We all know about remakes. They take movies we love, make a re-telling, or a modern day veron, etc. If there's anything that can make a horror fan upset, it's a bad remake, hell, sometimes it's just hearing that there will be a remake. But what about when you didn't know a film was remade and it slips through the cracks? What about when you didn't even realize the movie you watched was a remake? Do we judge them differently the less we hear about them? I've picked out four remakes that didn't get the attention most remakes get, and I want to know, does the lack of conversation about them change the way you feel?
Piranha
Right now everyone is saying " hold on a second, we all seen the Piranha remake", and while this is true, I have to ask, did you know that Piranha 3D was the second time it was remade? This remake produced by Roger Corman in 1995 is nearly identical to the original, they just took out the humor. In fact, it is so identical, instead of shooting new special effects, they rehashed the old ones.
Its Alive
Not many people I know have seen Larry Cohen's 1974 killer baby film, It's Alive. Even less people I know have heard about the 2008 remake. The story is pretty much the same, killer baby, committing murders, etc. The only real big change is the fact the mother defends the baby in the end, instead of the father. When asked about it Larry Cohen told fans of the original, " anyone who likes my film should cross the street and avoid seeing the new".
Thirteen Ghosts
Thirteen Ghosts is a remake of the 1960 film, 13 Ghosts directed by
William Castle. Coming out two years after another of Castle's film remakes ( House On Haunted Hill), this one quite a bit better. The story goes in different directions, but you'd be hard pressed to see any of Castle's films remade with the same story. A lot bloodier and just as much fun as the original,
it seems to go under the remake radar.
Day Of The Dead
Normally when we think Day Of The Dead, we think Romero, we think shambling undead, and political undertones. This time we have fast zombies, and action heroes. There's none of the undertones that made Romero a legend, and there's none of the great special effects and tenon that made the Dawn Of The Dead remake in 2004 so enjoyable.