FOLLOWING FILMS

Horror remakes often carry a bad reputation—many are cash-grabs that dilute what made the original films memorable. But every so often, a remake comes along that not only respects its source material but elevates it, reimagining classic scares for a new generation. This list celebrates ten horror remakes that got it right—whether through fresh storytelling, deeper character work, modernized visuals, or sheer atmospheric dread. These films prove that remakes can be more than recycled ideas; they can breathe new life into old nightmares. From psychological horror to blood-soaked reboots, these are the rare do-overs that truly deliver. 1. The Thing (1982) John Carpenter’s The Thing is a masterclass in paranoia and body horror. A remake of the 1951 sci-fi thriller, it’s darker, more nihilistic, and elevated by groundbreaking practical effects. The isolated Antarctic setting amplifies the tension as an alien shapeshifter infiltrates a research team, leading to a brutal breakdown of trust....

Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is rightly hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made. A seminal masterpiece of raw terror, it redefined the genre with its stripped-down aesthetic, chaotic energy, and deeply unsettling realism. Its legacy looms large over any horror film that dares to follow in its footsteps—especially those that bear the same name. That’s why the 2003 remake, directed by Marcus Nispel, is such an impressive and often underappreciated accomplishment. Rather than attempting to recreate Hooper’s iconic vision beat for beat, it takes the core mythology and reimagines it for a new generation. The result is a bold, brutal, and atmospheric horror film that deserves to be judged entirely on its own terms. From the first frame, it’s clear that this is a different experience. While the original film’s gritty, documentary-like realism shocked audiences with its unfiltered rawness, the 2003 version chooses a more stylized and cinematic approach. Yet it...

On this episode the new theatrical release of POLTERGEIST has us diving into research on the difference between a haunting and a poltergeist and the differences between the 1982 original film and the 2015 remake. Can our love of Sam Rockwell sway us to go with the updated version or will the shuffle board playing original keep us in the good graces of cinephiles? Check out our latest episode to find our the origin of Remake Boy!

In this episode the original hosts of the show, Mike and Peter, are back just in time for an alien invasion involving Keanue Reeves and placenta armor. But before we get to Scott Derrickson's 2008 remake, a look back at the original Cold War era film from 1951 when Gort robots could bend their knees and could predict the future heroic quests of a man with a chainsaw for a hand. Then we predict a newer version of this film which involves The Chastain. Then again that's our  hope  for every future remake.

In the pantheon of slasher films, the  Friday the 13th  franchise is particularly iconic, thanks largely to its relentless killer, Jason Voorhees, and the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. The 2009 reboot, directed by Marcus Nispel, is a modern reimagining that seeks to honor the original 1980 film and introduce the series to a new generation. While it delivers on the blood-soaked thrills and nostalgic nods, it also stumbles in a few areas, but overall it's a worthy addition to the franchise and an underappreciated slasher classic. The 2009  Friday the 13th  begins with a prologue set in 1980, which acts as a rehash of the original film’s climax. We witness the brutal murder of a camp counselor by Pamela Voorhees, Jason’s mother, who was seeking revenge for the drowning of her son. This sets the stage for the modern-day narrative, which follows a group of college students who venture into the woods near Camp Crystal Lake for a weekend getaway. The central plot revolves aro...

On this episode Karly from That Pop This Life joins us to talk about the dream life of Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, which is the remake of Abre Los Ojos. Listen to our latest to find out which life extension journey you should take, the original or the remake.

We discuss Ben Still remaking a film to far greater effect than ZOOLANDER 2 with the 2013 version of THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY. Listen to us compare the fantasies of not one, but TWO Walter Mittys. Do we daydream about Danny Kaye patter-songs? Or maybe Ben Stiller punching Adam Scott in his very punchable face is more our tempo. Either way, all of your fantasies will be fulfilled in the latest episode of ORIGINAL REMAKE.

Charles Grodin month kicks off with a remake of 1957's THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN! Except the 1981 version switches genders, starring not Mr. Grodin, but Lily Tomlin as THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN. Unfortunately the look at shrinking masculinity and the shrinking appreciation of a woman in her family's life is not visible in one film. Listen to see which we chose: the original or the remake.

On this episode we celebrate (?) the old fashioned format of video for the video release of RINGS which came out earlier this year... not that anyone noticed.  But guest Alice Bishop did!   And we discuss this reboot of the original remake THE RING from 2002, which carries on the tradition of this franchise always being slightly behind the times from a technology standpoint and better uses of the idea such as 2015's IT FOLLOWS. This episode may sound pretty negative but it includes one of my favorite live cover performance, so there's that.

On this episode we look at the striking similarities between the newest chapter in the Star Wars saga, THE FORCE AWAKENS, to the first film A NEW HOPE. Warning for those strange folk who may listen to an ORIGINAL REMAKE episode before seeing what is already one of the most popular films of all time (and we appreciate you!) but there be spoilers ahead as we talk about many of the same story beats that these two films share, and how Episode 7 puts a modern touch on them.

On this episode hosts Mike and Peter decide to enroll in the SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS instead of seeing Melissa McCarthy's THE BOSS. We discuss how the scoundrel curriculum has changed from the 1960 original to the 2006 remake taught by Billy Bob Thornton. And being the great students that we are, we make some recommendations for staffing in a future version of this story.

With the kickoff of American football, we are in the mood for a double feature of THE LONGEST YARD. In the 1974 version, Burt Reynolds has us scratching our hairy chests in admiration, while Adam Sandler has us scratching our (egg shaped) heads at the jokes presented on screen. Find out which film we chose, the original or the remake, and also which centerfold graces Mike's wall.

On this episode, Mike and Peter continue to talk Star Wars by going all the way back to one of the inspirations for the A NEW HOPE in Akira Kurosawa's THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. We talk about the original Artoo and Threepio and praise the two princesses seen in both versions. However ONLY ONE has a Death Star!

2014 Directed By Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Remakes are a tricky thing to pull off. Do you honor the original? Update it and make it feel modern? How do you find that element that you think could have been improved upon and expand it? We all have examples of remakes that work and others that utterly fail. The latest incarnation of The Town That Dreaded Sundown falls somewhere in between. Its in no way a failure but I'm not really sure how well it works. The 2014 film exists in a world where the original 1975 film also exists. The inhabitants of a small Texas/Arkansas border town watch the original film annually and on the night of the annual screening killings that resemble the "Moonlight Murders" start up again. We are 37 years removed from the 1976 film and 65 years removed from the real events that inspired it. Is this a copycat murderer or has the boogeyman returned to Teaxarkana? It might sound somewhat convoluted but the film pulls off its complicated exposition ...

With the release of the much anticipated ASH VS EVIL DEAD, we decided to go back to the origins of Ash Williams and compare Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic EVIL DEAD and the Fede Alvarez remake. We are joined again by Derek Stewart of Horror-N-Us.com in this follow up to our Halloween weekend extravaganza.

We get someone topical by questioning the Academy Awards choices, though we are stuck in 2009 with the winner of Best Foreign Language Film, THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES. We talk about the differences in style, tone, and relevance with the little seen English remake starring Chiwetel Eijofor, Nicole Kidman, and Julia Roberts. This will definitely be our most downloaded episode.

We attempt the ninth Osaki ordeal in reviewing and comparing the 1991 and 2015 remake of POINT BREAK. Find out how different or similar the two movies were and ultimately, which one we'd recommend.

When Dean DeBlois announced he’d be directing a live-action remake of his own animated classic, there was a collective buzz among fans. It’s rare for a remake to be guided by the same creative hand that brought the original to life, and that gave this project a built-in authenticity from the start. Fifteen years after the animated film’s debut, we return to Berk to find the same story, the same emotional beats, and the same charm—this time wrapped in a tactile, photo-real world that feels both fresh and familiar. The narrative remains a timeless one: Hiccup, the awkward but curious son of Viking chief Stoick the Vast, lives in a world where dragons are feared and hunted. When he injures a rare Night Fury and discovers it’s not the monster he was taught to believe, he forms a friendship that will alter the course of his village forever. That relationship, between a boy and his dragon, is still the film’s heart, and it beats as strongly in live action as it did in animation. Berk itself ...

In this episode we celebrate Halloween with... Halloween! John Carpenter's genre defining film faces off against Rob Zombie's remake, and we accuse one of these filmmakers of being the quarterback on the couch. We'll let you guess which one. To find out for sure, listen to our discussion with our horror expert guest Derek Stewart.

In this episode our hosts take a tour of the White House twice with the films Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. Do they choose Gerard Butler or Channing Tatum as their tour guide? Two-Face or Electro as their President? But most importantly, which First Kid was more annoying to noted child hater Mike?