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3 Awful Horror Remakes That Should Never Have Existed
Remakes are always a risky move, and depending on the genre, you’ve got to handle them with extra care. With horror, some filmmakers manage to update classics while keeping the original spirit alive — IT, Nosferatu, and The Fly are great examples of when that gamble actually pays off. Others, however, prove that not everything deserves a second chance. No matter how much Hollywood loves to revive beloved franchises, sometimes the result is a complete disaster, whether it’s because of questionable creative choices, terrible acting, or simply because no one asked for that remake in the first place. And when a horror remake fails, it doesn’t do it quietly — it becomes famous for all the wrong reasons.
Horror is a genre built on atmosphere, pacing, and subtlety, and losing any of those elements is enough to make everything fall apart. Here are 3 of the many horror remakes that are just too awful to sit through.
3) A Nightmare on Elm Street
When someone decides to remake A Nightmare on Elm Street, the first question should be: “Why?” Wes Craven’s original still works perfectly, and the remake is proof that some things are better left in the past. The plot is the same: a group of teenagers is hunted in their dreams by a burned killer who attacks them while they sleep. But the execution is lazy. The remake goes for a darker, more realistic tone, yet ends up feeling like a movie with no identity, no humor, and, most importantly, none of the charisma Robert Englund brought to the iconic villain.
They tried to give Freddy Krueger new life, which is fine in theory, but the script and direction seem determined to strip away everything that made him interesting — and that’s where the real problem starts. The movie tries to “deepen” Freddy’s backstory by making it more explicit, and in doing so, makes him far less scary. The remake just doesn’t get that Freddy worked because he was a nightmare you couldn’t explain. On top of that, the kills are recycled, the scares are predictable, and the production design feels intentionally generic. It’s a completely forgettable remake that no one asked for, and no one really defends.
2) Psycho
Psycho is the classic of all classics, and the idea of remaking it should’ve been handled with extreme caution. But it happened anyway, and it was the worst idea possible. Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece was remade almost shot-for-shot, like an experimental film project with a studio budget. The problem? The original was already perfect at what it set out to do, and it didn’t need a soulless copy. The story adds nothing new: Marion Crane (Anne Heche) steals money from her job, goes on the run, and ends up at the Bates Motel, run by the shy and deeply disturbed Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn). Everything’s there: the famous shower scene, the iconic framing, and the classic score — but none of the impact.
And that’s the real issue: the movie never justifies its own existence. There’s no creative spin, no fresh take, nothing that makes you think, “Okay, at least they tried.” It’s literally the same movie, just in color, with worse performances and a weird sense that everyone’s trapped in a lifeless reenactment. The result is awkward, not scary. This version of Psycho tries to be a tribute, but completely misunderstands what a tribute is supposed to be. Besides, almost no one remembers it exists. At this point, Bates Motel is the closest any fan will get to a version of this story that still works.
1) The Wicker Man
Among all the bad remakes ever made, The Wicker Man stands apart, but only because it’s a masterclass in how everything can go wrong. The original is a weird, unsettling, and incredibly smart piece of psychological horror, filled with a slow-burning tension that leaves you deeply uncomfortable. But when they tried to remake it in a different era, it turned into pure chaos. We’re talking about a suspenseful horror movie that suddenly morphs into an unintentional comedy. It keeps the same plot from the original one, but with a few changes — and the execution is a total joke. Also, it completely misses the original’s core: the clash between faith and paganism, the moral discomfort, and the protagonist’s helplessness.
In the story, Edward Malus (Nicolas Cage) is a cop who travels to a remote island to investigate a missing girl, only to find that the place is run by a cult of nature-worshipping women. The concept is actually solid, and the movie tries to take itself seriously — but good luck doing the same as a viewer. The result is a total mess of over-the-top performances, incoherent writing, and zero suspense. The mystery drags with no real tension, and the climax, which should be disturbing, ends up being laughable. This remake is an absolute disaster, and a perfect reminder that some classics should never be recycled.
What other remakes do you think were absolute disasters? Let us know in the comments!
The post 3 Awful Horror Remakes That Should Never Have Existed appeared first on ComicBook.com.
