
evoke a sense of horror in the audience. In addition, the film feels darker,
whereas the original almost felt light and comedic at some points. Despite the
larger cast, the film managed to let me grow attached to the characters before
killing them off – something I was surprisingly grateful for. These characters
weren’t just zombie bait and their deaths were purposeful and genuinely
horrifying. The two films are both great in their own rights, but overall, I’d
say I prefer the original simply for the eeriness that the film creates. I have
to give it credit for creating a fairly frightening experience with such
horrible make up and effects.
After viewing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) for the
first time several years ago, I was excited to learn that we would be watching
the original (1974) in class. I had expected to see the same film only with
worse special effects, but thankfully, I was disproven. The original TCM
follows the story of five teenagers on their way to spend some time at the
Hardesty family home. They encounter some creepy individuals, find out there’s
a nutty family of serial killers living in the woods, and they are gradually
picked off one by one. Sally Hardesty is the last survivor, and only barely escapes
from Leatherface and his family. The remake is much gorier but also explains
the twisted family more than the original. I respected the original far more
simply for the fact that you hardly see any gore or blood. The frightening
aspects are almost all psychological, rather than visual. The blood-curdling soundtrack
of screams, the convincing effects, and the bloodless terror is enough to make
me vote the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the better film.
These three films really made me realize just how much original
films matter to the horror genre. Once in a while, I’ll be witness to an
incredible original horror film such as 28 Days Later (2002), The Others (2001),
or The Cabin in the Woods (2012). I have to wonder if these films will be
altered and remade in 30 years simply in the name of “torture porn” or whatever
else is marketable in 2040. I think that even when we see a convincing, incredible
remake such as Let Me In (2010) or The Grudge (2004), we can’t lose sight of
the originals and the reasons we have these everlasting stories today.
- Sam Hagar
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