Please Don’t Remake These Classic Horror Films

Saw definitely falls under the category of too many sequels, but we need to let this blood chilling torture film be. There have been many movies that borrow from the Saw premise a little bit. 

Recently, films like The Collector and the two Don’t Breathe movies are based on the premise of having to escape deadly traps laid by a sadistic individual. 

However, Saw is such a phenomenon precisely because of its originality and goofy charm that can’t be replicated. Saw begs the question, “What if bad horror movies were good?” in a way that nobody else can ever pull off, perhaps because it doesn’t seem like Saw did it on purpose.

Much of what I said above about Saw applies to Paranormal Activity. Too many sequels? Check. Originality and a quirky charm? Check. Inspiration for some cheap imitations? Check. 

Paranormal Activity can’t be remade for so many reasons. The number one reason is that the film became a sensation because it caught us off guard. The element of surprise is gone. 

However, the timing was also perfect as we were at the tail end of a found-footage run started by The Blair Witch Project. The moment, as much as the film itself, made Paranormal such a phenomenon.

There’s a case to be made that The Exorcist is the ultimate horror film. It’s terrifying, innovative, and ageless. 

Of course, it’s impossible to list all the films that have borrowed from it, been inspired by it, or are just trying to be it. But there is absolutely no reason to remake it because watching it in 2026 is just as great as watching it in 2016, 2006, or 1996, which is as far back as my experience goes, though I suspect there wasn’t much fall-off from 1986 and 1976.

Jaws has a few sequels that are, at worst, fun. However when considering whether or not to remake a film, it should probably check one of the following boxes: Has the film not aged well and needs updating? 

Jaws has aged incredibly well, right down to the fact that mass crowds of people still often behave pretty stupidly. Is there a fresh take that would add to the story even if it’s a remake? Absolutely not. Jaws is tonally perfect. 

Lastly, and most importantly, can modern technology make a much better version of this film? Fifth-one years later, sharks in movies look so much worse. Look at movies like The Meg for proof.

When it comes to modern scream queens, few people have as valid a claim to the throne as Maika Monroe. With titles like The Guest, Longlegs, God is a Bullet, and Watcher, along with the forthcoming Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Victorian Psycho Monroe has given horror fans so much to enjoy. 

None are as impactful as It Follows. It’s not trendy or of the moment, it’s highly original, and it doesn’t rely much on technology or graphics. This would fall squarely under the money grab category.

The only reason anyone needs to not remake Hereditary is simple: Unless we invent cloning and make another Toni Colette, it simply can’t be done. There are very few good movies that rely so heavily on their main star. Even fewer that do so as much as Hereditary. 

Colette’s performance is as good as any in horror. To try to replace her in a remake would be setting any actress up for failure. Hereditary also gets remembered for some incredibly gory and jarring scenes, and while the script around them is brilliant and perfectly executed, that’s a vitality component that any remake would lose. 

On the flip side, a remake may actually alienate some viewers who don’t want to relive the now infamous decapitation scene or the face-smashing classroom scene. It’s a lose-lose because the die-hards would riot if a remake removed them. 

There have been many successful remakes that held their own. There have even been some that surpassed the original. However, there have been far more unsuccessful remakes that weren’t necessary for anything other than the studio’s bottom line. 

These films have not been (and should never be) remade. They are perfect, timeless, and cannot be topped.

Feature Image: FILMGRAB