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The Grudge and the 10 best foreign horror movie remakes

By Wesley Lara

LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 12: Actors Sarah Michelle Gellar (L) and Clea DuVall pose at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Grudge" at the Village Theatre on October 12, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 12: Actors Sarah Michelle Gellar (L) and Clea DuVall pose at the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "The Grudge" at the Village Theatre on October 12, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) /
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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.

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