September MONSTROUS QUESTION – Response # 1
THE MONSTROUS QUESTION OF THE MONTH – SEPTEMBER 2010
(Monstrous Questions provided by Michael Arruda)
As we discussed in our initial Monstrous Question back in May, remakes are all the rage these days. Heck, in 2010 alone we’ve seen PIRANHA 3D, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE CRAZIES and THE WOLFMAN, and the year’s not even done yet.
When we hear about these remakes, most of the time we moan and groan because in most cases, the originals were really good movies that we really loved! Why mess with perfection, right?
Now, most of these original classics were so good they inspired sequels, and sometimes entire franchises. Often, it’s the sequel that failed to measure up.
I got to thinking that the filmmakers have got it all wrong. Why keep remaking these superior originals? Why not remake the inferior sequel?
So, I ask you, for the SEPTEMBER MONSTROUS QUESTION OF THE MONTH: If you could remake one sequel, what would it be? Why? And lastly, for some added fun, what are some of the changes/improvements you’d make?
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RESPONSE # 1
NICK CATO:
I know I’ll be ostracized for this, but here goes:
If there’s one remake I wish they could do all over, it would be EVIL DEAD 2 (1987).
Before you newbies kick me out of the horror community, hear me out: EVIL DEAD (1983) was the first gore film that I found to be scary; the gore was off the wall, but the atmosphere and seriousness is what made it such a classic film. I remember leaving the theater on opening night thrilled that there was finally an all-out bloodbath that those who don’t care for gore films might actually like…and many did.
So when the sequel was released, I’ll never forget sitting in the theater thinking, “MAN—why are they doing this?” Sure, EVIL DEAD 2 has a lot of fun scenes and FX, but why they made it so humorous is beyond me—and this coming from someone who loves humorous horror. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s SILLY remakes. EVIL DEAD 2 and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986) are the biggest culprits.
If I was at the helm of EVIL DEAD 2, I would have done everything possible to keep the serious tone of the original. For me, the humor desecrated what could have been a great, scary series. (Sorry folks—while I enjoyed ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993) for what it was, I was still fuming over EVIL DEAD 2, and to this day haven’t been able to give it a fair viewing).
Okay—heading back to the cabin to hang with the real horror fans…
—END—
September 22, 2010 at 3:30 am
You make an excellent point on it’s over-the-top humor. I would have preferred something more serious like the first one, too. But I still LOVE Bruce Campbell!
September 22, 2010 at 4:27 am
At the time, there was not a sequel in existence that disappointed me more than EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC. The Exorcist was the scariest film I had ever seen, I had loved the book and wished the movie would have been three hours and showed every second of the book’s action. But when I got to finally see it at a theater in Boston (Rhode Island had no first run theaters at the time) I was happy it wasn’t three hours because I was so damn scared I had my eyes covered through most of it and couldn’t wait for it to end. When I finally did watch the whole thing with my eyes open, I was amazed at the special effects and how sincere and well acted the film was, you really felt for the characters and couldn’t believe what they were going through right before your eyes. I was at many sold out houses of the movie, and I’ll never forget how the audiences used to break out with nervous laughter after some of the shocking scenes, it was really a shared experience on a large scale and a truly top notch horror film, that was up for Oscars and every kind of award that year.
Well then along came The Heretic. Again, a top cast of actors led by Richard Burton and Louise Fletcher, a great director in John Boorman, what could go wrong? Plenty. This was the first time in my life, at age eighteen, that I learned just how much Hollywood can fuck up in making an A-list movie. The plot was ridiculous, with an older Linda Blair being used as a sex object at one point by the priest, and her mother’s assistant, played by Kitty Winn, becoming the bad guy at the end, Richard Burton yelling “Pazzuzu” the whole movie in his welsh accent, and an inexplicable storm of locusts attacking Max Von Sydow. Uggh! The whole thing was just a mess.
I would remake that film with a serious plot and better writing, perhaps another case of possession involving a boy this time in a totally different setting. They had nothing going for them. The Exorcist was such a phenomenon when it came out and was so unique, it was always very hard to have a follow up that matched its tension and atmosphere. They shouldn’t have tried to piece together a stupid plot with Regan and some of the same characters in the same setting. I still contend they needed a whole new story. I’m still angry about this one.
But nowhere near as angry as I was when I walked out of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village… but that’s a response to another Monstrous Question, for another time.
September 22, 2010 at 11:04 am
Normally I hate silly horror too (like the remake of 2000 Maniacs). But EVIL DEAD 2 worked for me. Maybe because Raimi is such a huge Three Stooges fan and the comedy is so over the top, that I didn’t consider it silly, but more as a real horror comedy. I’m surprised you didn’t like, it Nick. I agree about Texas Chainsaw 2 (as you’ll see).
Richard – I totally get where you’re coming from about Exorcist 2. I know a lot of people consider it a good film, but in this case it was such a departure from the original, and so not scary, that it was a complete letdown for me too. After the pure intensity of the first movie, the sequel just seemed very weak.
I hope more readers comment and share their own thoughts on sequels that should be remade. The MONSTROUS QUESTION is a good chance for fans of the site to add their own opinions.
September 22, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Richard—I agree 100% on Exorcist 2—at least Part 3 and the newer sequels/prequels were done seriously.
knife: Like I said, I( went in expecting to be scared…I almost felt like the producers figured they’d never come close to the tone of the original so they just (pardon my French) jerked off. AND, they never DID capture the feel of the first one.