Thursday, May 13, 2010

Remakes of classic horror films

This is going to be my weigh-in on the onslaught of remakes of classic horror films. A Nightmare on Elm Street just came out not too long ago, and it sucked. It sucked really hard. I Spit on Your Grave is coming out soon, and it's probably going to suck. Friday the 13th was probably the biggest suck of all remakes. No, wait, that award goes to One Missed Call... which was actually a remake of an Asian horror movie, which is a category all it's own. Let's stick to remakes of classic American films.

I have seen the remakes and the originals and I have a top three of the best remakes (thus far... 'cause Gosh knows there are going to be more). The best remake is not necessarily my favorite, but we'll get to that later.

The number one best horror remake is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In terms of sticking to the original storyline but making improvements where need be; characters; actors; and directing, TCM 2003 was a huge success. As much as you may love that classic original first film by Poltergeist-man himself, Tobe Hooper, you have to admit that the film is seriously flawed. It's a low-budget movie from the 70s with actors that are still unknown to this day. Yes, it has some creepy and gross-out moments (Grandpa sucking the blood off of Marilyn Burns finger?????? So wrong.) and the whole concept of this whacked-out cannibal family and a giant 'tard with a chainsaw is incredibly disturbing, but it doesn't really hold up well over time.

The remake improved the TCM legacy in so many ways. First of all, the characters. The most annoying film character I can think of right now is Franklin (the guy in the wheelchair) from the original. So they totally cut him out. Yea! Now add in Jessica Biel, a hippy chick, and three modestly good-looking guys and you've got a pretty good cast. There's no overly blatant stereotypes among the kids, no bitch or slut, or douchebag dude that the girls seem to love even if he is a douchebag... just some normal people in their 20s. They got good actors who took the film and their characters seriously and really turned it out.

The best and most memorable characters, though, are of course the members of the Hewitt family. In the original they were all kind of skanky, dirty, back woods dudes. They gave these new characters some real thought and got great actors, again, to play these roles. R Lee Ermy as the sheriff is the most memorable. An awesome character actor who really gets into his roles (maybe a little too much) and makes them special. Uncle Monty, no legs man in the wheelchair, is perhaps not as well developed, we just see him as a pervert because he keeps grabbing Jessica Biel's ass while she's helping him into his wheelchair. I don't know who the actress is who played the mother but she was absolutely fantastic. An old crone, the HBIC, just as disgusting and depraved as the men in her family. She can hold her own. Leatherface's character didn't really change much, but he didn't need to. Big guy, mind of a child, but knows how to work his power tools. You feel sorry for him, maybe, but not really when he's chasing you around the house with a chainsaw.

The action and chase sequences were awesome (although we didn't get a reboot of the famous dinner table scene until Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning), with great set design and locations. The Hewitt house, its basement, the slaughterhouse, the crazy neighbors' trailer... they all give you a great sense of time and place in the context of the film. Set design was especially helpful in getting the real feel of the film. The whole movie is just DIRTY. Dirty characters, dirty deeds, dirty houses. The people in the movie are sweaty and dirty like they haven't showered in a few weeks. The house and other sets are dirty, cluttered, dripping with water, covered in dried blood - ook! I just wanted to jump into the movie and hose down everybody and everything I could touch.

They totally upped the gore and violence and I loooooove that. The movie can't be called Texas Chainsaw Massacre and not have someone getting their leg cut off or getting split down the crotch with a chainsaw. So thank you, filmmakers, for that. You know what we want.

All in all, great improvement on character, great actions, great gore and violence. Awesome horror film, that is just as good as, if not better than, the original.

The number 2 remake is coming next blog.

5 comments:

  1. Maybe I'm just from a different generation, but I disagree...this was not a good remake...

    I guess I can see WHY it was made...but like so many other remakes in the last decade or so, it feels like it's just an attempt to sell a movie based on name recognition alone...and that bugs me...

    Once again, maybe it's my age...or the fact that I'm just tired of seeing films that I already like (or at least respect) turn into gore-fests...

    I did like two things: R. Lee Ermy is the bomb in whatever he does and TCM was no different. He took what was originally a pretty two-dimensional character and made him something truly depraved...and John Laroquette returning as the narrator...touch of genius...

    Anyway, I disagree with most of what you say, but I like your blog...it's bookmarked and everything...

    Keep it up...

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  2. Wait a minute, so when you say "I disagree with most of what you say" are you talking just this post or my whole blog? 'Cause that's kinda harsh, dude :).
    I don't dislike the original! I actually showed the original TCM at my college for our film club and I think I freaked out a lot of whiny college girls. It was awesome.

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  3. I dishonored you, for I, a self-proclaimed "slasher extraordinaire of the Philippines" (yes, I'm a minority, yet I love SLASHERS!), had yet to see TCM original...

    either ways, I did saw the rest of the series, and so far, I enjoy every violent adventures our ole' plump (muscle bound in the remake?) cannibal with a chainsaw.

    Funny enough, this was also my first TCM movie seen and I was hyped on the violence these guys are in; limbs flying off, fingernails pulled back so nasty salt-bagging, It's horrendous, yet unbelievably entertaining!

    Your review just gave it a redeeming quality again that most fans should learn to grow, and I thank you for that! Keep it up, girl!

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  4. Hmmm, what I remember about the film kinda fits this. I think my biggest thing about the remake is that I preferred the goreless original to the brutality of the remake.

    But yeah, Franklin sucks hard.

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