The 5 Best 21st Century Horror Movie Remakes
Curse of the Horror Remake?
As a rule, horror movie remakes suck. This is especially true of the 2000s and 2010s, when an obscene number of classic (and not so classic) genre films were remade. Most horror remakes of that era were both bad and unnecessary.
There were outrageously awful disasters like Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), bland quickly forgotten fluff like Poltergeist (2015), and awful redo’s of an already flawed original like Prom Night (2008).
Rarely was there a remake that matched, let alone exceeded, the original. Of course, there are exceptions – diamonds in the rough that defied the odds and were actually pretty good.
Here are my top 21st century horror movie remakes. This is a short list. Frankly, it would be much easier to make a list of bad horror remakes.
5. the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre lacks the claustrophobic dread of the original and is bereft of its dark humor and social commentary. It also features the typical dreary aesthetic of 2000s horror movies.
Still, this movie is miles better than all the other TCM films after part 2. Jessica Biel looks great and makes for a compelling final girl. R. Lee Ermey is deliciously evil as a maniacal sheriff. I also like Andrew Bryniarski’s take on Leatherface. He’s tougher and more formidable than in many other portrayals.
If you want to appreciate this movie more, try enduring its absolutely horrendous prequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006). It makes the remake look like a masterpiece.
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4. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Dawn of the Dead lacks the social subtext of George Romero’s original and the running zombies look silly. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I prefer my zombies to be shuffling monsters, not zooming around like they’re on speed.
With that out of the way, the ’04 version is a surprisingly effective and engaging journey. With memorable performances by Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley, and some stomach-churning sequences (zombie baby, anyone?), Zach Snyder’s film stands head and shoulders above the other remakes of Romero’s classic Living Dead series.
Most horror movie remakes aren’t redo’s of sequels, but this one works fine as a standalone.
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3. Hellraiser (2022)
Hellraiser made the bold move of not only recasting Pinhead, but changing the character’s gender. The series’ main villain is now played by Jamie Clayton, a trans woman. Her performance is a highlight of the film. It’s interesting to see a fresh, unique take on a character that had appeared in a whopping ten previous films.
It’s not just Pinhead that’s different. The other Cenobites are newly designed as well. This movie deserves credit for not just repeating its predecessor.
The remake runs for over two hours, which is a bit excessive, but not to the point where it ever becomes boring. I haven’t seen ’em all, but this is easily my third favorite Hellraiser after the first two.
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2. The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
The Hills Have Eyes is the first of the horror remakes on my list that surpasses the original. My hot take: the first Hills Have Eyes is overrated and one of Wes Craven’s weaker horror films. I didn’t care about the characters in the original and did not find the villains or the storyline compelling either.
The remake is an absolutely brutal, pull no punches journey into depraved violence and gore. This is one of the nastiest mainstream horror films of its era. The siblings (pictured above) are likeable and I was rooting for them all the way against the mutant clan.
It’s too bad that the 2007 sequel failed to live up to this movie’s promise. This could have been a promising franchise.
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1. Nosferatu (2024)
Robert Egger’s Nosferatu also surpasses the original, although it’s not fair to compare the two. The original Nosferatu (1922) is a masterpiece of its era. The filmmakers were able to accomplish amazing things with primitive filmmaking techniques. Imagine what 1920s directors could have created with modern technology.
Still, Nosferatu tops my list of best horror remakes. It’s a lush, well acted odyssey with solid performances by a star studded cast: Willem Dafoe, Bill Skarsgard, and the stunningly beautiful Lily Rose-Depp.
I’ll keep this short because I have a full review of this film, which topped my best horror movies of 2024 list.
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