Let’s face it, 90% of all horror remakes suck. They take whatever original ideas worked in the original series or film and dilute them to the simplest form, add in some extra gore or skin to reel in the current horror buffs and then they call it a day. Horror remakes can be the most profitable films out there, but they also tend to be the worst. We can’t change what has already been made (or should I say remade?), but we can hope for better sequels. Sequels that share closer similarities with the originals in terms of creating fresh ideas for a series or character, while also paying proper dues to films that have come before it.
If we as an audience have to sit through all of these countless remakes that range from faithful R-rated adaptations that cherry pick ideas from the original films or PG-13 treatments of classics that could only get away with a hard R, then we should sure as hell have a say in where the direction of these said films should go. Before fully cracking into my basic ideas for how to make a successful sequel to a horror remake I feel like I should add a little context to some recent horror remakes that made me randomly want to write this article in the first place.
Friday the 13th is without a doubt one of the most iconic slasher series’ of all time. The original film might not be what we think of when we see the hockey mask killer, but the series as a whole changed the horror landscape. It increased the gore and nudity intake on a high scale and for the mainstream audiences, which lead to countless sequels that were both creative and fun and even sometimes tired and boring. I actually enjoyed some of the series’ later entries, like the redheaded stepchild Jason X and the problematic Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
The remake was bound to happen and instead of fearing it completely I remained slightly hopeful. Mostly because I’m more of a Freddy fan, but also because remaking Jason should be the simplest task, when compared to the other horror greats. You really only need to cast someone to play Jason and then insert enough clever kills and buildup to please the die-hard fans. Blood and tits are totally acceptable this time around, but you must never cheapen on the kills.
Marcus Nispel directed the remake and the biggest problem here is easily the open disregard towards the character. They attempt too hard to change things for no good reason and then they add on an almost moronic set of characters to an already pointless script. We get to see Jason slaughter, but we also have to sit through lots of bullshit that I’d never thought I’d have to see in a Friday the 13th film. Like I said before, I’m not the biggest Jason fan, which simply meant I should have been one of the easiest to please for this franchise restart, but not once did it feel like I was watching a Friday the 13th film and instead just another generic slasher, but this time with that trademark hockey mask.
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