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5 Remakes That Surpassed The Originals

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In most cases, remakes are bad. They’re either too close to the original, like the 1998 Psycho remake, or just bad in general, like Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. But every now and then we get a great remake, most of the time because the directors changed the movie in just the right way, or because they put their heart and soul into the movie. These, in my opinion, are those remakes.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976/2014)

 Original vs Remake of the Town that dreaded Sundown

When The Town That Dreaded Sundown was released in 2014 I didn’t even know it was a remake. It just felt like an interesting movie. What I got was a self referential throwback to the slasher movies of yesteryear.

Instead of giving us a simple remake, telling the same story set in 2014, with the same things happening, they decided to pay homage to the original movie and even show scenes from it. The movie is based on a true story that was made into the 1970s movie, and that movie is watched in the remake. Now, many years later, the killer seems to have come back.

The original wasn’t bad, it was alright. It’s just nothing special, forgettable. It came shortly after Halloween, basically a rip-off. Instead of a Shatner mask they got the killer a bag over his head. The remake not only was an enjoyable movie, it also made me want to see the original. And that’s why it made the list.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977/2006)

Remake vs Original of The Hills Have Eyes

 

Both movies are actually quite similar, eventually telling the same story: A family with their van accidentally ends up in the desert with no contact to the outside world, and then evil incestuous hillbillies attack.

The original was cheaply made, with bad acting throughout. It was still a good movie because its director: was horror legend Wes Craven. Alexandre Aja, one of the more recent masters of horror, is the director of the remake. He put quality in this movie, and while the characters were still stereotypical, at least the acting was much better.

Also, just a technical advantage, the remake looks much cleaner because of the higher production quality, and it looks more realistic because of better special effects.

The Thing (1951/1982)

Remake vs Original The Thing

No, I’m not writing about the 2011 remake/prequel. John Carpenter’s The Thing is a remake of The Thing from Another World from 1951.

They are both set in the arctic, on a station with scientists. In both versions they are attacked by an alien being. In the original, that alien is a plant-like being. The remake is … different. The titular thing is basically a transformer, can turn into animals and humans, which adds a new layer to this movie.

The original is black and white, a little slow and misogynistic. The remake is fast paced, different and has some of the greatest special effects in movie history. And that’s why it’s better than the original.

Dracula (1931/1958)

Remake vs Original Dracula

There have been lots of adaptions of Dracula. I’ll be comparing two of the most famous ones, who are both only called Dracula (or Horror of Dracula, depending where you live).

Dracula starring Bela Lugosi is one of my favorite movies of all time. But let’s be real, it’s a little slow and feels like they were filming a stage play. On the other hand, we get Dracula, starring one of the greatest actors of all time, Christopher Lee, and his adversary is Peter Cushing. Both give this movie gravitas.

Also, what Hammer studios added to the classic story is blood and sex. They don’t care about taboos. That’s what makes the remake better than the original Dracula. Of course, if we put Nosferatu in, that beats them both just because of Max Schreck as Count Orlok.

The Ring (1998/2002)

Remake vs Original Ring

This is probably my most controversial pick on this list. Both Ringu and The Ring are well loved by horror fans. Also this is the only remake that has nothing to do with age or time. It’s about culture.

Both are pretty much the same story. A scary video tape goes around. If you watch it you get a call, and someone tells you you’ll die in 7 days.

As with The Hills Have Eyes, the remake had a much bigger production value. The original is cheap, but the story turns it up a notch. The remake has the same story, but has a much higher budget. And for western audiences, the remake feels more natural, because of cultural differences. Last but not least, the evil video just feels scarier in the remake.

If you liked this list of remakes, check out

8 Horror Remakes that Kicked Ass

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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