Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Remakes

Script written by Tiffany Ezuma.

Top 10 Worst Horror Movie Remakes

We can all agree that some things are left best alone – especially when it comes the classics in horror. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 worst horror movie remakes.

For this list, we’ve picked movie remakes in the horror genre based on a mix of their lack of originality, negative reviews, poor acting and/or production, as well at those that seemed completely unnecessary and/or that they were re-done only to make money.

#10: “House on Haunted Hill” (1999)

As the first movie produced by Dark Castle Entertainment, a company that initially intended to specialize in remakes, you would think they would have put more effort into this production. The original 1959 movie garnered a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, but this 1999 version squeaked out a meager 27%. Instead of being scary, “House on Haunted Hill” played on too many cheesy horror tropes and depended too much on special effects. The result was a film that seemed rushed with little attempt to make the characters likeable.

#9: “The Amityville Horror” (2005)

This movie tries to pay homage to the 1979 original, but it should have tried harder to be original. Instead of coming off as authentic, maintaining the 1970s look for the set design seemed like a cheap way to make the movie appear scarier than it really is. “The Amityville Horror” hinges on the believability of the father’s descent into madness, but nice guy Ryan Reynolds was horribly miscast for the role. The movie seemed to focus more on his washboard abs rather than the character’s psyche.

#8: “Carrie” (2013)

In contrast to the Oscar-nominated 1976 adaptation, there was just something about this 2013 version that felt too nice. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, “Carrie” tells the story of a young outcast who discovers she is telekinetic. In the first film, Sissy Spacek brought a vulnerability and otherness to the role; however, in this third adaptation, Chloe Grace Moretz seemed too likeable to play a social misfit, and her make-under wasn’t anywhere near believable. Almost everyone in this new cast seemed too Hollywood and glamorous for their parts, and it just didn’t work.

#7: “One Missed Call” (2008)

Hollywood often imports Asian horror movies and remakes them for a Western audience, and they don’t always do too well—this film is no exception. Instead of playing up the suspense and darkness of the 2003 Japanese flick, 2008’s “One Missed Call” added forced relationships and random scenes that were meant to scare but ultimately failed. The script had no direction and it was universally panned for trying to borrow elements from other horror movies. The cast’s uninteresting performances only made matters worse.

#6: “Prom Night” (2008)

The 1980 version of “Prom Night” was a straightforward slasher flick and knew it. It also had a completely different storyline. However, this 2008 remake pretends to be something that it’s not by adding way too much backstory to make the movie more interesting. This resulted in the opposite effect, proving just how poorly written and stereotypical many of its characters were. And in an attempt to earn more viewers and keep the movie PG-13, the filmmakers barely showed any true bloodshed on-screen, which kind of misses the purpose of a slasher film.

#5: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (2010)

Produced by Michael Bay’s horror production company Platinum Dunes, the remake of the well-regarded 1984 film seemed pretty pointless from the start. To change things up, the 2010 film took some of the campier elements away from Freddy in an attempt to get to his darker roots. This made “A Nightmare on Elm Street” feel bloated with backstory and unnecessary exposition. The movie’s CGI also seemed to distract from the actual story and it wasn’t as memorable. It might’ve been a financial success, especially for an R-rated film, but it had nothing on Wes Craven’s take.

#4: “The Omen” (2006)

The studio behind this movie clearly saw an opportunity when it chose to release this remake of the 1976 suspense horror on June 6, 2006 or “666,” otherwise known as the Number of the Beast. But instead of doing anything remotely creative with the concept, they just re-told the original movie frame by frame. “The Omen” was acceptable enough for those who’d never seen the Richard Donner version, but those who had were cheated. Despite a stellar cast, including Mia Farrow, Live Schreiber, and Julia Stiles, the movie fell flat and there were very few thrills.

#3: “The Fog” (2005)

Despite being produced by John Carpenter, the director of the 1980 original, the 2005 remake directed by Rupert Wainwright was problematic from start to finish. Instead of creating the same sense of suspense and mystery the first film featured, this rendition was clunky and virtually scare-less. Viewers and critics complained about the lack of empathetic characters, and the fact that many of these were reduced to horror movie clichés. Not to mention the fact that the film received a whopping 4% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, alerting potential viewers to stay away from the get-go.

#2: “The Wicker Man” (2006)

As an actor Nicolas Cage can be hit or miss, and this project has to be one of his biggest letdowns. The script seemed to be all over the place, as the screenwriter tried to add more material from the novel that the 1973 cult classic was based on. Instead of strengthening the supernatural horror thriller, this made for an incoherent plot, while moments that were meant to be scary came off as humorous. However, due to its awesomely bad reputation, this version of “The Wicker Man” has had a second life thanks to a cult following.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Black Christmas” (2006)
- “The Haunting” (1999)
- “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2003)
- “Friday the 13th” (2009)
- “The Hitcher” (2007)

#1: “Psycho” (1998)

It’s a pretty ambitious project to attempt to remake a film by one of the greatest directors of all time, and it’s an even bigger challenge to think you could actually improve on it. But in 1998, that’s what it seems like director Gus Van Sant tried to do when he tackled Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic horror thriller from 1960. But instead of bringing anything new to the table, Van Sant basically re-created the original version shot by shot. His rendition of “Psycho” has also been panned for its acting performances, including Vince Vaughn in the role of Norman Bates and Anne Heche as Marion Crane.

Do you agree with our list? Which horror movie remake do you think is the worst? For more original Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.