Remakes

[frankenjohn]

I have noticed that this year, hollywood has been cranking out a lot of remakes. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre last October. Dawn Of The Dead this month. Assault On Precinct 13 in the distance, even the non-horror film Walking Tall this Friday!

The films have been receiving mild welcomings, but I'm interested in finding out about what you think of the "REMAKE STORM".

Also, if you know about any other remakes, don't sit there and keep them to yourself. Post them here on this thread.

[Bartwald]

I don't care much about remakes being remakes - I just care about whether they are good movies or not; a bad remake doesn't spoil the original for me and a good one usually makes me watch the original once more so it always turns out alright (mind you: I hardly ever get pissed off at seeing a crap movie, that's still at least 1,5 hour of sitting at cinema and not having to f#@king work or anything).

The new Dawn Of The Dead excites me quite a bit, for instance; and from what I heard - I'm on my way to liking it.

But sure - I know I'm in the minority, as Real Horror Fans usually hate remakes with their whole hearts. And I'm not gonna criticise any of you guys who think like that... but myself - I just can't hate a movie before I see it.

[Heineken Skywalker]

There have been a few good Horror remakes, IMHO. THE THING and THE FLY come instantly to mind. Both of those far surpass the originals because they didn't just recast the movies and update the f/x. They each brought something completely new to those stories, making them seem like brand new ideas.
The DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, while not in the same league as the two previously mentioned movies, is still a worthy effort. It was entertaining, well-acted, had realistic gore & effects, and some good chills (running zombies are scarier than stumbling about ones. They can actually catch your a$$!). I seem to remember the original was gorier, but it's been a long time since I've seen it. Gonna have to catch the upcoming Special Ed. DVD.

On the other end of the spectrum, you've got the 70's remake of KING KONG, which brought nothing worthwhile to the screen. (Okay, it gave us the beginning of Jessica Lange's great acting career.) But other than that, nothing. Laughable dialogue, overacting (Charles Grodin!), and lame effects. If you're gonna remake a classic, do at least one or two things better than the original! And of course, now Peter Jackson (The LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) is going to attempt another KONG remake. Like Bartwald said though, if someone films a bad remake, I can always watch the original.

[Sybillness]

I'm all for remakes if they are done well. I think it's interesting to see a new spin on an older movie, especially if it's one I love (a la Dawn of the Dead). I enjoyed the remake but I had just as much fun comparing it to the original and nitpicking all the differences that I liked and disliked. I won't go into anything here so I don't spoil it for anyone, except for the obvious - these new zombies sure are fast!!!

One major problem I have with almost all remakes (and a lot of new movies in general) though, is the choppy cutting! Does Hollywood believe that all people now have the attention span of a gnat and must therefore cut their movies that way?! I would really like to see a movie look like a movie and not a music video. Maybe I'm just gettin' old, but if I want to watch a music video, I'll turn on MTV2 (since MTV doesn't show videos anymore!!!). Feh!

[Heineken Skywalker]

Sybillness said:

...if I want to watch a music video, I'll turn on MTV2 (since MTV doesn't show videos anymore!!!). Feh!

ROTFLMAO!! ;D

[RIP]

There are some good remakes that have been made like:
The Thing
Thirteen Ghosts
House on Haunted Hill
Dawn of the Dead
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Fly
King Kong - from the late 70's with Jessica Lange

And then you have your shitty ones like:
Psycho - with Anne Heche(horrible movie)

[42ndstreetfreak]

The thing is...They are remaking films that DON'T NEED RE-MAKING!
We have a supposed "Suspiria" remake on the books and of course remakes of "Dawn" and "TCM".

And there is NOT ONE valid reason to re-make such films! The originals are classic, successful, superbly made, influential, iconic movies and available all over the World on VHS, DVD and cable screenings for anyone who wants to see them!!

They are not shit films that hardly anyone saw and have been lost for years. There is no valid reason to re-make them. Where is the justification???

Mainstream horror is so damn boring and passionless and safe and devoid of any ideas it's becoming a complete bore.

Me? I'm sticking to my originals.
My precious titles that should not be treated like just another disposable oportunity, tossed to a man in a suit, for a nice 'n' flashy re-make aimed at the 30 second attention span audience (yes..that's right they are made like an MTV vid because that's the audience) that jam their wide load butts into multplex seats before farting and forgetting what they just watched anyway....And that is not how i want to see classic horror titles ending up.

"The Thing" and "The Fly" are always brought up as a defense, and I always have to post the same reply:

"The Thing" is not a re-make for a start, it's a more faithful adaption of the original story keeping in the main idea that the alien can transform into people, something the original left out. And it's not even got the same title as the original film either!

And the effects used to show this were so far removed from anything in the original, as things had changed so much in FX and what could be shown censorship wise, that even if it was a re-make (which it isn't) it had justification.

What can be shown now compared to when "Dawn of the Dead" was made is in no way such a huge leap compared to the changes made since the original "Thing" and Carpenters film.
IN FACT given the fact this new "Dawn" was cut and hardly (as far as I know) contains any explicit gut munching...it can't even match what "Dawn" showed in the 70's!! This is a re-make GOING BACKWARDS!

"The Fly" was made by such a unique and personal Director in Cronenberg that it would always be a Cronenberg film first and "The Fly" second.
The Director alone was justification. that does NOT apply to Mr Snyder!

But other justification is that the original was made so long ago that not only FX, but again what was acceptable to be shown, was so hugely different that again there was justification.

And....and this is a MAJOR reason for my loathing of the recent "Dawn"/"TCM" re-makes... neither of the originals of "The Thing" or "The Fly" were Indy films They were Studio films anyway.

I have always said that the fact that "Dawn"and "TCM" were Indy films is enough reason for Hollywood to never dare go near them, simply because they now think they can squeeze some money from them.

The only justification for a re-make is if the original was a mixture of the following:
Crap, but it had a missed potential.
No one likes it.
No ones seen it.
the original was so long ago that censorship and technology can offer a valid reason to redo it.
It's simply no longer available.

NOT ONE of those, in any way, applies to "Suspiria", "Dawn", "TCM", "Assualt on Precinct 13".

Another bullshit arguement is that a re-make gives a new audience chance to see it on a big screen. Well if that's valid then EVERY SINGLE film EVER made up until say 1995 should be re-made as there will ALWaYS be a cinema going age generation that has not seen the original on a big screen!
And in that case the film industry would run out of money and above all time to ever make an original film again.
HEY! I never saw "White Heat" or "Duck Soup", or "Taxi Driver" or "The Searchers" on a big screen....and NO, I don't want them freakin well re-made so i can do!

So you were not born then! BOO HOO! get over it!

If you want that experience then re-release the originals like they did with "Apocalypse Now"... and even"Cannibal Ferox" and "The Beyond"... recently.

[Bartwald]

You know I've been waiting for you posting on this thread, 42nd, don't you? ;D

[Leatherhead]

I really doubt that it's possible for me to despise remakes more than I already do. You take a great movie and re-do it, not caring how you destroy this movies reputation or personal uniqueness, a movie that someone labored over, pouring their blood and sweat into, and now someone comes along with a huge bag full of money, all their modern day technology and lame-brain ideas, all to make more money by trouncing on a good name.

[Bartwald]

This makes perfect sense, Leatherhead - it really does. And what 42nd said - that makes perfect sense, too! But changing attitude ain't that easy... I know it maybe isn't so good for the horror genre to be as packed with remakes as it is now, but, you know, I'm a sinner: I'm still interested in the upcoming remakes and am not strong enough to ignore them fighting for just cause. Suspiria, for instance? Yeah, it may turn out shit but I'm VERY interested in how it's going to look like!

Valuable input, guys - I'm really dead serious right now - and I hope you don't get pissed off at other folks having different points of view on this crazy subject (I know it's been happening elsewhere). Just peacefully duscussing stuff here, aren't we?

[42ndstreetfreak]

Of couirse dear! We wouldn't have it any other way! ;D

[LivingDeadGirl]

I usually just watch remakes to, like a lot of other people have said, compare it to the original. The ones I've seen recently..."Dawn of the Dead", more action than horror imo...of course no where near the original. Also saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre...it was ok imo. From what I'd read I was expecting it to be really gory & such,,,,I'd read people left the theatre while watching it. WTF? It wasn't that gory/bloody....I don't understand what the fuss was about.
Anyway, I'll watch a remake just to watch it...but give an original anytime!

[cyber256702000]

I don't think the remakes are that bad. I was a little nervous about going to see the remakes to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead, but than I found out that they aren't really remakes, just a different interpretation of the same story. I thought the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre blew the old one out of the water and I thought Dawn of the Dead was amazing, although not as good as the original.

[LivingDeadGirl]

Yeah, i wasn't disappointed w/ TCM but I just don't understand what all the controversy was about. I guess it was just b/c I live down here in the "Bible Belt" so people always take more offense to stuff like that.