Remakes and Sequels: Are they really necessary?
/In the year 2019, when all the Hollywood studios have clearly run out of ideas, getting remakes, reboots and terrible sequels is just inevitable at this point. A lot of horror and slasher films have sadly fallen victim to this.
Image Credit: https://letterboxd.com/film/black-christmas/
The original Black Christmas from 1974 is still, to me, one of the best slasher films ever to be made. The movie was inspired by a series of killings that happened in Montreal, Quebec and also an urban legend from the 1960s titled “The babysitter and the man upstairs.”
Black Christmas was one of the first slasher movies I watched, and I was truly terrified by it. One of the best parts was the fact that they never once revealed who the killer was, making it all the more creepy. I went years without knowing that a remake even existed (mainly because I was way too young to be watching slasher movies when it came out.)
So I finally sat down and watched 2006’s Black Christmas with high hopes, and was extremely disappointed. The film is very dull and boring, and it’s clear I wasn’t the only one who thought so. The film received negative reviews and only has a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although, it’s clear that no one in Hollywood has learned their lesson, as another remake of Black Christmas is set to hit theatres in mid December.
Image Credit: https://www.cinemablend.com/new/American-Psycho-Ending-What-Really-Happened-70126.html
2000’s American Psycho was another unbelievably iconic film that never fails to give me the creeps, but did you know there is actually a continuation of the plot?
If you said no, I wouldn't blame you. 2002’s American Psycho 2: All American Girl is possibly one of the worst sequels (if you could even call it that) I have ever seen in my entire life.
The film was originally supposed to be its own original plot, having absolutely nothing to do with American Psycho, and it was adapted from a script titled The Girl Who Wouldn't Die. After the majority of the movie was already filmed, for some reason, they decided to change the plot and make it a sequel.
On its own, I do believe the film could have worked great as a stand alone feature, so the need to tie it to American Psycho was not necessary. Within the first two minutes of this movie, it completely destroys everything the first movie had spent time building up.
While yes, there are a lot of horror remakes and sequels I do hate, there are actually a few I don’t mind and maybe even enjoy watching. The remake of Evil Dead from 2013 was done quite well and is surprisingly one of my favourite movies. Even 2009’s My Bloody Valentine shocked me. Yet, there are just some films that have already been done, and done well. So just because it was loved and praised once, does not mean it will be again.
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Kaitlin Franks
Kaitlin is in her second year of the Professional Writing program at Algonquin. She has a deep love for all things horror, paranormal, and is also a huge fan of slasher films. If these things interest you, follow Kaitlin’s blog posts!
