Worst Horror Remakes

by Helen Earnshaw | 16 April 2013

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Evil Dead hits the big screen this week and is a remake of the 1981 classic that was directed by Sam Raimi.

This time around Fede Alvarez is in the director's chair as he puts his spin on this well known horror story.

But over the years we have seen some great movies in this genre remade and they haven't quite been up to scratch.

We take a look at some of the worst - and boy were there plenty to choose from.

The Wicker Man (2006)

Nicolas Cage has made some great movies throughout his career but he has also made some right garbage - The Wicker Man being the latter.

Neil LeBute was in the director's chair for the surprise remake of this horror classic and he also had a hand in the script.

Sadly this horror movie was a rather dull affair and all of the creepiness and atmosphere that makes the first film so great is totally missing.

Quite why they remade this movie is a bit of a mystery.

The Fog (2005)

The Fog was brought to the big screen in 1980 by John Carpenter but was remade in 2005 by Rupert Wainwright.

While Carpenter was on board the project as a producer the movie was a pale comparison to the original.

Sadly not much about this movie works from the clunky dialogue to the lack of tension and atmosphere - it is more like a damp squid than an edge of your seat thriller.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984 saw the birth of one of the most iconic film characters of all time... of course I am talking about Freddy Krueger.

Actor Robert Englund made the role his own and it is a character that has endured over the decades.

But in 2010 director Samuel Bayer put his stamp on the Wes Craven horror classic as Jackie Earle Haley took over the role of Freddy.

Haley did the best with what he was given but this version A Nightmare on Elm Street really lacked the subversive twists that made the original so memorable.

The Omen (2006)

Richard Donner brought the Omen to the big screen in 1976 starring Gregory Peck - Damien remains one of the creepiest child characters of all time.

In 2006 the movie was remade by John Moore and starred Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles.

the 2006 movie was almost a shot for shot remake of the original which really does beg the question, what was the point of making it?

Sadly Moore brought nothing new or original to the tale and it was all just a complete waste of time - not to mention money.

Psycho (1998)

Psycho is widely regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time as Alfred Hitchcock took the movie rule book and ripped it in two by killing his leading lady less than half way through the movie.

The shower scene remains one of the most iconic horror scenes of all time so you have to wonder why anyone would want to tackle a remake.

But that is what happened in 1998 when Gus Van Sant made a virtual shot for shot remake.

Now I like Van Sant as a director but this really was a load of old pap as this movie was never going to have the impact of the original.

Moreover he was never going to better the Hitchcock classic so, much like The Omen, is seems like a colossal waste of time.