For the love of remakes

In the online horror community there is one subject that illicits a lot of negativity whenever it is brought up, and that is the subject of remakes. Today's blog is to show some appreciation to remakes and look positively at them.

There have always been remakes and reimaginings in the genre, for example,  many different versions of icons like Dracula, but it seems to be a fairly recent thing to dismiss all remakes as having no merit. Unfortunately this means people can miss out on some great horror just because it has already been written off.

This article isn't trying to say that all remakes are groundbreaking cinema, but they are certainly worth a watch. Some remakes are made with such passion and respect to the source material that they are a joy to watch, just to share someone elses love of a classic. Some remakes are needed modernizations of quite dated films, that otherwise wouldn't have an audience in today's world, and some remakes may just be some mindless fun featuring characters the audience enjoys.

When watching a remake, the worst case scenario is that you don't enjoy it, which is fine, the original is still there, unchanged and ready for your viewing pleasure. The best case scenario is that you love the film and perhaps discover the original in the process. Just because a remake exists, it doesn't pull the original out of existence.

When the 2016 version of Ghostbusters was released it was met with so much hatred and negativity by people who hadn't seen the film and had no intention of doing so. In truth, the film isn't bad at all, it's a lot of fun with ghosts, and guess what? The 1984 original is still on the shelf for repeat viewings.

There are remakes like The Thing and The Fly that are praised in the horror community, and although more remakes are being made these days, some will undoubtedly stand the test of time as The Thing and The Fly have.

So in conclusion,  go to see a remake with an open mind, and if you enjoy it, tell people about it. Spread the positivity for a horror film that has brought you joy. If you don't enjoy it, go back and watch the original and have a good time with that instead. There is plenty out there to love in the genre.