Posted by Undead Johnny on June 7, 2008, 2:11 am, in reply to "horror remakes"
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Oh, yes, the craze of remakes. Like we so eloquently said in our HOUSE OF THE DEAD episode, "I'm tired of creatively bankrupt studio executives raping the beloved classics of my childhood like so much prison-b###h."
Ah, always nice to quote oneself.
It's been a horrible trend for awhile now, but even more so lately with the tapping into the 80's films as well.
Some remakes...I'm okay with. Some are more based on source material (like say, a new Dracula film--hardly a remake, just another telling.) Or they're new versions of old classics that can be delved into more deeply thematically or with better effects (two of my fave horror films ARE remakes, the Thing and the Fly.)
But this overt nostalgia trend that Hollywood is indulging in is just irredeemable. Taking any intellectual property they can find that has some connection to an audience...and then stripping it of whatever made it appeal to people in the first place.
It's disgusting. I was re-reading one of lloyd kaufman's books the other day and he was saying how these people are taking what they loved when they were rebellious youth and then twisting it and making it safe, co-opting it into a bland, simple, safe product that can fit in with their new stable adult lives. Subconsciously of course. And I have to kind of agree.
I mean, why take something perverse, terrifying and dark like THE HITCHER and remake it as harmless crap? Or the WICKER MAN? Or any of the 1000 of remakes. (I guarantee the new ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK will have only the most innocent and fleeting sense of an anti-authority message.)
I mean, I'm not saying every horror film from the 80's was some kinda rebellious anti-establishment piece of brilliant art. Alot of it was crap. But that was still the very end of an era (esp with video stores before that market was monopolized by big business and media conglomerates) where you could sell your films based on a title, a concept and a poster. Film makers gave fans the gore, the nudity...and sometimes a whole lot extra. Many of those films were anything but cookie cutter. Re-Animator, Street Trash, Society, etc etc.
There's still a good horror flick now and again (THE MIST was brilliant) but in general, all the good new horror flicks have to be sought out...cause they sure as hell aren't coming to your local cinema. Esp if you don't live in say NY, LA or Chicago, etc.
And yeah, as far as the PG-13 thing goes. It is utter BS. I thought it was pretty overrated, but 300 at least proved you could have a huge hit with an R rated movie. (Hell, look at Sex and the City.) But that's the mentality now. I mean, AvP was probably never going to be good. But I love the logic--"hmm...let's take one franchise where all 4 films were R and another where both films were R...and then make the combined film PG-13.) Or Die-Hard, etc.
And when the good R rated films do come out...SLITHER, DOOMSDAY (ok, hardly a classic, but fun) GRINDHOUSE, etc. What's #1 at the box office? Dren like WHEN A STRANGER CALLS or some other stupid teenie CW star filled slasher.
I agree...do NOT go see these films. Do not tell Hollywood you want more.
PS: I have yet to subject myself to the FOG remake...the original is one of my favorite horror films ever. I just can't bring myself to watch it.
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