The 5 Best Horror Movie Remakes Ever

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again…it’s fucking Halloween time folks! And what does Halloween time mean exactly? Horror movies folks, and if you know me well at all, you know no one loves this time of year and everything included with it more than me. One thing I don’t necessarily like about horror flicks in general however, is that we have horror movies remakes. Just closing my eyes and letting my mind drift, I see flickers of the ridiculously shitty remakes of classic (and even not so classic) horror remakes to have been unleashed upon us in the past decade or so. “The Wickerman” (“NOT THE BEES!!!”), “The Fog”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, Rob Zombie’s abortion that was “Halloween 2”, and so on and so forth. However, every now and then, we get a horror remake that isn’t only surprisingly good, but in some cases even outdoes the original it was based upon. So I’ve listed my top five of the best horror movie remakes to have seen the light of day. You may not agree necessarily, but regardless, these are the best horror remakes available that you could ever hope to see. And here…we…go!



THE THING (1982)
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Wilford Brimley

Remade from the classic “The Thing From Another World” and owing more to the story that that film was based upon (“Who Goes There”), John Carpenter’s “The Thing” featured masterful suspense, genuine shocks, and legendary effects makeup that not only still holds up today, but helped revolutionize the makeup special effects world in the process. A group of researchers in Antarctica comes across a crash-landed alien that can assimilate and duplicate other life forms it comes into contact with, resulting in a gore-fest of suspense and the crew playing an increasingly desperate game of cat and mouse trying to figure out who’s human and who isn’t. Everything about “The Thing” is nearly pitch perfect, from the superb acting to the grim and nihilistic conclusion, this remains one of my all time favorite films of any genre, and in my opinion Carpenter’s best film ever. There’s an upcoming remake of this remake (you read that right) that supposedly serves as a prequel, and features a young cast with CGI effects aplenty. I can already guarantee how THAT flick will turn out. No matter what though, you must see “The Thing”, it’s a horror classic.



THE FLY (1986)
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz

Remade from the Vincent Price classic, David Cronenberg’s “The Fly” is a gory tale of science gone mad. Jeff Goldblum stars as a brilliant scientist that accidentally crosses his genes with that of a fly during a teleportation experiment, and what results is a nightmarish examination of “The Metamorphosis”, with hefty amounts of blood and guts tossed in for good measure. At the heart of the film however is a surprisingly deep and even more surprisingly emotional examination of human nature and subtle metaphors for disease and the transformation one goes through during a relationship; topics that you very rarely see taken on in any remake, 99% of which are done as quick cash-ins. A box-office hit and Oscar winner for makeup special effects, “The Fly” spawned a relatively lame sequel a few years later, but apparently David Cronenberg himself has scripted a purposed sequel to this film that he claims will probably never see the light of day. If said sequel would even only be half as good as this film, it would be a crime were it to never be completed.



NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990)
Director: Tom Savini
Starring: Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles

George Romero produced this remake to his legendary shocker, which was directed by legendary makeup effects guru Tom Savini, and unlike most remakes that change things around in the script for the sake of changing things around, this remake doesn’t come off as being the worse for it. This take on “Night of the Living Dead” transforms Barbara from a terrified, screaming shell of a woman into a tough, hard-nosed survivor as she and a group of others board themselves up in an old farmhouse as ravenous zombies surround them. For what it lacks in gore, the “Night of the Living Dead” remake offers some great acting and inventive takes on the classic shocking scenes of the original. Some fans actually consider this remake better than the original, and while I myself am not in that camp, I can see why they may feel that way. You’ll rarely find a remake as good as this one.



LET ME IN (2010)
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins

An Americanized remake of the modern classic “Let the Right One In”; “Let Me In” is an unexpected treat. When news of the remake first broke, I had a shit-fit and was adamant in the fact that it would be pure and absolute shit and never measure up to the original. Well, I was completely wrong in every regard. “Let Me In” tells the story of a bullied, neglected young boy that learns the girl that just moved in is actually a vampire, and the two develop a bond as everything around them starts to go completely to shit. While “Let Me In” doesn’t quite have the same amount of heart and soul as the beloved original film, it still manages to stand on its own and pay wonderful homage to the original while keeping its spirit and message intact.



THE BLOB (1988)
Director: Chuck Russell
Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Jeffrey DeMunn

There are plenty of people that didn’t like this film for whatever reasons, but I personally love this remake of “The Blob”. Dated as hell but loaded with some eye-popping effects and deliberately tongue-in-cheek moments, I even prefer this remake over the Steve McQueen-starring classic original in some regards. Mostly because it’s just a fun, over-the-top gorefest that takes no prisoners and makes no apologies for what it is, and that’s the kind of filmmaking you’ve just got to appreciate. Plus, it has Kevin Dillon with a mullet, and that chick from all the “Saw” flicks as a cheerleader; what’s not to love?



HONORABLE MENTIONS:

“And Soon the Darkness”
“Cape Fear”
“Cat People”
“The Crazies”
“Dawn of the Dead”
“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”
“Funny Games”
“The Hills Have Eyes”
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978)
“Piranha 3-D” (fuck you I dug it)
“The Wolfman”

The 10 Most Badass Foreign Films of the Past Decade

Talking so much about what’s been going on with an Americanized remake of “Oldboy” the last time around got me thinking about the differences between most American and foreign films. Mainstream American cinema is more often than not way too watered down for my tastes. Also more often than not, the mainstream American film industry is pretty much used as an expensive method to market product and behavior to the populace, and is just too soft to really digest as anything other than boring, unimaginative bullshit…but enough about American cinema. This blog is devoted to my favorite ten foreign films of the past decade that are the absolute definition of badass. Note that these films are listed here in no particular order, as its just way too hard for me to really rank them all in a true top ten list. With all that being said, here we are with my ten most badass foreign flicks of the past decade:



BATTLE ROYALE (2000)
Director: Kinji Fukasaku

Okay, technically “Battle Royale” shouldn’t fall under the criteria for this list (considering that it’s eleven years old), but “Battle Royale” is so fucking badass that it makes this list anyway. Based on the popular manga of the same name, “Battle Royale” asks the question “could you kill your best friend?” The story takes place in the near future of Japan, as a large group of Japanese students is placed on an island with weapons and rations and are forced to kill each other for the entertainment of the TV audience. A hardcore-ish take on “Lord of the Flies”, “Battle Royale” is shocking, graphic, brutal, and stunningly gripping and emotional to boot. All that being said, “Battle Royale”, like most of the films on this list, is definitely not for everyone and certainly not for the faint of heart either. A massive hit in its native Japan, the film was followed by a lesser-well received sequel, but that aside, the original “Battle Royale” is a classic.



THE CHILDREN (2008)
Director: Tom Shankland

I had mentioned “The Children” before in my multi-part 50 Best Horror Films You’ve Never Seen series last Halloween, and it certainly is as well as being one badass British horror film. The story revolves around a group of friends and families that gather together for a relaxing Christmas vacation, only for some unknown virus to affect the young children and make them turn into murderous psychos. In terms of horror, “The Children” is fucking terrifying. It has genuine shocks, scares, and surprises that build up to a violent and chilling climax that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Released as part of Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Underground series, “The Children” is certainly the best film to ever be featured on that direct-to-DVD line.


THE HOST (2006)
Director: Joon-ho Bong

A Korean monster smash, “The Host” revolves around a bickering family that unites to save the young daughter of the immature and incompetent eldest son when a blood-thirsty beast emerges from the Han River. “The Host” isn’t a gore-fest in the least, but it does feature some impressive monster effects and healthy doses of action sequences, as well as being a very gripping film in itself as well. It did get a theatrical state-side release and has garnered a cult following over here as well, and remains one of the best monster movies to see the light of day in quite some time.



I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)
Director: Jee-woon Kim

How far would you go to get your revenge? In “I Saw the Devil”, a Korean secret agent finds himself on the trail of the psychopathic serial killer that murdered his fiancé, but his agenda is a little more complex than simply tracking the cocksucker down and whacking him. Instead, he proceeds to play a very dangerous game in physical and psychological torture with the killer, so much so that it soon begins to blur the line of whether he’s a hero, or a monster himself. You won’t find many films like “I Saw the Devil” in any country, for this is flat out just plain ballsy filmmaking. The questions of morality and the line between what’s good and what’s evil are only heightened by the ultra violent action scenes, which are a sight to behold in themselves. Be warned though, this is one film that definitely isn’t for everyone, and definitely not for the faint of heart.



ICHI THE KILLER (2001)
Director: Takashi Miike

Wow…this is some fucked up shit right here. That was generally my first reaction the first time I saw “Ichi the Killer”, which is one of the bloodiest, goriest, most ridiculous splatter-fests in the history of film. I’m not even kidding, shit happens in “Ichi the Killer” that you just have to see to believe. What happens when two masochistic killers come across one another? Nothing good, but there is a never-ending assload of blood, guts, and torture…and it’s so memorably ridiculous that I’m really having a hard time putting it into words. One of Takashi Miike’s best and most infamous films, “Ichi the Killer” is something that you will NEVER be able to forget.



INTACTO (2001)
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

One of the most interesting (and confusing) films I’ve seen in the past few years, the Spanish thriller “Intacto” revolves around a group of four people who all have one thing in common: they all share an incredible degree of luck. One of which is a thief and the lone survivor of a horrible plane crash, one is the survivor of a horrific earthquake and has the power to rob one’s luck with just a touch, one is a casino owner and Holocaust survivor, and the last is a female police officer who survived the car crash that claimed her family. Their stories intertwine as questions are raised regarding luck, fate, and destiny; and the stakes that people can go in which to control all these seemingly uncontrollable aspects. If anything, “Intacto” has the vibe of a “Twilight Zone” episode going for it, with some incredibly taut and thrilling scenes, the most notable of which being blindfolded and bound people running through a huge forest in an effort to test their own luck. Mind-boggling to a degree, but wonderfully captivating as well.



LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)
Director: Tomas Alfredson

Remade here in America as the surprisingly good “Let Me In” (yes, I’m still living down blasting it before actually seeing it), the Swedish horror tale “Let the Right One In” revolves around young pre-teen Oskar, who is frequently bullied and yearns to take revenge on his abusers. His new next door neighbor is a 12-year old girl named Eli, and shortly after making herself known, a series of grisly murders takes place in the neighborhood, leading Oskar to realize that Eli is a vampire. Otherwise known as “Twilight” with balls, the original “Let the Right One In” is a brilliant and intelligent horror love story that became an international smash. Its shocking imagery and grim undercurrents combined with the surprising amount of thoughtfulness to the story elements without it going into a full-blown horror gore-fest make the film something of a unique piece. Needless to say, if you haven’t seen the original “Let the Right One In” and you’re a fan of the vampire genre, you are really missing out here. “Twilight” and even “True Blood” die-hards need not apply.


OLDBOY (2003)
Director: Chan-wook Park

I've spoken so much about "Oldboy" that it's practically ad nauseum at this point, and there really isn't much else I can say about it at that. Still though, everything that is featured in "Oldboy" is strikingly original, incredibly shocking, and even occasionally appalling. Like I said before, this film may be one of the absolute ballsiest films I've ever seen in my entire life. The fact that this is getting an American remake from Spike Lee just dumbfounds me, but then again I said the same thing about "Let Me In", so I could be completely wrong too. Regardless, this is a shocking, thought provoking, gut churning film that deserves your attention.



[REC] (2007)
Director: Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza

Remade here in America as “Quarantine”, “[REC]” takes the whole handheld camera horror genre to new degrees of creepy and terrifying. A young TV reporter and her cameraman are covering the overnight shift at a local firehouse, and caught in the action when they are dispatched to an apartment complex upon receiving a call of a woman trapped there and in trouble. Upon entering, they encounter the tenants, who have undergone a bizarre, almost zombie-esque transformation…and there’s no way out. I personally have never been much of a fan of the whole handheld camera horror sub-genre, but the way that “[REC]” does it adds some fresh ideas and some hardcore shocks to boot. Its grim denouement sets up a surprisingly good sequel (that was finally released on our shores just recently) as well as promises that there is more to come as the franchise has been a big hit in its native Spain. The “Quarantine” remake was practically a shot-by-shot remake of the original, only with crappy actors and watered down shocks; see “[REC]” instead.



SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
Director: Edgar Wright

No matter what your favorite film genre is, no matter what nationality you may be, you know this movie one way or another. Director Edgar Wright re-united with his a good chunk of his crew from his classic BBC series “Spaced” and proceeded to create one of the best horror comedies in recent memory. “Shaun of the Dead” finds lifelong British slackers Shaun (Simon Pegg) and Ed (Nick Frost) in the middle of a zombie outbreak as they rush to survive, while Shaun seeks to win back his long-suffering girlfriend in the process. With tons of odes, tributes, and acknowledgements to the zombie genre and its various creators (most notably George Romero), “Shaun of the Dead” was a smash international hit, and has become one of the most beloved and revered horror comedies…well, maybe ever. If you haven’t seen it, you must have been living under a rock for the past seven years.



Well, that’s all for now folks, so if you’ve become as tired of the dull American cinema as I have, do yourself a favor and check these films out if you can. And, just for shits and giggles, here are some other badass foreign flicks from the past decade that didn’t make the final cut, but are more than worth checking out regardless:

The Alien Girl
Antibodies
Cold Prey
Pan’s Labyrinth
The Orphanage
Them (Ils)
Timecrimes
Shiver
The Substitute
The Horseman
Red Hill
New Police Story
[REC] 2

Oldboy: A Spike Lee Joint...WHAT?!?!?!?!

Spike Lee is doing an Americanized remake of “Oldboy”.

Yes, you read that right…now let that sink in…

Spike fucking Lee is remaking “Oldboy”…what the fuck?

Not that I have anything against Spike Lee, granted that his films of late have been more miss than hit, but the fact remains that this is the absolute wrong guy to helm an Americanized remake of the 2004 Korean classic. Let’s face facts, “Do the Right Thing” was a hell of a long time ago, and to be totally honest, the only other film of his I actually dug was “Inside Man” a few years back, mostly because it lacked the typical Lee brand of racial undertones, and was a convincing and competently helmed thriller that still had a decent amount of flaws.

For those unfamiliar with “Oldboy”, the story of the film revolves around a drunkard who one night is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years. No explanation given, no reasoning, he’s just locked away in a room by unknown takers. After 15 years have passed, he is released just as abruptly as he was kidnapped, and is given five days by an unknown mastermind to seek his vengeance. What made “Oldboy” so damned good weren’t just the visceral thrills, it was the underlining themes that presented the extreme depths of the human soul, and featured one of the absolute most frightening and shocking twist and climax, and a conclusion that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Now a few years ago it was reported that Steven Spielberg was interested in directing an American take on the film with Will Smith (seriously) in the starring role, but that seemingly faded away. Now here we are in 2011, and it appears that it’s full steam ahead for “Oldboy: A Spike Lee Joint”. Like I said already, it’s not out of any disrespect for Lee, just the fact that there’s no way a mainstream American take on “Oldboy” can ever retain the flat-out ballsiness and shock value that the original film offers. I don’t want to give anything away spoiler-wise for anyone that hasn’t seen the film, but trust me when I say that this is something that would have to be extremely watered-down for mainstream American cinema consumption; so much so that it will more than likely bear little resemblance to the film that it’s based upon.

Now let it be known that it was only a little more than a year ago that there was an American remake of another foreign favorite of mine: “Let the Right One In” was made into “Let Me In”, and I practically boycotted the fact that it was getting an American remake. I had no desire or intention to see it, solely basing that on the fact that I figured there was no way that the remake could ever match the ballsiness and creativity of the original…and I wound up being completely wrong about “Let Me In” in the end. Maybe I’ll be wrong about a Spike Lee-directed remake of “Oldboy”, and maybe I’ll be doing another mea culpa further down the road like I did after watching “Let Me In”…



…but I doubt it.



On a further note, watch “Oldboy”; if you can only watch one foreign film in your whole life, this is the one to see. It’s easily found on DVD, and it’s currently available to stream on Netflix too. Trust me, you’ll be gripped to your seat and glued to the screen the whole running time.

Another mea culpa: I was wrong about "Let Me In"

Just a day or two ago I assembled a list here that featured a handful of things I was wrong about/shitty things I’ve done. In retrospect, I forgot about one thing that I didn’t make a “mea culpa” for, of which I’m now going to do right this instant. Ever hear of a film called “Let Me In”? It was in theaters not too long ago, and now it’s just arrived on the home video and download market. Now, I’ve decided to grit my teeth and give it a shot. If you don’t know anything about my hesitation to the film, read this:



"This is a record for me in terms of how short a time it's been between blog posts, but there is something that I just have to get off my fucking chest. A couple days ago the trailer for the upcoming vampire flick "Let Me In" found its way online. Despite my reservations about it, I watched it anyway out of the sake of morbid curiousity...and proceeded to scream obscenities at the top of my lungs afterward.

Why did this trailer for what appears to be an adult take on "Twilight" anger me so you may be asking? For those of you who don't know, "Let Me In" is a remake of the beloved and critically acclaimed 2008 Swedish film "Let the Right One In": a film that is equal parts shockingly beautiful, horrific, touching, and manages to get under your skin. "Let the Right One In" is a rare type of horror film that does more than provide shocks and scares to the audience, as it presents the newfound relationship/friendship between an abused and neglected pre-teen boy and a decades old vampire girl who has just come to town. While that synopsis only really scratches the surface of what "Let the Right One In" is about, the themes of alienation, revenge, young love, and heartbreaking loss are what really help set the film apart from others of its ilk.

Seeing something special like "Let the Right One In" be remade for mass American audience consumption isn't surprising in the least to be totally honest, but can't well enough just be let the fuck alone?!?! Besides changing the title and names of the characters (which is understandable to a degree considering the transcontinental translation and blah blah fucking blah), "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves was hired to helm this remake, which by the looks of the trailer appears to have viewed the original film repeatedly. How can I tell you may ask? Because there are so many shots in the trailer that don't just mirror shots in "Let the Right One In", but flat out just copy them and rip them off for lack of a better term. This isn't anything new when it comes to remakes though, since just a few months ago horror auteur Wes Craven lit into those behind the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake for doing the exact same thing. Yes, originality is officially dead in the film making world (don't get me started on remakes again...). Sure, it may have Hit-Girl from "Kick-Ass" as the vamp and the kid from "The Road", but that's as much promise as this thing can hope to have.

So let's go back to just why would anyone want to remake "Let the Right One In" for mass consumption? In an interview with FearNet, producer Simon Oakes stated that,

"...the story was so great, so beautiful, that it should be seen by a bigger audience. So I was always saying to myself, people in Manhattan have seen it, guys like you [genre journalists/fans] because it's in your wheelhouse, in New York, in Chicago, in Chelsea, in Notting Hill, in London but no one in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Bristol or Idaho or Pittsburgh has seen this film. It's a story that needs to be seen by a wider audience. Then it came down to [the question], how do you achieve that? By paying homage to the original."

"Paying homage"? Are you fucking serious? You don't pay homage to something by directly copying/ripping off the shots of the original film! Gus Van Sant did just that for his 1998 remake of "Psycho", before admitting what a mistake he had made in doing so. Plenty of directors, from Brian DePalma to Clint Eastwood, have paid homage to classic directors and classic films in their works by replicating bits of scenes and/or shots, but 99% of the time it's done in an admirable and even affectionate way. From what can be seen in the trailer for "Let Me In", this isn't so, and just comes off as a quick way to take something good, and water it down for American audiences to digest, as vampire flicks these days are all the rage, and here's another way for a studio (in this case Icon) to cash in.

At this point I would say that I may be alone in my feelings about "Let Me In", but I know for a fact that I'm not. Every person I've spoken with about "Let the Right One In" being remade feels the exact same way, and that isn't an overreactive statement on my part either. Granted that tons of great foreign films get Americanized remakes and have for quite some time now. Some you may be shocked to know that "Reservoir Dogs", "Desperado", "The Departed", and "Inglourious Basterds" among others are Americanized remakes, but for the most part they have many factors that are similar to the originals from which they are based, while also managing to do something different in the process. One can tell already just from the trailer alone that "Let Me In" isn't along those lines.

You may think I'm overreacting, you may think that "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover" or "the trailer looks interesting", which I would agree with had I never heard of the original film or seen it. However, I remember seeing trailers for flicks like "Terminator: Salvation" and "Diary of the Dead" which looked awesome, and turned out to be big steaming piles of horseshit. If I'm wrong about "Let Me In" being any different from being a steaming pile of shit, then I'm wrong and we can all chalk it up to me being too much of a film geek/snob, but if I'm right...well, that'll be something of a rarity won't it?

One thing we can all be certain about though, is that no matter what, nobody here is gonna sparkle"



That was a blog post I made a few months ago when the film was due to come out. Now let it be said that, as if you can’t already obviously fucking tell, is that I love the original “Let the Right One In”; it’s not only my favorite foreign horror film ever, but it may well be my favorite foreign film ever PERIOD. With that in mind, you can understand my severe reprehension about an Americanized remake that I felt for sure would kill any of the originality and ballsiness that made the original so goddamn good. Hell, I was sure that it would be awful…

…well folks, I was dead wrong.

“Let Me In” does so much justice to “Let the Right One In” that it’s almost nearly as brilliant a film. Director Matt Reeves was quoted as saying that he wanted to pay as much homage and do as much justice to the original that he could, and he succeeds mightily. The ballsy storytelling, the creeping death atmosphere, and the overall just plain fucked up love story between a bullied pre-teen boy and a centuries-old vampire forever trapped in the body of a 12 year old girl. And just like the original film, “Let Me In” is surprisingly touching and heart wrenching amidst all the blood-letting, and may very well be the best American remake of a foreign film in the history of fucking ever.

If you’ve never seen “Let Me In” but desire to do so, I suggest watching the original “Let the Right One In” first and foremost. It’s still the better film between the two, but make no mistake that the remake is a wonderful surprise in itself.

I was wrong, dead wrong. Do yourself a favor and put both films on your viewing list.

Fuck "Let Me In", fuck it fuck it fuck it all to hell!!!

This is a record for me in terms of how short a time it's been between blog posts, but there is something that I just have to get off my fucking chest. A couple days ago the trailer for the upcoming vampire flick "Let Me In" found its way online. Despite my reservations about it, I watched it anyway out of the sake of morbid curiousity...and proceeded to scream obscenities at the top of my lungs afterward.

Why did this trailer for what appears to be an adult take on "Twilight" anger me so you may be asking? For those of you who don't know, "Let Me In" is a remake of the beloved and critically acclaimed 2008 Swedish film "Let the Right One In": a film that is equal parts shockingly beautiful, horrific, touching, and manages to get under your skin. "Let the Right One In" is a rare type of horror film that does more than provide shocks and scares to the audience, as it presents the newfound relationship/friendship between an abused and neglected pre-teen boy and a decades old vampire girl who has just come to town. While that synopsis only really scratches the surface of what "Let the Right One In" is about, the themes of alienation, revenge, young love, and heartbreaking loss are what really help set the film apart from others of its ilk.

Seeing something special like "Let the Right One In" be remade for mass American audience consumption isn't surprising in the least to be totally honest, but can't well enough just be let the fuck alone?!?! Besides changing the title and names of the characters (which is understandable to a degree considering the transcontinental translation and blah blah fucking blah), "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves was hired to helm this remake, which by the looks of the trailer appears to have viewed the original film repeatedly. How can I tell you may ask? Because there are so many shots in the trailer that don't just mirror shots in "Let the Right One In", but flat out just copy them and rip them off for lack of a better term. This isn't anything new when it comes to remakes though, since just a few months ago horror auteur Wes Craven lit into those behind the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake for doing the exact same thing. Yes, originality is officially dead in the film making world (don't get me started on remakes again...). Sure, it may have Hit-Girl from "Kick-Ass" as the vamp and the kid from "The Road", but that's as much promise as this thing can hope to have.

So let's go back to just why would anyone want to remake "Let the Right One In" for mass consumption? In an interview with FearNet, producer Simon Oakes stated that,

"...the story was so great, so beautiful, that it should be seen by a bigger audience. So I was always saying to myself, people in Manhattan have seen it, guys like you [genre journalists/fans] because it's in your wheelhouse, in New York, in Chicago, in Chelsea, in Notting Hill, in London but no one in Glasgow or Edinburgh or Bristol or Idaho or Pittsburgh has seen this film. It's a story that needs to be seen by a wider audience. Then it came down to [the question], how do you achieve that? By paying homage to the original."

"Paying homage"? Are you fucking serious? You don't pay homage to something by directly copying/ripping off the shots of the original film! Gus Van Sant did just that for his 1998 remake of "Psycho", before admitting what a mistake he had made in doing so. Plenty of directors, from Brian DePalma to Clint Eastwood, have paid homage to classic directors and classic films in their works by replicating bits of scenes and/or shots, but 99% of the time it's done in an admirable and even affectionate way. From what can be seen in the trailer for "Let Me In", this isn't so, and just comes off as a quick way to take something good, and water it down for American audiences to digest, as vampire flicks these days are all the rage, and here's another way for a studio (in this case Icon) to cash in.

At this point I would say that I may be alone in my feelings about "Let Me In", but I know for a fact that I'm not. Every person I've spoken with about "Let the Right One In" being remade feels the exact same way, and that isn't an overreactive statement on my part either. Granted that tons of great foreign films get Americanized remakes and have for quite some time now. Some you may be shocked to know that "Reservoir Dogs", "Desperado", "The Departed", and "Inglourious Basterds" among others are Americanized remakes, but for the most part they have many factors that are similar to the originals from which they are based, while also managing to do something different in the process. One can tell already just from the trailer alone that "Let Me In" isn't along those lines.

You may think I'm overreacting, you may think that "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover" or "the trailer looks interesting", which I would agree with had I never heard of the original film or seen it. However, I remember seeing trailers for flicks like "Terminator: Salvation" and "Diary of the Dead" which looked awesome, and turned out to be big steaming piles of horseshit. If I'm wrong about "Let Me In" being any different from being a steaming pile of shit, then I'm wrong and we can all chalk it up to me being too much of a film geek/snob, but if I'm right...well, that'll be something of a rarity won't it?

One thing we can all be certain about though, is that no matter what, nobody here is gonna sparkle :)