Second Time's a Charm: 4 of the Best Horror Remakes of the 1980s

A mad scientist tale for the ages, it doesn’t seem like you can get all that much mileage out of the bare bones concept of a researcher accidentally merging with a common housefly. But here we are with two different classic horror movies. 

As always, you’ve got to pay homage to the original: 1958’s The Fly was a unique and innovative film for its era. Starring Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, and Vincent Price, it’s certainly worth checking out if you haven’t already.

If nothing else, when the creature is revealed for the first time, it definitely gave me nightmares as a kid. All that being said, let’s be honest: the 1986 remake will shake you to your core. 

David Cronenberg takes the creepy and campy presence and turns it into a parable for disease and loss right in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis were a real-life couple during filming, and their chemistry puts the heartbreak over the top when scientist Seth Brundle begins his horrific transformation right in front of Ronnie Quaife, his journalist lover.

I adore this film, but it fills me with so much grief that I’ve still only ever seen it once. Nevertheless, it will always sit right at the top of not only the best remakes, but my favorite films of all time.

Add it to your watchlist ASAP if you haven’t seen it yet. Be afraid. Be very afraid.  

Now, I’m a seriously huge Steve McQueen fan (I literally named my beloved cat after him), but I’ve got to be honest: despite McQueen starring in the film, I’m not a super big fan of the original The Blob.

Granted, it’s been years since I’ve seen the 1958 version, so maybe I just need to give it another try.It’s definitely got its charms as a campy little horror flick.

One thing you can’t call the remake, however, is charming. 

A nihilistic take on an admittedly goofy setup—a gelatinous alien from outer space starts swallowing up a small town—1988’s The Blob is a film that refuses to follow any of the expected beats. Instead, you end up with a desperately bleak story that kills off likable characters left and right, defying every expectation, in what might be the most accurate interpretation of the hopelessness of the Reagan era ever put on film.

I can’t recommend this one highly enough, but just be warned: this is no romp in the monster movie park. There’s a good chance you’ll walk away just like I did when I saw it as a kid: fully scarred for life and all the better for it.   

Yes, I know I was already singing the praises of this film recently in my article, "6 Horror Movies to Match with Your Favorite Female Singers,” but it bears repeating: 1982’s Cat People is one sexy and scary good time.

A remake of Val Lewton’s 1942 black-and-white classic, both versions of Cat People are phenomenal, and they’re fortunately different enough that you can enjoy each of them wholly on their own. What makes the 1980s remake unique is how much more lurid and explicit the sexuality is.

Nastassja Kinski stars as the lonely Irena, who learns—much to her horror—that she’s descended from a long line of the eponymous creatures. She must now grapple with her budding feelings for her coworker, Oliver (played by an entirely out-of-his-league John Heard), even though it puts both their lives at risk.

With some gorgeous visuals and a few scenes of unforgettable body horror, this film directed by Paul Schrader is without a doubt worth a watch (or a re-watch) as soon as you can. 

The humdinger of 1980s remakes, it can be easy to forget that The Thing is a remake at all. That’s how much John Carpenter’s cosmic horror masterpiece blew the original out of the frozen water.

Of course, there are certainly fans of The Thing from Another World, and I absolutely remember watching it as a kid. But when it comes to which film I want to revisit every winter, you can’t go wrong with 1982’s The Thing. 

This is one monster movie that’s got it all: a dynamite ensemble cast, some of the most quotable dialogue ever featured in a horror movie, and a potent reminder that practical special effects truly still deserve a place in horror. Plus, that dark, ambiguous ending with Kurt Russell and Keith David remains one of the most exhilarating and unsettling in the genre’s history.

Sure, it’s not quite the right season for the movie, but what the heck: let’s all beat the heatwave and watch The Thing again, shall we?