10 Best (and Worst) Horror Remakes of the Last 20 Years
It's been 20 years since "Psycho" hit theaters. No, not the Hitchcock classic. Gus Van Sant's shot-by-shot remake that, two decades later, is still a misfire. But that hasn't stopped Hollywood from rolling the dice again on rebooting other horror movie properties. Here are a few of the ones we love and loathe.
Worst: 'The Wicker Man' (2006)
Who's in more pain: Nicolas Cage's tortured cop ("not the bees!") or the audience forced to watch this garbage fire of a movie that can't hold a candle (ahem) to the 1973 cult classic?
Worst: 'The Haunting' (1999)
This ludicrously-CGI-heavy update on the 1963 classic wastes its terrific cast while ruining everything good about the original. Only good scene: Owen Wilson's sudden demise.
Worst: 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003)
Great: Jessica Biel in "The Sinner." (She's Emmy-nominated). Bad: Jessica Biel in this pointless remake of the '70s Tobe Hooper classic. Director Marcus Nispel also gave us an unasked-for reboot of "Friday the 13th"
Worst: 'The Fog' (2005)
Filmmakers: You're always on shaky ground when you attempt to remake a film by horror master John Carpenter. This dull CW-ified remake was hated by both critics and audiences. It received a Worst Film” at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards and “Least Scary Movie” at Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
Worst: 'Psycho' (1998)
We love Gus Van Sant (and it's a great cast) but this shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock's genre-changing slasher is purely academic.
Best: 'The Ring' (2002)
This eerily chilling remake of the Japanese "Ringu" made us afraid of our TVs and to steer clear of wells. Samara remains one of the creepiest horror villains of all time.
Best: 'Let Me In' (2010)
Remakes of foreign horror films are usually disasters, but Matt Reeves (of the "Planet of the Apes" series) gave fans a film that holds up nicely to the Swedish original. Stars Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloë Grace Moretz are damn good. (And scored a number of critics' awards each.)
Best: 'Fright Night' (2011)
We love the heck out of the '80s original, but Colin Farrell makes a very, um, feral vampire. And David Tennant is hilarious as a Kriss Angel-esque magician who knows more about vampires than he admits. Also, one of our favorite Anton Yelchin films. Well worth your time.
Best: 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004)
It's a tall order remaking anything by George Romero, but director Zack Snyder and screenwriter James Gunn delivered a taut, tense new version. There's a more ass-kicking heroine in Sarah Polley, a much bleaker ending and -- a genre first? -- a zombie baby.
'The Crazies' (2010)
The Romero version is solid, but it's very self-contained. We hear about a lot of mayhem that we don't actually see. This remake (which Romero produced) begins with a horrific scene of the first "Crazy" and goes from there. Admittedly, the ending is softer than the original, but Timothy Olyphant makes it a trip worth taking.
