Horror remakes that outshine the originals — top 5 you must see

Not all horror remakes are doomed to disappoint. Some breathe new life into aging legends, combining modern filmmaking with the raw dread that made the originals unforgettable.

Novyny.LIVE shares five remakes that deliver bigger scares and darker twists.

The Crazies (2010)

George Romero directed the original version of The Crazies shortly after Night of the Living Dead. While the original film has its creepy moments, the 2010 remake uses modern conspiracy theories and stark imagery to tell its story more effectively. Its faster pace and bigger budget allow for sharper thrills, and the monsters are simply more frightening. If the original is a rough first draft, then the remake is the final cut.

Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

Zack Snyder's bombastic remake of Dawn of the Dead is a perfect example of a remake that is scarier than the original, but not necessarily better. Both films feature flesh-eating zombies and human survivors seeking shelter in a mall. However, the remake adds more action and characters. The most significant change was the zombies themselves.

Nosferatu (2024)

The original silent version of Nosferatu helped pave the way for vampire cinema, and its public domain status meant that anyone could remake it. Robert Eggers's 2024 reimagining of Nosferatu pays homage to the original while adding more gothic horror and sexual undertones. The vampire himself was entirely new and arguably the film's strongest aspect.

It (2017)

Stephen King's stories have been remade several times, and the remake of It is one of the most notable examples. Moving from the small screen to the big screen, the 2017 remake split the story in half. The first film focused on the children battling the creature in the 1980s, and the 2017 version finally made Pennywise as creepy as his book counterpart. Bill Skarsgård's performance made the creature seem otherworldly, and film technology finally caught up with King's ambitious ideas.

Evil Dead (2013)

The 2013 version of Evil Dead is not a typical remake; it straddles the line between reboot and sequel. While it borrows the cabin-in-the-woods setting and copies major moments from the original, it implies that it takes place in the same universe as the classic Evil Dead films. Regardless, the remake surpasses the Sam Raimi classic in sheer terror, upping the ante with even more gruesome scenes and making the Deadites scarier than ever before.

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