The 20 best horror remakes

At first glance, it might seem strange to include a film like the remake of Wicker Man,  given that it is pure camp from start to finish. This is what makes it a rather unorthodox vision of a horror remake. It takes essentially the same story as Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk horror film and translates it to the US, with the role of the doomed hero played by Nicolas Cage. Once one just learns to let go and lean into how bad it is, it becomes a much more enjoyable remake, and, as if that weren’t enough, it’s always a pleasure to see grand dame Ellen Burstyn playing a villain.

The original version of Goodnight Mommy is a chilling and unsettling story about twins who believe their mother is an imposter, and for the most part, the remake hits the same notes and story beats. What sets it apart, however, is the performance from Naomi Watts as the mother (who once again remains unnamed), who once again demonstrates her formidable talents. It’s not quite as sadistic in its pleasures as its predecessors, choosing instead to be quietly chilling. 

Luca Guadagnino has repeatedly shown that he is one of the most versatile and visionary filmmakers working today. The film is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to its cast, which includes such heavy hitters as Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, and Chloë Grace Moretz. It takes the story of a young woman who enrolls at a dance academy run by witches to a whole new level, and it manages to be both gorgeous to look at and yet also deeply unsettling, particularly when it comes to its wholehearted embrace of body horror.

The Hellraiser franchise has had a long history, and after several installments, it got an official reboot in 2022. In addition to being disturbing and terrifying, this remake is also quite stylishly produced, with a production design that elevates it above almost all of the other entries in the series. As with the other entries in the series, there’s also a potent sexual component to this version of Hellraiser, which makes it all the more disturbing and thought-provoking. As always, horror excels at indulging the audience’s fears and desires at once.

Not every filmmaker would try to recapture the unique magic of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, but Fede Álvarez more than holds his own with his 2013 remake of the 1981 original. It might not be nearly as campy as its predecessor, but what it lacks in humor, it more than makes up for in the sheer amount of blood, gore, and death that it puts on display. Though it can, at times, be a bit overwhelming with its embrace of the viscera of the horror genre, this is precisely what makes it so much fun. 

Colin Farrell has repeatedly shown that he’s an actor willing to take chances. In the remake of Fright Night, he plays the charming but deadly vampire Jerry. As a whole, the film excels at being a clever remake, and unlike many horror comedies, it actually manages to strike a good balance between the fright and the laughs. In addition to Farrell, the film also includes a number of other talented actors in its cast, including the late Anton Yelchin and David Tennant, both of whom helped to elevate it above the run of other horror remakes.

Based on the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, Let Me In stars Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen, an adolescent who becomes close friends with a child vampire named Abby. It’s one of those rare remakes that straddles the line between being faithful to the original (as well as the novel on which they are both based) and making enough changes to establish its own identity. It’s beautiful, haunting, and chilling, and further evidence that the vampire continues to cast its spell.

The original version of The Omen was a chilling film all about the birth and rearing of the Antichrist, and in 2006 it got the remake treatment. Obviously, it tells essentially the same story as the earlier movie, but it also boasts a cast that makes it worth watching. Of particular note is Mia Farrow — famous for many roles, not least Rosemary in the horror film Rosemary’s Baby —  who plays the sinister maid Mrs. Baylock, who is committed to the devilish child Damien. Also of note is Julia Stiles, who plays Damien’s haunted mother, Katherine Thorn.

The Halloween franchise is one of the most long-running and enduringly popular in the history of horror. In 2007, Rob Zombie put his inimitable touch on the genre with the simply named Halloween, a remake of the 1978 version. It strikes just the right balance between adhering to the original and exploring some additional territory. Rather remarkably, this version also gives more texture and complexity to the central figure of Michael Myers, making him both more terrifying and more comprehensible. 

The cannibal is one of the recurring figures in horror, and few of them are as memorable or as terrifying as the inbred monsters who inhabit The Hills Have Eyes. The 2006 version updates the 1977 version in numerous ways, particularly when heightening the gore and the violence. There’s a rawness to the film that makes it unsettling, which helps to make up for the admittedly rather shallow characterizations. While it may lack Wes Craven’s stylish horror touch, it still has more than enough scares to hold its own, and the mutant cannibals themselves are truly the stuff of nightmares. 

It would take a very brave director to remake a horror classic like Psycho, yet Gus Van Sant takes a big swing with his 1998 (mostly) shot-for-shot remake of Hitchcock’s movie. The film might not be to everyone’s taste, but there’s no question that it is an ambitious piece of filmmaking. Aside from its updating of the material — with more explicit violence than the original — the film also asks some fascinating and thorny questions about what a remake of a movie could or should do and just how far one can go when it comes to originality.

House of Wax  leans into the silliness of its central premise, though here it’s given an unsettling gloss that helps to set it apart from its campier 1953 predecessor. If one can look past the unfortunate (though not terribly distracting) presence of Paris Hilton, this horror film about a group of young people who fall into the clutches of a deranged man who creates sinister figures by covering his victims with molten wax is actually quite disturbing. There are several hair-raising sequences that are worthy of praise, including one in which one of the unfortunate youths has their face peeled off by their friend as he attempts to save him from his wax entombment. 

The remake of the 1942 film Cat People takes every aspect of the original film to the next level. Whereas the original was a remarkably tame affair — no surprise, given that it was made under the Production Code — the 1980s version is more lurid, sensationalistic, and sexual, all hallmarks of it having been made in a very different decade and a very different Hollywood. At the same time, there’s no denying its sense of style nor the powerful impression made by actors such as Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell.  

Not every horror remake succeeds, but every so often, one comes along that essentially blows the others out of the water. One such example is The Ring, which is a remake of the Japanese film Ring and, as such, revolves around a sinister videotape that ends up killing anyone who watches it. Though some elements of the story can seem quite silly, the film nevertheless invites the audience to take the entire thing deadly seriously, and this gives it a remarkably chilling power that stays with the viewer long after the ending.

The original Cape Fear  was a masterpiece of thriller cinema, and the remake, directed by the acclaimed Martin Scorsese, more than meets the high bar set by the original film. In large part, this is because it stars two screen legends: Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro. The former plays lawyer Sam Bowden, and the latter plays Max Cady, the criminal who sets out to destroy him. De Niro is at his most terrifying in his role of Cady, and his performance makes this film achieve its horror effect.

John Carpenter brings his inimitable horror film skills to The Thing, a remake of The Thing from Another World (which was itself based on a short story). This version takes place in Antarctica rather than Alaska, but it still focuses on a group of scientists who find themselves at the mercy of a sinister alien being that can take on the shape of any living thing. Carpenter’s film is full-on body horror, and the use of practical effects gives the whole thing a visceral ick factor that still manages to creep under the viewer’s skin.

Though Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been made several times, the best version is arguably the remake from 1978. As with the other versions, this one focuses on a sinister race of alien beings that use pods to take over their human hosts. In addition to being a fascinating reflection of the anxieties of the late 1970s, it’s a genuinely disturbing horror film. The last frame, in particular, is one that sears itself into the memory, and it leaves the viewer in no doubt as to the fact that Earth is most likely doomed to be conquered.

David Cronenberg has long been known for his interest in the porousness of the human body, and he brings this interest to bear in his version of The Fly,  a remake of the 1958 film (itself based on a short story). Jeff Goldblum is perfectly cast as ambitious scientist Seth Brundle, who inadvertently turns himself into a horrifying hybrid of human and fly due to an experiment gone wrong. In addition to being disgusting in all of the ways one expects of Cronenberg, it’s also a fascinating exploration of disease and the fallibility of the human body. 

The 2024 version of Speak No Evil  largely hits the same notes as the original Danish-Dutch film, focusing on an unfortunate family who become the prey for a pair of disturbing serial killers. The real standout part of this film, of course, is James McAvoy, who uses his leading man charm to create a murderous villain destined to be seen as one of the greats of horror cinema. His performance, as well as the slow creep of dread the film cultivates, make it a thrilling watch that is just as good as its predecessor.

It’s not every horror remake that can hit many of the same notes as its predecessor, but Funny Games more than delivers. It certainly helps that the American version of the film was directed by Michael Haneke, who also directed the Austrian version. Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are chilling and charismatic as Paul and Peter, the two young men who torment the family that falls into their clutches. In addition to being genuinely frightening, the film is also a self-referential indictment of the pleasures audiences take in horror.