From re-imaginings, translations between countries and actual remakes of horror movies, you may not even realise which of your favourite spooky flicks aren’t original! Here are some of my personal favourites.

The Evil Dead (1981)/Evil Dead (2013)

First on the list for me because I loved this reimagining of one of the most prolific horrors in the 1980s. The cult favourite with Bruce Campbell was remade in 2013 (see here for my full review). With the original director and star of Evil Dead coming on as producers of the new film, and a definitive lack of new CGI effects, Evil Dead is not only one of the best horror films of the decade, but also one of the best re-imaginings. I loved the nods to the original film (such as the dilapidated car out the back of the cabin, trapdoor demon, tree rape, etc). It wasn’t an exact shot by shot, added a little to the story (in the way of The Abomination) and was an all round enjoyable film.

The Thing from Another World (1951)/The Thing (1982)

If you are up to date with your horror genre of recent years, you will know that they remade The Thing again in 2011. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was particularly good, and my heart remains with The Thing (1982) starring Kurt Russell. Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

The original film in the 1950s had very little special effects, and isn’t much scary in comparison to later films (I’ll put this down to becoming desensitised over the years), but still is a somewhat enjoyable film of that time, mainly due to it’s dialogue and great character progression. However, for a fast paced, action packed and a bit of gore, John Carpenter’s 1982 remake of The Thing is for you!

Ringu (1998)/The Ring (2002)

Originally from Japan, this American remake (although the two lead characters are from Australia and New Zealand respectively) was one of the best remakes in my opinion. While Ringu is amazingly creepy and forboding, I think US version was more realistic and the characters reacted in a way that would be more obvious. They all seemed very willing to accept the story of the tape that would kill people. Other than that, the stories are pretty much identical (apart from changing names to fit in with Western Culture) and both are well made films in their own right.

What are your favourite Horror Remakes?