Celebrating Horror’s Past & Present: Revamped: Remakes in Genre Fiction
For the past, present, and future of horror for our DHR birthday month, I wanted to discuss remakes. What makes them feel like a hollow cash grab compared to a new take on an old tale? Current cinematic trends for franchises, remakes, and retellings often have fans griping that there is no new content and leaves many worried about the future of several genres, including horror. However, is that a valid claim or a refusal to acknowledge that some stories are no different than a fairy tale, myth, or play, and are meant to be retold many times?
When it comes to remakes, I think there is an element of truth in many complaints. The story has been told before, so why not apply your creative skills to generating an entirely new story that could captivate audiences? Some creators may be taking advantage of a built-in audience and hardcore fan base to shell out what cash they have in order to see their remake in theaters. Some remakes plan to take advantage of the nostalgia fans had when they first saw the film as kid, teen, or young adult. Some have the most cynical view; that the remake is a way to bow to current society to add in diversity without saying much about it.
That said, a large group of opinionated fans may have an opposite effect. The most rabid fans may refuse to see anything new that could tarnish what they consider to be a perfect film. There is a risk audiences will skewer your film as a hack job instead of a creator using their unique vision to bring a whole new generation or group of people to love the story. Copy and pasting a plot with an all-female lead cast may seem interesting in theory but fail spectacularly in practice when the story doesn’t do anything new or exciting with those characters. The chance to get it right is a big risk in itself and many remakes fail not due to any major faults of their own but still face backlash.
I chose to discuss a few past remakes and if I think they achieved their goal of telling the same story with their own interpretation. Can they hold a candle to the original?
2000s J-horror remakes
The first set of remakes may be more aptly considered adaptations. As a millennial, I vividly remember the influx of J-horror remakes sweeping the US in the early 2000s. What they lacked in dread and subtlety they made up for in star power and well-funded SFX. However, most of them could not live up to the original Japanese films.
Pulse/Kairo was completely butchered as a remake; a tale of loneliness and isolation replaced with a slick appearance but weak plot that missed a lot of the film’s themes. The US version of the Grudge/Ju-on may have terrified many of my friends at slumber parties, but it too failed to do anything more interesting than the original. This is particularly disheartening since some of the original cast and director returned but failed to recapture what made the original film feel special. Similarly, Dark Water could not compete with the original.
The only US remake that seemed to do some justice to the original was The Ring and even this is hotly contested. While Ringu is unequivocally the better film, The Ring made wise choices that seemed to stay true to the themes of the original but make sense for a Western audience. Reiko as a character was determined to save her son but may have come across as too passive compared to the assertive Rachel. The Ring does add in some unnecessary elements that may slow down the plot, but overall, it felt like it maintained the heart of the film while translating it for a new audience.
Overall, the 2000s J-horror remakes left me unimpressed. Although many fantastic actors/ actresses were cast in these films, they could not compensate for the lack of originality or ability to make the story feel well translated. These are mostly examples of films where the original greatly outclasses the remake.
Suspiria
The original Suspiria is a giallo giant. Although it was unappreciated when first released, it has become a staple for many fans of giallo and horror in general. The lighting, set design, gore, and soundtrack are rightfully praised by many. Suzy is a fantastic heroine who, though often timid and fearful, manages to survive the ordeal she experiences in Germany.
When the remake was announced, I initially thought it would be a flop as nothing could compare to Argento’s original, but I was shocked. Guadagnino took only the barest bones of the plot and remixed it into an entirely different tale. In the original, the witches using a dance company seemed rather irrelevant to the plot, mainly serving as a front to obscure them from prying eyes or enemies. The remake uses dance as a key component of the witches’ magic, where dancers are used to perform spells when rehearsing or performing. Susie was still our heroine but had a darker purpose of achieving her destiny compared to the more traditional lead in the original. The remake also chose to avoid comparisons to the rich, intense colors and shadows of the original by making most of the movie seem washed out and dull, with vibrancy only occurring minorly throughout the film. While no soundtrack could compare to the original’s haunting music by Goblin, Thom York managed to create a great score of his own that weaved musical spells that suited the dancing and atmosphere of the remake.
While some will always prefer the original, the remake used the same premise to tell a strikingly different story that hits similar beats but avoids trying to compete with Argento’s version. I think Suspiria 2018 is an example of a remake stands alongside the original. They both feel as if they are two accounts of a dark tale focused on a mythic group of witches.
The Thing
The Thing is one of the few remakes that may be much more well-known than the original film. The Thing from Another World itself was an adaptation of a novella (as were some of the J-horror films) and was considered a classic for its time. The plot between the 1950s and 1980s film are somewhat similar, but the tone is markedly different. The 1950s film has a much more hopeful conclusion, where the Thing is clearly defeated and most of the characters are going towards a happy ending. There is some worry that more aliens may eventually return to Earth, but it was considered a film families could watch together.
Although the cold, icy setting may be comparable, the clearly optimistic ending of the 50s film is completely absent in incredibly bleak 1980s remake. The Thing of the 80s is now rightly considered a classic in the genre, but was critically panned upon release. The brutal violence, gory SFX, and nihilism seemed to overshadow any merits the film had when it was new. This always shocked me as I felt the film had the courage to push its characters to the limit and showcase the distrust and paranoia that plagues humans when confronted with an enemy. Despite the length of time it took for The Thing to reach its rightful status in horror, I find it uncommon for many to have even seen the original 50s film.
The 80s remake is a great example of a director and writer who took big chances with a remake. They may have struggled with the audiences and critics of their time, but current (and future) horror fans have recognized the virtues of their version. Although I’m sure there are fans of the 1950s film, I cannot say it really stands out at all in comparison. I see a remake that has completely overshadowed its original.
I don’t see remakes going away soon in the present and future of films. Horror will not be an exception. I will always love original stories, but I have come to see that retelling a scary story with your own take is not always the result of a lack of imagination. Some stories are just that powerful and when approached by the right director, writer, etc., they can make an entirely new creation with it. I have only covered a few remakes here but there are so many more that are worthy of discussion (we only have one editor here at DHR and I should not overwhelm her with my rambling)! Which remakes do you feel strongly about, positively or negatively? Do you think they are a weak part of horror cinema or a chance to make a story into something legendary?
Review by Dee
Twitter @Sirenofscience
