Remakes often get a bad reputation, but there are those rare gems out there which break tradition. From The Grudge to The Ring and everything between, we’re taking a look at the greatest foreign horror movie remakes!
Horror movie remakes, as they stand, are not inherently soulless as a sub-genre to the art of films. The idea of remaking a film for a modern audience makes sense for both cultural and financial means. But there’s usually an outcry of criticism over the purpose of remaking an older film for a modern audience and one of the main factors in this attitude is the perceived lack of cultural context to make the remakes work.
Hence why films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and countless other classics receive remakes that get slammed by critics and sometimes even audiences. The remakes are either so far removed from the original context that they comes across as watered-down versions lacking in any meaning or they’re so similar that the context just won’t resonate with a modern audience.
While several American horror classics have received this unfair treatment, nowhere is this more apparent than in the countless remakes of foreign horror movie gems. Horror has thrived in the area of world cinema thanks to the genre’s versatility in telling terrifying stories unique to the world’s vast amounts of cultures in each country. But if it’s successful in a foreign land, there’s a chance that American studios will try to capitalize on the success, often with mixed results.
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Taking another horror movie’s foreign context and transforming it into an American product often removes the horror that resonated with foreign audiences, leading to tepid American horror movie remakes that are either too confusing or too sanitized to resonate with American audiences. You can’t simply pluck a horror movie from a different country and expect the same level of success.
But alas, there are some rare gems in this mostly maligned group of films.
Sometimes, the filmmakers just manage to get it (mostly) right with a remake that pays respect to the original while adding its own quirks to set it apart. Whether it be a solid take on arguably the best vampire movie of all time or an American sensation based on a Japanese horror classic, these movies stand out as remakes that not only “don’t suck,”,but actually traverse the realm of quality filmmaking. These movies serve as an example of American horror movie remakes that manage to get it right on some level.
10. Shutter (2008)
Remake of Shutter (2004) – Thailand
The list starts with a rather unpopular choice in the American horror movie remake community. Shutter, based on the 2004 Thai horror film of the same name, earned the ire of film critics back in 2008 when it premiered as yet another remake in the boom of Asian horror remakes in America (more on a couple of those later).
The film, which follows a couple moving to Japan and being haunted by the spirit of a girl with a bone to pick, was torn apart for stripping away the atmosphere of the original with jump scares.
To be fair, it’s not as if the remake handles all of the horror well. It does dive into that familiar well of startling the audience instead of unnerving them for most of the time. At the core of it all though, the story still manages to pack a morbid punch with its revenge aspects and the reasoning for the haunting. No spoilers, but characters have massive skeletons in their closets in both versions and the remake offers a solid interpretation of the story’s dark underbelly.
Combined with that are scares that feel reminiscent of not just the original film, but similarly structured stories in video games like the Fatal Frame series, which has the character experience the terror through a camera. This likely comes from the influence of Japanese director, Masayuki Ochiai, who helmed the movie and has also directed some solid J-horror films as well. Shutter benefits from his touch and becomes so much better than the critics initially said at its release.
9. Quarantine (2008)
Remake of REC (2007) – Spain
Before I go any further, I do want to reiterate something in terms of this film. Quarantine, as much as I personally like the movie, it is NOWHERE near as good or scary as the original that started it all: 2007’s REC.
The Spanish original helped reinvigorate the found-footage subgenre and helped spark the boom that became mainstream with Paranormal Activity. The movie itself is a fantastic take on isolated horror, as it follows a news anchor and her cameraman filming and reporting on strange happenings inside a building in which they are now trapped in. So it comes as no surprise that it would get a remake in the form of the 2008 horror, Quarantine.
Here, Americans are at the mercy of mutated beings while being trapped inside a building with a news anchor recording everything with her cameraman. So yes, it is essentially a copy of REC and, though the addition of exposition to dumb things down for audiences brings down the quality of the film, the movie still uses its source material to craft a still-effective remake that takes advantage of its small setting.
Quarantine also has a distinctly more professional atmosphere to its production, making for some solid effects for the blood and gore to ensue. While its higher budget may sacrifice the “authentic” look of found footage horror movies, it makes for an experience that the viewer can see more clearly, coming face-to-face with the horrors with an uncomfortably clear definition.
Yes, it surely lacks the wit and disturbing themes of the original, but on its own, Quarantine stands as a spirited effort that mostly pays off in the end.
8. Mirrors (2008)
Remake of Into the Mirror (2003) – South Korea
So far, the previous two entries were mostly faithful remakes of their foreign counterparts, adding in dashes of American and Japanese culture to differentiate themselves enough. With Alexandre Aja’s interpretation for the remake of the South Korean film, Into the Mirror, accuracy was suddenly not a big priority.
When Aja nabbed the directing job for the remake, he was apparently dissatisfied with the story of the original, which involves a mall cop investigating a series of mysterious suicides – all involving mirrors in some way.
Aja took inspiration from the film, but crafted a mostly new story surrounding a security guard investigating the mirrors at the luxury department store he guards, all while his family begins to slowly succumb to the horrors behind their mirrors. The inspiration is there, but Aja’s take is both somewhat original to the horror movie remake boom and arguably one of the most underrated remakes in the bunch.
Mirrors plays on the idea of spirits in the mirrors haunting people at every turn simply by appearing in the reflection. It’s a simple idea, but the remake still manages to craft some seriously disturbing sequences, with the bathtub scene still living on as one of the most frightening scenes to come out of the remake boom of the 2000s.
Yes, the American trope of needless exposition and bland main characters is there in all its unwanted glory, but Aja takes his French horror style and injects it into an already-unnerving supernatural horror to give the film a graphic edge not often seen in these remakes.
7. Let Me In (2010)
Remake of Let the Right One In (2008) – Sweden
Sometimes, you don’t need to change things significantly in order to make a quality horror movie remake. That’s something that director Matt Reeves took to heart when remaking the acclaimed Swedish horror-romance film, Let the Right One In.
The original itself being based on a novel, the story of two young teenagers – one of them an old vampire – falling in love with each other in a small Swedish town in the 1980s earned acclaim for its touching story, its unique take on the vampire tale, and its socio-economic commentary.
With a horror movie as beloved as that one, remaking it almost seems like a production that’d be DOA in the anticipation of critics prepared to hate the American take on an incredibly Swedish tale. But Reeves, a fan of the book and 2008 film, made sure to pay respect to the story while adding in his own American context into the film. Doing so transformed it into a surprisingly nuanced horror movie that reflected the years of paranoia and cynicism that accompanied the Reagan administration.
Set in the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico in the 80s, Let Me In is very much an American movie. It’s also one of the few remakes that could be admirably compared to the original story.
Reeves very much follows the same beats as the original, save for a couple of new scenes and the omission of a few side characters from the Swedish movie. The story of the children bonding is still the focus of the film and where the heart shines through. Coupled with Chloë Grace Moretz’s genuinely phenomenal performance as the young vampire and you get a horror movie remake that manages to blend American culture into a foreign story without disrespecting the importance of the original.
6. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Remake of the Irish novel (1897) and Nosferatu (1922)
Dracula has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to movie adaptations of his story. Even since the release of the classic Irish Bram Stoker novel, Dracula, the notorious vampire from Transylvania, has received countless film adaptations with his character in the lead role.
Most of these adaptations could barely even be classified as accurate adaptation of Stoker’s original story. Dracula is almost always the draw instead of the story and, apart from the unofficial German adaptation Nosferatu, and some classic American films, the novel hardly receives the spotlight.
Enter Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the original novel with the 1992 gothic horror film, Dracula.
Serving as a bit of a reboot of the original story, Coppola’s Dracula aims to bring the Count back to the original setting of his Transylvanian castle as Keanu Reeves puts on his very best British accent to play Jonathan Harker, who is there to confirm Dracula’s purchase of an estate in England. From there, Dracula begins his reign of terror as the story we all know plays out with a sophisticated edge that removes the silly stigma that had been plaguing the vampire for centuries.
Dracula became almost as over-saturated as Godzilla by the early 90s, so to see a film bring back the classic terror behind his bloody smile was seen as a relief to horror fans in America.
Gary Oldman’s unnerving performance as the Count added an extra layer of dread to the story and propelled a good remake into something worth revisiting even today. Sure, the film reeks of 90s tropes and atmosphere and Reeves’ performance was unfortunately memorable for the wrong reasons, but Dracula marked a pivotal return to the vampire’s dark roots.
5. Godzilla (2014)
Remake of Godzilla (1954) – Japan
Calling Gareth Edwards’ reboot of the Godzilla franchise a remake may seem like I’m reaching a little bit, but with the story being set up as an reintroduction to the famous monster, I’d say that the remake term fits this film like a glove.
Much like the previously mentioned Dracula, Godzilla is an entity that has become incredibly far-removed from the meaning of the first film in 1954. Representing the horrors of nuclear bombing, Godzilla is an important character for Japan, especially during the 50s, but over the years the character became known a kaiju that simply like fighting and destroying.
When 2014 came around, American studios decided to take another crack at adapting the character into an American reboot after a failed previous attempt. This time, Gareth Edwards takes the ball and boy does he run with it!
Bringing the film back to its early roots, Edwards’ Godzilla places a heavy emphasis on buildup as we follow humans trying to understand what is happening and showing the creature in small doses. This buildup leads to a greater sense of closure when we finally see the creature in its full form.
While one might think it silly to call Godzilla a horror movie, we must not forget not only the context for the original interpretation of the creature, but the fact that Godzilla destroys entire cities, murdering tons of innocent people in the long run. While the 2014 version is very much a blockbuster, there is a renewed focus on human suffering that was the main focal point of the Japanese original that places the film among the cream of the crop in terms of foreign horror movie remakes.
4. The Last House on the Left (1972)
Unofficial remake of The Virgin Spring (1960) – Sweden
This is another horror movie some of you might argue does not count for this list. But if Nosferatu can count as an adaptation of Dracula despite not being an official “remake,” then I think we can let this one pass too. After all, the film it was inspired by is pretty similar in tone and story to this one.
Inspired by the 1960 rape-and-revenge film from Sweden, The Virgin Spring, The Last House on the Left takes a similar approach to the story of parents exacting revenge on a group of relentless thugs responsible for raping and murdering their young daughter.
Both movies follow similar structures, but unlike the heavy use of religious symbolism in The Virgin Spring, Wes Craven – fresh in his directorial debut – opted to go into more of an exploitative interpretation. Craven’s low-budget take on the story lacked the refinement of Ingmar Bergman’s direction, but made up for it with a gritty rawness to the film’s atmosphere. The film is dirty and grainy, reflecting the horrific events that are to follow later on the story.
Craven’s debut hasn’t aged well in terms of its pacing and acting, but the home video-like atmosphere brings an uncomfortable sense of realism to the proceedings. It also turns what is otherwise a rip-off of a Swedish movie and into its own significantly more grimy interpretation.
It’s messy, disturbing, and a wild ride from start to finish. It may not be as good as the Scream movies or New Nightmare, but Craven’s take on the Swedish film lives on in disturbing infamy.
3. The Grudge (2004)
Remake of Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) – Japan
You knew it was coming eventually. One of the main driving forces behind the boom of Asian horror movie remakes in the 2000s, The Grudge is one of the most infamous films in that bunch simply because of the frighteningly memorable scenes and THAT groaning noise that haunted the dreams of every American teenager in 2004.
A remake of the popular 2002 Japanese horror film, Ju-on: The Grudge, the American remake takes a route that would eventually be used by Shutter and places its American protagonist in Japan.
This gives an excuse for the horrors of the film to be eerily reminiscent of the original, hardly having to change anything incredibly drastic to get the spirit of the original through to audiences. Moviegoers felt this a little too hard. The unusual terror caused by the curse of the Grudge scared the living daylights out of American audiences as they witnessed this mysterious curse affect different people by having them haunted and killed by this being of rage and sorrow.
America is fairly friendly to the idea of supernatural horror, so to see this new type of horror inflict terror on its victims through the use of creepy and uncanny valley spirits contorting into strange shapes and making inhumane noises was too much for audiences to handle. But not enough to drive them away, as the film grossed over $180 million worldwide and for good reason.
The film’s respect for the original shines through in the fact that original director, Takashi Shimizu, helmed the remake and made sure that it was done right for American audiences.
A wise (or maybe not so wise for our mental health) decision in the long run.
2. Funny Games (2007)
Remake of Funny Games (1997) – Austria
Taking a page from The Grudge‘s playbook, this horror movie remake was also remade by the same director as the original.
For this one, acclaimed Oscar-winning director Michael Haneke takes the reigns once again as he oversaw the remake of his own film, Funny Games, from 1997. The original was Austrian, while the remake was purely American and in the English language. Both films follow the same beats, but the American delivery manages to make an even more powerful impact.
Both films follow two well-dressed men invading the home of a family – two parents and a child – and proceeding to torture them for their own casual, almost even passive amusement. If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, then bad news: that’s pretty much the whole movie.
Yeah, this movie didn’t gel with American audiences at all, but Haneke pretty much expected this reaction. His story serves as a painful commentary on society’s lust for mindless violence and he paints this by having the film’s violence be off-screen and meandering.
In short, the movie’s content isn’t the strongest; however, its one that is elevated thanks to the stellar direction from Haneke and frightening performances from the game cast. The movie feels too real, almost to a fault, as the stuff we witness is absolutely terrifying, despite appearing to be uneventful in its execution.
It’s a movie designed to piss you off, while giving you something to chew on after the movie is over. Haneke has never been afraid to push boundaries and his remake of his own home-invasion horror film is further proof of that.
1. The Ring (2002)
Remake of Ring (1998) – Japan
What else would be No. 1 and why wouldn’t I include the film that helped spark the Asian horror remake boom of the 2000s at the No. 1 spot?
A risky endeavor, considering the moderately high budget of the remake and the unproven draw of Asian horror movie remakes. But thanks to the talents of director Gore Verbinski (the director of the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy), The Ring came and swept the nation thanks to its now iconic-scares and the much feared line, “Seven days.”
A remake of the 1998 film, Ring, the 2002 version follows Naomi Watts playing a journalist who begins to investigate the mystery behind a strange video tape whose owners have mysteriously died after watching it. The tape is filled with disturbing black-and-white imagery (who could forget the maggots?) that only serves as the beginning of the horror to ensue.
The terror edges closer as each day passes, leaving only a short amount of time before an untimely death follows. Everyone knows the story now, but back in 2002, this was THE horror film to talk about.
American audiences were shocked to see this new level of supernatural horror. It didn’t hurt that Gore Verbinski knew how to build tension through each passing day, crafting a subtle, yet terrifying nightmare of a movie that used tension and jump scares to the best of their abilities. When something made you jump, it literally made you go into orbit.
The imagery alone was enough to grant this a spot on the list, but the interesting story and the infamous legend of Samara stuck to audiences like a leech and inspired a wave of remakes to try and replicate the horror of the remake. But no matter how good the film was, it never quite measured up to the “original” remake to start it all.
What are your favorite horror movie remakes? Do you like them at all or do you prefer completely new ideas? Sound off below!