(Photo by Universal. SPEAK NO EVIL.)
The idea of a horror movie remake probably terrifies you. Not because you think of horror remakes as particularly scary, but because so often they can be scarily bad – think 0%-ers like Day of the Dead from 2018 and 2016’s Cabin Fever, or 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (you’ve wiped it from your memory, but it starred Rooney Mara – ! – and earned 15% on the Tomatometer, a 79% drop from the Certified Fresh original).
But not all horror remakes are terrible; some, in fact, are genre standouts in their own right. They can be smart translations of foreign horror hits, movies that take a scarily effective premise and seamlessly apply it to American society (The Ring, Let Me In, We Are What We Are). They can be clever updates of classics that find new and relevant terrors in old story beats (The Thing, Dawn of the Dead). They can be wildly different new takes (Suspiria). Or they can be simply brilliant, and top their source material (Evil Dead 2, which, despite its title, is considered by many to be a remake of Evil Dead 1).
In the past few years, we got a Hellraiser (the first one to be pinned Fresh since the 1987 original), and many were skeptical of a Speak No Evil remake coming so soon after the original, but that one managed to talk up a Certified Fresh badge. They join the ranks of the below Fresh horror remakes – all Fresh, and ranked by Tomatometer – the rare scary retreads and reinventions that connected with critics and scared the s–t out of audiences.
#1
Adjusted Score: 100324%
Critics Consensus: Stunning visuals from Werner Herzog and an intense portrayal of the famed bloodsucker from Klaus Kinski make this remake of Nosferatu a horror classic in its own right.
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#2
Adjusted Score: 100470%
Critics Consensus: David Cronenberg combines his trademark affinity for gore and horror with strongly developed characters, making The Fly a surprisingly affecting tragedy.
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#3
Adjusted Score: 100351%
Critics Consensus: Employing gritty camerawork and evocative sound effects, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a powerful remake that expands upon themes and ideas only lightly explored in the original.
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#4
Adjusted Score: 97641%
Critics Consensus: Similar to the original in all the right ways — but with enough changes to stand on its own — Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn’t add insult to inspiration.
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#5
Adjusted Score: 95875%
Critics Consensus: Less a continuation than an outright reimagining, Sam Raimi transforms his horror tale into a comedy of terrors — and arguably even improves on the original formula.
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#6
Adjusted Score: 89529%
Critics Consensus: A compelling story cleverly told, We Are What We Are quenches horror buffs’ thirst for gore while serving up serious-minded filmmaking and solid acting.
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#7
It (2017)
85%
Adjusted Score: 106813%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and fiendishly frightening with an emotionally affecting story at its core, It amplifies the horror in Stephen King’s classic story without losing touch with its heart.
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#8
Adjusted Score: 93492%
Critics Consensus: Grimmer and more terrifying than the 1950s take, John Carpenter’s The Thing is a tense sci-fi thriller rife with compelling tension and some remarkable make-up effects.
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#9
Adjusted Score: 96205%
Critics Consensus: Harnessing sick suspense from the glimmer in James McAvoy’s eye, Speak No Evil is the rare remake that hushes up concerns of “been there, done that.”
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#10
Adjusted Score: 82390%
Critics Consensus: A kinetic, violent and surprisingly worthy remake of George Romero’s horror classic that pays homage to the original while working on its own terms.
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#11
Adjusted Score: 79683%
Critics Consensus: Smart and stylish, Cape Fear is a gleefully mainstream shocker from Martin Scorsese, with a terrifying Robert De Niro performance.
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#12
Adjusted Score: 78972%
Critics Consensus: Playing exactly to expectations for a movie about killer fish run amok, Piranha 3-D dishes out gore, guffaws and gratuitous nudity with equal glee.
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#13
Adjusted Score: 79073%
Critics Consensus: It may not have been necessary to remake the 1985 cult classic, but the new Fright Night benefits from terrific performances by Colin Farrell and David Tennant — and it’s smart, funny, and stylishly gory to boot.
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#14
Adjusted Score: 78162%
Critics Consensus: With little gore and a lot of creepy visuals, The Ring gets under your skin, thanks to director Gore Verbinski’s haunting sense of atmosphere and an impassioned performance from Naomi Watts.
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#15
Adjusted Score: 76959%
Critics Consensus: Tense, nicely shot, and uncommonly intelligent, The Crazies is a horror remake that, unusually, works.
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#16
Adjusted Score: 73357%
Critics Consensus: Body Snatchers may not topple previous adaptions, but it boasts an effective sense of dread and strong characterizations.
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#17
Adjusted Score: 75463%
Critics Consensus: Competently made, but everything is a bit too familiar.
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#18
Adjusted Score: 80355%
Critics Consensus: Overblown in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola’s vision of Bram Stoker’s Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations — and features some terrific performances to boot.
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#19
Adjusted Score: 76627%
Critics Consensus: I Am Legend overcomes questionable special effects and succeeds largely on the strength of Will Smith’s mesmerizing performance.
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#20
Adjusted Score: 70199%
Critics Consensus: Night of the Living Dead doesn’t quite reinvent the original’s narrative, but its sleek action and amplified gore turn it into a worthy horror showcase.
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#21
Adjusted Score: 74722%
Critics Consensus: A gift for long-suffering fans after numerous subpar sequels, David Bruckner’s Hellraiser unlocks the puzzle box for getting this franchise back on the right track.
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#22
Adjusted Score: 66491%
Critics Consensus: It may occasionally mistake more gore for genuine terror, but The Town That Dreaded Sundown is just stylish and clever enough to justify this second stab at the source material.
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#23
Adjusted Score: 83674%
Critics Consensus: Suspiria attacks heady themes with garish vigor, offering a viewing experience that’s daringly confrontational – and definitely not for everyone.
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#24
Adjusted Score: 70780%
Critics Consensus: Paul Schrader’s kinky reimagining of Cat People may prove too grisly and lurid for some audiences, but its provocative style and Natassja Kinski’s hypnotic performance should please viewers who like a little gasoline with their fire.
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#25
Adjusted Score: 68128%
Critics Consensus: In this creepy story of a man and his rodents, Glover seems born to play the oddball title character.
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#26
Adjusted Score: 72367%
Critics Consensus: It may lack the absurd humor that underlined the original, but the new-look Evil Dead compensates with brutal terror, gory scares, and gleefully bloody violence.
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#27
Adjusted Score: 65919%
Critics Consensus: This gory, senses-assaulting slasher film is an unpretentious, effective mix of old-school horror stylings and modern 3D technology.
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