Sunday Scaries: Let Us ‘Speak No Evil’ of These 13 Horror Remakes

On a recent episode of the Awards Radar podcast (which is excellent, by the way, and you should definitely listen if you don’t already), Joey and I were discussing my recent viewing of the Speak No Evil remake, which I very much enjoyed. Unlike many of my critical brethren, I had missed the original Danish film when it released. Rather than burden the new one with expectation, I made the choice to go in cold, so as to enjoy it as much as possible on its own merits before eventually comparing it to its predecessor. We currently have that on tap for this year’s 31 Days of Halloween, incidentally.

Despite the expected trepidation around a remake of not just a beloved horror film, but an international film that was itself only two years old, Speak No Evil 2024 has fared reasonably well amongst the critic intelligentsia (83% on RottenTomatoes at time of writing). And as with any reimagining of any favorite, it has wheeled out the inevitable discourse on whether the new edition was “necessary” and has folks viewing it near-exclusively in terms of how it compares to what came before.

Well, I for one reject this way of thinking. Some of the greatest works of cinema, horror or otherwise, have been remakes, and many of my favorites within the genre are themselves remakes of films I’ve never bothered to check out. This isn’t some deliberate stance of anti-curiosity, mind you. Just a peaceful and joyful acceptance of the new classics we’ve received over the years, some of which grow and evolve their source material while others simply refine it.

In musing on this subject, I’ve decided to celebrate 13 of the best horror remakes ever made, all of which stand on their own two feet regardless of their forbears. It is worth noting that this will be a deeply subjective and personal list, so if you find yourself vehemently disagreeing with some of my choices, I encourage you to channel that energy into leaving a comment and letting us know what your personal favorites are! And if you’re wondering why I’ve chosen 13 specifically? Well, here’s the thing…

13. Friday the 13^th (2009)

Dir. Marcus Nispel

That’s right, I’m starting off with a hot take: I think Marcus Nispel’s mash-up of the first 3 Friday the 13^th films is better than Sean S. Cunningham’s bare-bones 1980 original. While we obviously wouldn’t have the franchise proper without it, the lack of Jason or any visually present threat for most of the runtime (in the interest of disguising the twist ending, natch) means that the first installment just doesn’t have the personality or flair of the increasingly goofy sequels that would follow.

However, Nispel’s version starts us off with a feral, monstrous Jason that doesn’t waste much time establishing his murderous bonafides. He runs, he sets bear traps, he has an elaborate tunnel system under Camp Crystal Lake. He does not mess around. And yes, the film does suffer from all the glossy yet murky hallmarks of the Michael Bay-produced Platinum Dunes banner. But by the admittedly slight standard of the wider Friday the 13^th pantheon, it has a satisfying kill count and more than enough dumb fun to be considered among the stronger entries.

12. Speak No Evil (2024)

Dir. James Watkins

On the surface, a story about a couple being invited to a remote country estate by vacation friends who proceed to peer-pressure them into accepting increasingly psychotic situations does not sound like an especially uplifting experience. This is to say nothing of the already bleak reputation enjoyed by Christian Tafrup’s 2022 version. One might imagine a variation on Michael Haneke’s grueling domestic thriller Funny Games, for example (the remake of which is too slavishly faithful to warrant discussion here). So then, why is James Watkins’s Blumhouse-backed remake so much fun?

There’s a sly sense of humor to this European social nightmare, in which the central pair (played effectively by Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy) are essentially held hostage by the fear that objecting to their hosts’ increasingly erratic behavior would be impolite. This creates an amusing tension as the strange couple seems to gleefully push their boundaries and see what they can get away with. This is all anchored by an intensely charismatic performance by James McAvoy, who is so engaging in every scene that no matter what your thoughts on the original, it’s worth watching this take just to see what he’s up to.

11. The Blob (1988)

Dir. Chuck Russell

Conceptually, a movie called The Blob is right up there with a more overt parody like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes in terms of horror you can take seriously. The star power of a young Steve McQueen notwithstanding, there’s little to differentiate Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr’s 1958 originator from the ocean of similar “small town attacked by big monster” movies that the Cold War era was seemingly drowning in. This isn’t to say it doesn’t have its own campy charms (I haven’t seen it and can’t speak to it), but within the wider world of horror it doesn’t exactly inspire terror.

Now Chuck Russell’s 1988 rendition, on the other hand: that’s a film that knows what it wants to be. That’s not to say it doesn’t fully embrace an entirely different era of cheese, best embodied by the oh-so-80s lead performances of Kevin Dillon and future Saw star Shawnee Smith. But in its horrifyingly practical and strategically showcased titular beast, The Blob finds a way for the concept of a sentient pile of gunk from space to be actually scary, with some gruesome body horror and an escalating threat level that keeps our heroes on their toes throughout.

10. It (2017) / It: Chapter Two (2019)

Dir. Andy Muschietti

The first adaptation of Stephen King’s gargantuan killer clown saga, a two-part TV movie directed by Halloween III’s Tommy Lee Wallace, can perhaps best be described as a movie that does the best it can. Daunted at every turn by the budgetary and content limitations of an early ‘90s television production, the more imaginative ideas of King’s tome are realized with sporadic success. Indeed, an iconic turn from the great Tim Curry does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to many viewer’s nostalgia for this limited but well-intentioned first stab.

But the R-rated big-budget studio iteration from Andy Muschietti had no such limitations to worry about. Wisely splitting the considerable narrative between two films and ramping up the bloodshed led to a pair of films that felt significantly less sanded-down, giving the story room to breathe and giving the fear time to settle into our protagonists’ respective psyches. Despite having massive (clown) shoes to fill, Bill Skarsgård crafts a Pennywise that is distinctly his own, and that has been successful enough to grant him his own respectable side career of playing weird little freaks (which lives on through Nosferatu later this year, can’t wait).

9. Let Me In (2010)

Dir. Matt Reeves

I know I’ve had some good-natured snarking at the expense of some of the original films on this list, but Tomas Alfredson’s Swedish-language Let the Right One In is very difficult to do that with because it’s kind of a masterpiece. The connection that forms between an isolated boy and the innocent-looking vampire girl who moves into his apartment complex is genuinely sweet and heartfelt, contrasting effectively with the chilly setting and brutal murders around them. And similar to Speak No Evil, its English-language remake was rushed out a mere two years after the first debuted in 2008.

In fact, unlike most of the remakes on this list, Let Me In is largely content to follow many of the same beats that came before, with its most notable discrepancy being a new detective played by Elias Koteas. So what is it that sets this one apart? Tone. Future The Batman director Matt Reeves, working with several of his top collaborators (including DP Greig Fraser and composer Michael Giacchino) delivers an atmosphere of dread that tinges the central romance with a greater tragedy. Add in a potent central trio of actors who bring the story’s complex relationships to life and you have a fresh coat of paint that may not add as much, but is smart enough not to get in the way of its already excellent source material.

8. Evil Dead (2013)

Dir. Fede Alvarez

What Sam Raimi accomplished with 1981’s The Evil Dead is one of the great indie cinema success stories. With just a camera, a couple friends, and a shoestring budget, he crafted a unique blend of zombie and ghost story tropes that would launch a franchise so successful that over 40 years after the first, there are multiple new entries in active development. But if we’re being honest, that initial film is more of a proof-of-concept; an explosion of raw creativity that would be more effectively refined in its first sequel, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn.

What Fede Alvarez does with his 2013 update is laser-focus on the horror elements, focusing on a visceral creation that doesn’t skimp on depicting the blood-curling violence that our cast inflicts on both themselves and each other. Rather than attempting to recreate a version of Bruce Campbell’s beloved Ash, we get a more complex protagonist in Jane Levy’s Mia, a recovering addict who gets to play both the initial deadite and the film’s final girl, both of which she knocks out of the park. The craft on display is impeccable, and while it’s far less silly than the original trilogy, there is still a sense of sadistic playfulness in line with that spirit.

7. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Dir. Zack Snyder

It’s nearly impossible to think about zombies on film without reflecting on George A. Romero’s timeless trilogy that essentially defined all our modern expectations of the shambling undead. From the scrappy yet still effective thrills of his original 1968 Night of the Living Dead, through to 1985’s looser and more contemplative Day of the Dead (I know he made zombie films beyond that, but none would ever have the cultural impact of those first few). However, most would agree that the pinnacle of this trilogy was 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, a mall-set tale of survival and the lingering effects of consumerism after the world ends.

In his feature directing debut, Zack Snyder took that same setup and modernized it (or at least for 2004, when shopping malls hadn’t completely died out yet). Some character types remain, but for the most part this is its own ensemble cast with enough personality to invest in their fate. Employing a form of sprinting zombie that felt fresh and dangerous, the horde always seems like they could burst in without warning, and when the mall becomes compromised later on, the increasing desperation of the group’s escape plan creates some of the most exciting moments in Snyder’s entire career.

6. The Ring (2002)

Dir. Gore Verbinski

It’s easy to forget about now, but the J-horror boom of the late ‘90s – early 2000s was a very real and omnipresent sensation. There was a while were you couldn’t pass by a multiplex without there being something involving a creepy girl with long black hair haunting someone through technology, and Hideo Nakata’s Ringu was very much at the forefront of this movement in 1998. If I may indulge another hot take, despite an effective premise and the always-enjoyable presence of a young Hiroyuki Sanada, I find this original film to be rather dry and visually uninteresting.

But this could very easily be because I’ve been spoiled by Gore Verbinski’s exquisite telling of the same story, which uses DP Bojan Bazelli’s seemingly water-logged imagery and a nearly oppressive atmosphere to outstanding effect. Naomi Watts anchors the proceedings with journalistic moxie and maternal protectiveness, and the deeply disturbing appearance of the videotape’s victims is something that lingers long after the film has ended. It may be controversial, but this is a case where I feel the remake is a significant improvement in just about every way.

5. Suspiria (2018)

Dir. Luca Guadagnino

Dario Argento’s 1977 fantasia of vibrant colors and supernatural thrills is a masterpiece of giallo cinema, and nobody can ever take that away from it. The near-hallucinatory depiction of a German ballet school being secretly run by witches remains a highlight of Argento’s impressive career, and in Goblin’s snyth-heavy compositions features one of the most iconic horror scores of all time. But it’s also a film where a woman spends 10 minutes trying and failing to escape from what appears to be a giant metal slinky, so let’s not pretend there wasn’t room for improvement.

Enter Luca Guadagnino, whose 2018 reinterpretation is perhaps one of the most significant departures from the source on this list. Taking little more than the base elements of Argento’s film and giving them far greater depth and context, taking advantage of Berlin’s Cold War setting to expand on themes of generational guilt and manipulative matriarchy. The muted color palette and ambiguous storytelling may be a turn-off for some, but between the blood-soaked new finale and the trio of roles that really showcases just how incredible Tilda Swinton’s range is, this is a modern genre classic for me.

4. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Dir. Philip Kaufman

This is actually a story that’s been adapted more than a few times. Don Siegel’s 1956 originator set up the relatively straightforward premise, whereupon people are slowly replaced by emotionless aliens who look just like them. It’s an on-the-nose allegory for the terrors of conformity, but an effective one, and has clearly stuck around. It was adapted in 1993 by Abel Ferrara as Body Snatchers,and then again in 2007 as The Invasion by Oliver Hirschbiegel, though neither version really caught on in the same way.

However, it’s hard to argue that the definitive version of the story actually came in its second adaptation, directed by Philip Kaufman in 1978. A full-on paranoid conspiracy thriller in an age of American filmmaking where we really excelled at those, this fully leans into the unsettling societal implications of the titular invasion. A cast of heavy-hitters including Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Leonard Nimoy give it plenty of legitimacy, and the final shot of Sutherland in particular is among the most chilling moments in film history.

3. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Dir. Werner Herzog

Few films from the silent era have had the sheer influence and lasting appeal of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu. The 1922 venture was a rather shrewd attempt by Murnau to adapt Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula without having access to the rights, and so with a few changes to names and locations, it essentially becomes the same story in a new setting. And yet, the haunting images of Max Schreck as Count Orlok skulking around with his long fingers and pointed features have endured over 100 years after the film’s release.

While there’s plenty of reason to be excited about Robert Eggers’s stylish retelling later this year, we’ve actually already received an exceptional remake in the form of Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre. While it reclaims the character names from Stoker’s novel, it feels far more in conversation with Murnau’s film, leaning into similarly stark visuals and the unnatural appearance of its title creature. In Herzog’s regular collaborator Klaus Kinski, we get a version of Dracula whose sinister machinations are fueled by a profound, bitter loneliness. As a self-aware monster who yearns for his long-lost humanity, he is never less than convincing.

2. The Thing (1982)

Dir. John Carpenter

Horror master John Carpenter delivered such an immortal, unforgettable experience with his sci-fi chiller The Thing, a film that is so beloved by genre fans and has stood the time so thoroughly, that I wouldn’t be surprised if some younger film fans out there don’t even realize it’s a remake. But indeed, it’s actually the second adaptation of Don A. Stuart’s novella “Who Goes There?” following 1951’s The Thing from Another World. I haven’t seen it, and I’m sure it works for the time it was made, but it’s hard to imagine it having the same nerve-shredding impact of Carpenter’s film.

Much has been made of the alien organism’s grotesque transformations, but it truly can’t be overstated that if you’re a fan of body horror and of practical effects, this is probably one of your favorite movies. Kurt Russell and Keith David lead a sturdy ensemble whose collective paranoia leaves them unsure of who they can trust, and the palpable combination of that tension with the occasional sight of human bodies unnaturally tearing apart makes this a completely singular entry within the horror landscape.

1. The Fly (1986)

Dir. David Cronenberg

Anyone who knows my taste in horror might have been able to guess that this would take the top spot. For many years it has held a comfortable place as one of my personal top three horror films of all time (alongside Psycho and Audition), and if I had to say which of these three actually scare me the most, it might be this one. But let me pretend to be unbiased for a moment.

Similar to The Thing, David Cronenberg’s take on The Fly is so definitive and iconic in its own right that it’s easily to completely forget about the previous film that it draws inspiration from. But there was one in 1958, directed by Kurt Neumann and co-starring Vincent Price. Despite receiving a few sequels (Return of the Fly in 1959 and Curse of the Fly in 1965), it’s largely remembered now for its relatively low-budget approach to the human-fly hybrid, with little more than a fake hand and rubber mask to sell the transformation. This is another blind spot for me, so I can’t talk about its quality, but if you’re a fan of creature features from that time I’m sure you won’t go amiss.

That said, the Cronenberg version is on a whole different level. Horrifyingly tactile makeup effects and a spectacular animatronic for the finale really visualize the journey that Jeff Goldblum’s eccentric scientist goes on. That journey is given a far deeper emotional resonance thanks to an early investment in his doomed love story with Geena Davis’s reporter. Seeing the protagonist’s devolution through the eyes of someone who still loves him makes the whole affair so much more tragic, creating a symbiosis of fear, disgust, pity, and heartbreak that I’ve never been able to shake.