What goes around comes back around… to bite you even harder.
Remakes, reboots and re-imaginings are vastly becoming a popular part of the horror genre in contemporary cinema: Maniac (1980), Black Christmas (1974), When a Stranger Calls (1979), The Fog (1980), The Last House on the Left (1972), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), The Omen (1976). Evil Dead (2013) earned $26 million during its premiere weekend; so, while we may be initially sceptical when they are announced, we can’t help but check out the updated version out of a macabre curiosity. The concentration on doing the original justice overshadows the fact that the classic, original outing will never be replaced. A fresh and glossy veneer generally gives the old model more exposure and viewed more frequently as a direct result. This is also happening in serialised format with successful TV programmes such as NBC’s Hannibal (2013-) starring Mads Mikkelsen as the doctor with cannibalistic tendencies and A&E’s Bates Motel (2013-) with Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore as the oedipal mother-son team. Even Rosemary’s Baby (1968) became a miniseries in 2014; this time Zoe Saldana stepped into the shoes as Satan’s baby-maker.
MGM will be releasing the Blumhouse Productions remake of The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) on 16 October 2014 produced by Ryan Murphy – the eye behind for the terrifying anthology series that has redefined television: American Horror Story (2011). Big names that have established they can tackle the subject of horror help predict a good reception for a reboot. This also includes the cast with Veronica Cartwright – Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Alien (1979), The Witches of Eastwick (1987) – as one of the town elders. The low-budget style and alternative narrative to its predecessor means that director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon won’t be following in Gus Van Sant’s almost shot-for-shot footsteps that we witnessed with the colour copy of Psycho (1998).
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) rebooted the infamously banned ‘Video Nasty’ 1974 slasher film originally distributed by the Mafia fronted company Bryanston. The remake notably attracted original filmmakers Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper to the project in producing roles and fleshed out one of the main antagonists with the sadistic sheriff; played by the menacing drill sergeant from Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) R. Lee Ermey. The 2003 film turned out to be a box office success, taking $10,620,00 on its opening night and generated sequels that delved into the past of the murderous family. The Platinum Dunes production company, co-created by Michael Bay, which focused on the horror remake as their specialised remit, followed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) with The Amityville Horror (2005), Friday the 13th (2009) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010).
Musician Rob Zombie helmed the new-look Michael Myers in Halloween (2007) and its sequel Halloween II (2009). His brand of heavy metal ‘shock rock’ pumped up the franchise with a quick-cut, gorier slashing roller-coaster ride of carnage. The psychotic and slow moving masked villain, from John Carpenter’s vision, transformed into the hulking mass of wrestling muscle; Tyle Mane and standing at a towering 6 foot 8 inches he doesn’t exactly blend in when following his victims down the street. The story-lines in Zombie’s re-imaginings feature parts of the original narrative and story arc, however Malcolm McDowell’s alternative characterisation of Dr. Sam Loomis (previously played by the late Donald Pleasance) is very different as well with his celebrity status as an author of the Haddonfield murders. A back-story and switching the focus from Laurie Strode to Michael Myers as the central character examined the film at another angle.
Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie (1976) was the first of the prolific horror writer’s work to be translated to the screen. However, Carrie was given more than a mixed reviewed sequel 23 years later with The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999); it has since been remade twice. Angela Bettis starred in the 2002 made-for-TV version and more recently Chlöe Grace Moretz was doused with pig’s blood in the 2013 film. The latter concentrating more on the supernatural telekinetic abilities and remaining true to King’s printed words.
We can go back even further in time to the classic chillers of B-movie director William Castle whose low budget, gimmicky films include House on Haunted Hill (1959) and 13 Ghosts (1960). These were remade in 1999 and 2001 (respectively) by Dark Castle Entertainment, which was formed in homage to the filmmaker with intentions to remake his entire body of work. The production company also churned out a House of Wax (2005) remake starring socialite Paris Hilton. This concept of honouring the classics credits the filmmakers favourably but the almost guaranteed marketability and box office figures can’t be completely ignored and is a resounding negative critique when the hype doesn’t necessarily live up to audience expectations.
Even World Cinema exports are not being left out. No stone shall be unturned as the Asian horror films received a Hollywood treatment to further enhance their critical acclaim for a broader Western, English-language audience. The Ring (2002), The Grudge (2004), Dark Water (2005) and The Eye (2008), boasts red carpet A-listers Naomi Watts, Jennifer Connolly, Jessica Alba and Sarah Michelle Gellar as they amplify the big-budget Hollywood studio investments.
And so we can expect more to come in the future with the remake trend continuing to make waves. Poltergeist (1982), to star Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris is scheduled for a July 2015 release with Sam Raimi steering it into contemporary territory. Further pitches in the pipeline from Masters of Horror include Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977), Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963), Stephen King’s It (1990) and Reanimator (1985). Advances in technology with the 3D craze have also created a novelty experience for spectators to make more of an effort to see the film in the cinema instead of waiting for the DVD release. My Bloody Valentine (2009) and Piranha 3D (2010) both thrust the gore and elaborate death sequences literally into audience’s faces. William Castle’s promotional gimmicky spirit will live on forever: just like the undead.
Words by Antony Smith
Watch the trailer for The Town that Dreaded Sundown remake
Read more tales of horror in TERROR TUESDAYS ‘Home Invasions from Hell’