How ‘Firestarter’ Fails to Clear Even a Low Bar for Stephen King Adaptations [Revenge of the Remakes]

There’s a thin, blurry line between remake and adaptation. Keith Thomas’ Firestarter is both an adaptation of Stephen King‘s incendiary novel and a remake of Mark L. Lester‘s 1984 adaptation with the same name. Any crossover depends on how screenwriters take creative liberties with King’s source or how strictly each title follows the horror author’s […]

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David Cronenberg’s ‘The Fly’ Continues to Make a Strong Pro-Remake Argument [Revenge of the Remakes]

David Cronenberg‘s The Fly (1986) upholds a storied tradition of 80s remakes reinventing classic horrors through emblematic practical effects. John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and Chuck Russell’s The Blob (1988) both embrace the spectacle of SFX advancement to build a better goopy mass or parasitic entity. Kurt Neumann‘s 1958 iteration of The Fly, co-starring Vincent […]

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‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown’ Proves Originality Can Come from Recreations [Revenge of the Remakes]

Through my “Revenge of the Remakes” odyssey — today’s marks lucky number 20 — there haven’t been many disparities in quality like that between Alfonso Gomez-Rejon‘s and Charles B. Pierce‘s The Town That Dreaded Sundown. Pierce’s 1976 original adapts 1946’s Texarkana Moonlight Murders as a 40’s crime thriller that’s hokey, tonally abysmal, and dull with […]

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‘House of Wax’ 2005 Turned a 1950s Horror Movie into a Slasher Spectacle [Revenge of the Remakes]

Jaume Collet-Serra‘s 2005 House of Wax remake is a mashup of influences and intentions. It’s supposedly based on Andre DeToth‘s 1953 thriller of the same name, itself a remake of 1933’s Mystery of the Wax Museum — but you couldn’t tell based on watches alone. Collet-Serra admits in Fangoria Magazine that his House of Wax […]

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‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ Kick-Started the Modern Franchise Remake With Relentless Inhumanity [Revenge of the Remakes]

Welcome to Revenge of the Remakes, where columnist Matt Donato takes us on a journey through the world of horror remakes. We all complain about Hollywood’s lack of originality whenever studios announce new remakes, reboots, and reimaginings, but the reality? Far more positive examples of refurbished classics and updated legacies exist than you’re willing to remember […]

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The ‘April Fool’s Day’ Remake Kills Off All the Charm of the Original Slasher [Revenge of the Remakes]

Welcome to Revenge of the Remakes, where columnist Matt Donato takes us on a journey through the world of horror remakes. We all complain about Hollywood’s lack of originality whenever studios announce new remakes, reboots, and reimaginings, but the reality? Far more positive examples of refurbished classics and updated legacies exist than you’re willing to remember […]

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Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’ Reimagines the Mythology With a Sequel-Reboot Hybrid [Revenge of the Remakes]

Welcome to Revenge of the Remakes, where columnist Matt Donato takes us on a journey through the world of horror remakes. We all complain about Hollywood’s lack of originality whenever studios announce new remakes, reboots, and reimaginings, but the reality? Far more positive examples of refurbished classics and updated legacies exist than you’re willing to remember […]

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‘House on Haunted Hill’ Will Live in Glorious Infamy for Its Over-the-Top Theatrics [Revenge of the Remakes]

Welcome to Revenge of the Remakes, where columnist Matt Donato takes us on a journey through the world of horror remakes. We all complain about Hollywood’s lack of originality whenever studios announce new remakes, reboots, and reimaginings, but the reality? Far more positive examples of refurbished classics and updated legacies exist than you’re willing to remember […]

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