Upcoming Horror Remakes

Seems the most politically correct word in Hollywood Horror these days is "REMAKE". Just so happens one mention of that word and the stomachs of horror fans everywhere begin to churn. If you know me, you know that there are remakes that I really enjoyed and remakes that I would rather nail my own tongue to a table than ever watch again.

That said, everyone in the horror blogging biz knows that at any given time, there are no less than two dozen or so horror remakes in various stages of development. What? This surprises you?? Below is a list of pre or post production movies that caught MY attention. Some could use a remake and others should remain the cinema gold they are. Grab the tissues and prepare yourself.

An American Werewolf in London: In June 2009, it was announced that Dimension Films was working on this one. As of right now, there is still no information on who will write, direct or even star in the remake of this classic 1981werewolf tale.
(This one could possibly benefit from a remake. I enjoyed the original but at the same time, given all of the advances in film these days, would love to see where a remake could go. Depending on who they bring on, it could be great or it could completely flop.)

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: As of March 2008, the creators of askaninja.com were writing a script for this remake of the super low budget 1978 horror comedy. No further movement has been reported.
(Why?!? What purpose does a remake serve? Are they under the assumption that they could possibly make it better? It's about fucking killer tomatoes!!! Jesus Christ!)

The Birds: The Michael Bay led production company responsible for several recent horror remakes is in pre-production on a big budget redo of the Hitchcock classic. It was originally slated to star Naomi Watts, with Martin Campbell in talks to direct for a summer 2009 release. It has since been pushed back to 2013 and Campbell has left the project.
(This one, in my opinion, is one of those classics that should be locked away in a vault and never, EVER remade. It's Hitchcock for shit sake!)

The Blob: After remaking Halloween in 2007, director Rob Zombie announced that he was turning his attention to redoing the 1958 monster movie The Blob. No word on a date but 2012 seems likely.
(I grew up with the 1988 version of this film and later watched the original. I'm not crazy about what Rob Zombie did with Halloween so I'm not sure what to expect from this one. We'll see I guess.)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: It was reported in May 2009 that a "relaunch" of the vampire comedy was being considered but the project still remains in the very early pre-production stages.
(I'm torn with this one. Not sure if a re"vamp" of this one will help or hurt. I think the TV show starring Sarah Michelle Gellar totally surpassed it's big screen namesake.)

Children of the Corn: Just as a made-for-tv remake of the 1984 Stephen King adaptation was preparing to air on SyFy, Dimension Films announced their plans to do a theatrical remake. No release date has been set but Ehren Kruger has been tapped to write the script.
(AGAIN? Hasn't this one been done like 20 times already. Give it a rest!)

Child's Play: Things with this remake are very early at this stage. But if and when this landmark killer doll film does get remade, it will come from the same people who started it. Don Mancini and David Kirschner and that is something that can't be said about most other remakes. Don't expect to see anything before 2011.
(It's rumored that Catherine Hicks, Brad Douriff and Jennifer Tilly may be coming back to bring this remake back into the spotlight. Let's just hope it's better than that last one or I might have to ask Chucky for his Horror Card back.)

Creature From the Black Lagoon: This remake was originally scheduled to debut in late 2008 but plans were delayed due to the writer's strike and is now tentatively scheduled for 2011. Carl Rinsch has been brought in to direct with Gary Ross doing the script.
(My feelings on this one are much the same as An American Werewolf in London. A remake could possibly launch this one in a whole different direction. I bet an updated "Creature" would look awesome!)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: In May 2009, it was announced that Katie Holmes would star in this big-screen remake of the 1973 TV movie in which a young girl discovers creatures living in her father's home. Guy Pearce is set to co-star with Guillermo del Toro producing and co-writing. Expected to release in 2011.
(Any time I think of Katie Holmes, I think of Tom Cruise and he's become so over the top oogy in my book that it's hard for me to take her seriously in any role much less a horror movie. Not to mention that dancing thing last year? YIKES!)

The Fly: In September 2009 reports were swirling that David Cronenberg was in negotiations to remake his own remake although nothing has been finalized.
(Really? What is the sense? Are the people of Hollywood just trying to get rid of some film rolls? I'm sure they could donate them to a film school or something!)

Fright Night: It was announced in May 2009 that DreamWorks was doing a remake of the 80's vampire movie. In March 2010, Craig Gillespie was hired to direct and in April 2010, Anton Yelchin was tapped to star. Today, it was announced that Collin Farrell was brought in to play the part of Jerry Dandrige and Toni Collette is set to play Charley's mother.
(Given a pretty decent cast, this remake could turn out to be one of the best of the year. I'm actually looking forward to this one.)

The Gate: Alex Winter, Bill from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is directing this remake of the 1987 monster movie. It's reportedly suppose to be done in 3-D but given the small budget it's likely to have a 2011 straight to DVD release.
(Ok, #1, if you're going to remake a "cult classic" like The Gate, at least have a big enough budget to get it to the big screen. #2 Can a 3-D movie actually be considered low budget? #3.... I don't even have a #3. I'm so depressed.)

I Spit on Your Grave: This one has already finished shooting and is set to release in September this year. Click here to watch the trailer.
(This one, I'm a bit excited about. It's all riding on whether not Steven Monroe is able to get that same intensity the original had. We'll be watching!)

Night of the Demons: Shooting began in September 2008 with a cast that includes Edward Furlong, Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Keena. Filming has completed and the trailer has been released. It was slated for release in October 2009 then pushed back to February 2010 and has been pushed back again to September 2010.
(I know some people who were able to sit in on a screening of this film. One said it was messy and lazily done, the other said it was okay but nothing special. I probably watched the original 100 times and loved it. Don't know why but I did. We'll see what they've done with it. I'm not that crazy about Shannon Elizabeth but I'm sure the guys will love it!!)

Pet Sematary: In March 2010 Matthew Greenberg was brought in to revive this long gestating project. It was once rumored that George Clooney would star but that never panned out.
(Hey Hollywood, here's an idea... Leave our horror movies alone!!!!! I don't see anyone jumping at the gut to remake Gone with the Wind or Casablanca! Just back off and get some ideas of your own!)

Piranha 3-D: Scheduled for release in August 2009, filming on this remake of the 1978 killer fish tale has already completed and the trailer has been released.
(As far as I remember from the original it was kind of a low budget to begin with so a remake might do it some good. We'll let you know what we think!)

Poltergeist: In 2008 MGM brought in Juliet Snowden and Stiles White to script this remake. Vadim Perelman has been hired to direct. No word on how faithful it will be to the original.
(*fingers in ears* LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA I can't hear you!! LALALALALALALALALALALALALA)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: MTV announced it's plans to remake this cult hit musical in July 2008. It's not clear yet if it will air on MTV or if it will be an MTV Films production for theatrical release.
(Isn't MTV the same people that brought us Beavis and Butthead? Do we really want to trust them to remake this clear classic??)

This is nowhere near the number of movies that are in the works to be remade as I type. These are just a few that kinda made me step back and wonder. In regards to most of them my thoughts were "WTF?!?!?" but there are a couple that I have The Crazies-est hopes for. Badada... get it? No?? Ok.

As we are here to deliver any and all news that comes to our attention and to review movies for our readers *looks to Horror Haven* We have readers right? Oh well, we are dedicated to suffering through them all to bring you our thoughts.

Feel free to comment below and let us know what remake you're looking forward to or dreading.