top of page
Writer's picturemariahsturdivant21

Horror Movies: Remake Vs Originals

Published by Mariah Sturdivant

June 12th, 2022


 

I have been a horror movie fan since I was little and I have seen many horror movies. A trend that I have seen over the years is remakes of old horror movies. I decided it was time to put the arguments to rest and choose between horror movies original vs remakes:


1. The Evil Dead


Via movieposters.com

Original (1981): "The Evil Dead is a 1981 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Robert Tapert and executive produced by Raimi, Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, who also starred alongside Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManicor, Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly. The film focuses on five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in a remote wooded area. After they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of demons and spirits, four members of the group suffer from demonic possession, forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of increasingly gory mayhem."

Rotten Tomato Score: 95%


Remake (2013): "Evil Dead is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Fede Álvarez, in his feature directorial debut, written by Rodo Sayagues and Álvarez and produced by Robert Tapert, Sam Raimi, and Bruce Campbell. The fourth installment in the Evil Dead franchise serves as a soft reboot/continuation of the original film series (presumably occurring sometime before or during the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead). The film stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore. The film follows a group of five people being possessed and killed by supernatural entities in a remote cabin in the woods. "

Rotten Tomato Score: 63%


Verdict: Out of all the remakes on this list, I think the Evil Dead remake is the best. The movie was suspenseful chilling and sent shivers down my spine. Personally, this remake is better than the original while also keeping the same concept which is something that is hard to do with remakes.


Which one do you like more?

  • Evil Dead (1981)

  • Evil Dead (2013)




 

2. Carrie


via Wikipedia

Original (1976): "The film stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a shy 16-year-old who is consistently mocked and bullied at school"

Rotten Tomato Score: 93%


Remake (2013):"The film is a modern re-imagining of King's novel about a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who uses her telekinetic powers with devastating effect after falling victim to a cruel prank at her senior prom"

Rotten Tomato Score: 50%


Verdict: I like the original film better truly just because I thought that the prom scene was executed better. The way that Carrie just stares blankly as she is destroying her prom is spot on and really creepy. I also think that the acting was good which impacted the horror aspect of this film.


Which one do you like better?

  • Carrie (1976)

  • Carrie (2013)


 

3. Child's Play

Original (1988): "Its plot follows a widowed mother who gives a doll to her son, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer."

Rotten Tomato Score: 71%


Remake (2019): "It follows a family terrorized by a high-tech doll who becomes self-aware and subsequently murderous."

Rotten Tomato Score: 64%


Verdict: I like the original Child's Play better. I thought that the original Chucky was more playful because he was supposed to be possessed. In the 2019 version of the movie, the Chucky doll just becomes alive without any soul and that didn't really make sense to me.


Which one do you like better?

  • Child's Play (1988)

  • Child's Play (2019)


 

4. Halloween

Original (1978): "The plot centers around a mental patient, Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his babysitting teenage sister on Halloween night when he was six years old. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown, where he stalks a female babysitter and her friends, while under pursuit by his psychiatrist."

Rotten Tomato Score: 96%


Remake (2007):"The film stars Tyler Mane as the adult Michael Myers, Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Sam Loomis, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode, and Daeg Faerch as the young Michael Myers. Rob Zombie's "reimagining" follows the premise of John Carpenter's original, with Michael Myers stalking Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night.

Rotten Tomato Score: 59%


Verdict: Even though I like te portrayal of Michael Myer's in the 2007 version, I like the original more than the remake. The original had a more characters that you can get attached to and the killings in the original movie was more bone chilling. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis was really cementing herself as a 'scream queen' so I was enjoyable to watch her on the screen.


Which one do you like better?

  • Halloween (1978)

  • Halloween (2007)


 

5. It

Original (1986): "The story revolves around a predatory monster that can transform itself into its prey's worst fears, allowing it to exploit the phobias of its victims. It mostly takes the humanoid form of Pennywise, a darkly comedic clown."

Rotten Tomato Score: 68%


Remake (2017):"Set in Derry, Maine, the film tells the story of The Losers' Club, a group of seven outcast children who are terrorized by the eponymous being which emerges from the sewer, only to face their own personal demons in the process. "

Rotten Tomato Score: 86%


Verdict: It just so happens that my favorite horror movie is the 2017 version of It. S, the remake gets this point. The casting was perfect, the plot was intriguing, and the scares were frightening. The way that this is not only a horror movie, but also a coming-of-age film makes the film comes to life even more. The makeup and CGI of Pennywise was so scary that it made the remake feel better than the original.


Which one do you like better?

  • It (1986)

  • It (2017)


 

6. Friday The 13th

Original (1980):"Its plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while attempting to re-open an abandoned summer camp."

Rotten Tomato Score: 63%


Remake (2009): ". It stars Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, and Derek Mears and follows Clay Miller (Padalecki) as he searches for his missing sister, Whitney (Righetti), who is captured by Jason Voorhees (Mears) while camping in woodland at Crystal Lake."

Rotten Tomato Score: 26%


Verdict: For this slasher film, I have to go with the original version. The original version was a blueprint for slasher films. It really showed how slasher films are supposed to be consists of. Also, the older feel of the original makes the movie even more thrilling to watch.


Which one do you like better?

  • Friday the 13th (1980)

  • Friday the 13th (2009)


Thank you for reading this week's article! What do you think about the list? Do you agree disagree with me? Comment below your thoughts.

10 views

Comments


bottom of page