remakes are good, actually

Today we talking (mostly horror) remakes, reboots, re-imaginings: why they're made and whether we should be a bit more open to them?
Hope you enjoy and stick around!
You can find me on Letterboxd (and sometimes on Instagram) @rachellydiab
links/sources mentioned:
www.vox.com/20...
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www.syfy.com/s...
screenrant.com...
Music attribution:
Eastminster by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon....
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Restless Dreams by myuu ( / myuu ) is licensed under a Creative Commons
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Mood: Sad ➪ goo.gl/H42S5d
Dead Man's Opera by Silencyde ( / silencyde ) is licensed under a Creative Commons license
Artist: Silencyde ➪ goo.gl/8QobO6
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Mood: Dramatic ➪ goo.gl/m2zSyH
Ohm by Audionautix (audionautix.com) is licensed under a Creative Commons license
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Mood: Inspirational - goo.gl/AcWGu7
Restless Dreams by myuu ( / myuu ) is licensed under a Creative Commons
Artist: myuu ➪ goo.gl/fsnGiH
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Mood: Sad ➪ goo.gl/H42S5d
Air Hockey Saloon by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon....
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Blue Feather - Reunited by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon....
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Mermaid by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon....
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At the Foot of the Sphinx by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon....
Artist: www.twinmusicom...

[@JC_Cali]

I absolutely loved your chaotic theatre-kid coded energy - as you basically said: IT DEPENDS, duh

[@rachellydiab]

hahahahah am I the 2020 remake of the invisible man because you just saw right through me

[@JC_Cali]

@@rachellydiab you might as well be cuz you deserve an award 🏆

[@DimitrisChristeas]

Yet another excellent, nuanced video with such great points regarding the different circumstances under which remakes are created. In terms of Suspiria, I remember Tilda Swinton saying she views Guadagnino's version as a 'cover' and I thought it was such a apt way to refer to that film.

[@rachellydiab]

Thank you Dimitris! ps i replied on letterboxd (-:

[@Horrorzeit]

Amazing video as always! I would argue that Scream 5 is a Requel, as it is a mix of Reboot and Sequel. My wish for 2024 - more unique movies, no matter if there are good Remakes or not :D

[@rachellydiab]

Thank you!! And yes you’re right- i kind of ignored requels for the sake of ease but Scream 5 fits that perfectly. And agreed, just give us something fresh !

[@alicek5178]

I always feel like a heretic when I say that I enjoyed the Suspiria remake over the original, so it is wonderful to see others singing its praises!

[@rosieevans8960]

me too! I love the original as its beautiful and really creative, but the remake has so much to say and says it so gorgeously

[@CharlesH-t9r]

I feel the same about The night of the living dead remake I love both but to me, the remake is better

[@clownpendotfart]

You are indeed a heretic. Boring music, boring color scheme, an unfocused narrative without the clear protagonist of the original, and a lot of hubbub about the internal politics of a coven with no reason for the audience to care which witch winds up on top.

[@sawe7005]

I don’t know anyone other than me that says frothing at the mouth for something! Incredible I love

[@AHeartForHistory]

Loved this video! My favorite one of yours so far! Can't wait for the next one!

[@NessNayii]

My all time favourite film - Guadagnino's Suspiria - is a remake, and a plethora of other remakes populate my top twenty favourite flicks, so I can't realistically slate them as a concept. Oddly, the idea of them does irk me (just a tad) when I hear of another one on the horizon, and I think you nailed the reason why: we resent cynical cash grabs, which so many remakes blatantly are. Nonetheless, long may they continue, for amongst the buckets of poo is to be found the occasional cup cake...or something.

[@rachellydiab]

One of my favourites too! Thank you for watching, here's holding out for the next best remake (-:

[@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan]

It's far superior to the original. I love it as well. I wish more horror fans would give it a rewatch. There are some who are just too elitist in the fact that they claim to want something fresh and new, which is exactly what Suspiria 2018 is. They just can't get over their own egos to not enjoy something that is different.

[@NessNayii]

@@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan yeah, so many folks argue that they want something fresh and new, which doesn't spoon feed the audience, and instead respects their intelligence...then along comes Suspiria 2018, which (ironically, given that it's a remake) absolutely was fresh, original, and did anything but spoon feed the audience, and many wrote it off as trash. Now, I rarely say people 'don't get' a film just because they didn't like it - taste is subjective, and that's fine - but anyone saying that S'18 is stupid/vapid/any variation thereof (and many do say this) really did not get it. Sadly, a lot of the most vocal of its detractors were and are Argento fans. I love the original Suspiria - it's a visual and auditory delight - but it is afforded a level of grace for its flaws that few other films/director's enjoy, and the film is regarded as so sacred that a whole slew of people have denied themselves a potentially wonderful experience with Guadagnino's remake. Worse, they've put others off watching it too. It's a real shame, and Suspiria 2018 is definitely due a renaissance.

[@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan]

​@@NessNayii I have a huge problem with the auditory experience of the original. I feel like it's trying to oppress the senses and spoon feeding the audience instead of being subtle and allowing me to guess or wait for the horror. Telling me "Witch!" within the soundtrack gets annoying. There's a certain horror community on KZbin that I stopped watching and interacting with because the host told one of their panel guests not to try watching it again. I loathe that kind of mentality. The strange thing is that the host is a horror writer but couldn't put together the story of the remake. Or they didn't like it because it wasn't like the original. They said they saw it in the theater and didn't like it. Then watched it during their community commentary of it...but they were late and I don't believe they ever tried giving it another chance. The original isn't very good in my opinion because it is very light on storytelling. I enjoy it for what it is, but when I first watched the remake that was what I wanted from the original. The ironic thing is that the host tells everyone that Udo Kier's character gave perfect exposition for the original yet if you have seen the original that character is obviously wrong. The broken minds instead of broken mirrors explanation of what the character believes in is not supposed to be exposition because it doesn't actually give any relevance of the plot of the movie. It, in fact, completely contradicts what little story there is.

[@NessNayii]

@@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan yes, all fair commentary. Personally I enjoy the sensory overload aspect of the original, but your opinions of it are valid. I agree whole heartedly regards the narrative and characters. Kier's pop up exposition 'character' was positively eye rolling. Regards Guadagnino's remake: I too prefer it. Sadly, the reaction by the host of the community you mentioned is all too common. It's such a shame. In fact it's so frustrating that I did a video, in an attempt to help people understand some of the complexities, subtleties, and beauty hidden beneath the surface of the remake. It's called 'Peeling Back The Many Layers Of Suspiria (2018)'.

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

I feel about remakes (reboots, reimaginings, adaptations...) the same way I feel about song covers. some I dislike with a passion, some I like as much as the original and see as a worthy homage and some I actually like better than the original (as if the song has tried different people to perform it before it found the right one... Johnny Cashe's cover of "hurt"). the series of different versions of one film I'm currently exited about is "nosferatu". there was the first (an obvious adaptation of "Dracula" with serious copyright issues) by Murnau, starring Max Schreck, then there was the remake by Herzog starring Klaus Kinski, wich has brilliant images that the Murnau version doesn't have. it is it's own new flavour of the film. and now we get Eggers' version with Bill Skarsgard wich I am exited about because... Eggers! even though, because it is the first time that the director is not german.. I weirdly feel like losing a baby... I hope I won't have to admit that his version is the best. I hope it'll be only as good as the other two versions. the announcement of the new "nosferatu" has actually made me think of remakes more like covers. that's what I call them in my head now. (I wrote this before arriving at the very end of the video...) and there is a kind of remake that I think is actually pointless. and that is shooting a film/show again but this time in an american setting because? why? because people in america have a hard time understanding that the world is bigger than just america? really, why? what was the point of shooting "broadchurch" again and naming it "gracepoint"? granted, the plot was slightly different (it was nothing added though. it was only shortened)... and it was propably easy money for David Tennant with so many lines being the same... but.. why? do americans not watch stuff that is not set in america, with people speaking other forms of english than american english?

[@rachellydiab]

Hi again! I think covers are the perfect way to look at this, and there are always going to be greats and failures! Totally agree with Broadchurch!! That was so bizarre bc it wasn’t even created in a different language… I truly can’t comprehend why they made it

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

@@rachellydiab I'm a continental european and tend to completely miss hypes.. so I actually found gracepoint before broadchurch. and I liked gracepoint but when I found broadchurch I really couldn't understand why they had bothered to make gracepoint. I also hadn't expected that anyone would read my ramblings.. 😄

[@rachellydiab]

@@karowolkenschaufler7659 oh wild! I saw Gracepoint 2nd so it definitely fell flat… Didn’t mean to sneak up on u hahah, but thank u for watching\commenting 😇

[@nickcerezo8162]

The 2013 Evil Dead is my all time favorite movie, truly a great revision of the story

[@rachellydiab]

Agreed! V excited for Alvarez's Alien film to see if he keeps up the good track record 🤞🏻

[@clownpendotfart]

In that case, I don't think the original was all that good, so both the comedic sequels and serious remake were better. Evil Dead Rise was a step down though.

[@hishighnessarthur5936]

You're my fav movie essay channel rn :D (I think the evil dead remake deserves alot more praise, somehow no one I know has seen it) keep it going your videos are great!!! :3

[@rachellydiab]

Eeeee thank you!! 🧚‍♂

[@TheShepherdFilms]

Your comparison of Theater revival vs Cinema Reboot/Remake is wonderful. Your videos are definitely better than a lot of actual film school classes, love it.

[@nveshecco]

Oooo the theatre revival comparison is so big brain, touche bestie! Also the Mystic Museum in LA did this exhibit recently called "Y2Kills" and it really cemented for me how important those 2000s remakes are in the horror cannon...they're so mean and gross and entirely their own corner and I'm forever glad they exist! (and I still have TONS of them left to see..)

[@rachellydiab]

Hiii 💖💖 Big juicy brains only. That sounds sick, i’m still also catching up on them tbh but every single one i’ve watched I have loved - they have such a specific icky but enticing quality that I can’t put my finger on!!

[@TheShepherdFilms]

Questioning your own first impressions (preconceived notions) on anything is admirable(and something everyone should do regularly)...this is another amazing video with great content and an alluring presentation. I'm working my way through your backlog of videos. Cheers.

[@AkiVainio]

This is just random engagement, as I don't have the time to watch the video right now (you know, work), but in general I feel this is a good topic to discuss. Based on the thumbnail, Suspiria remake is just a great example of where someone had a vision of how to do something different with an idea and we should encourage that. Both of those movies have a place in the world. I get why someone would still like the original more, but the remake just does something wonderful with the same premise. One might argue that you could have just given it a new name, because the two movies are so different, but I also do think using the same name gives it some additional spice, because it gives you expectations, which it then subverts in some ways and embraces in others. Sorry, if I'm just regurgitating things from the video...

[@222astrid222]

You are so smart, a great writer , your voice is great , you’re cool and appealing- great insight. You’re going to have a huge channel

[@rachellydiab]

What a lovely thing to say, thank you 🙏🏻

[@cosa_oscura]

I love your channel and I’m always so floored that some of your videos don’t have thousands of views.

[@rachellydiab]

Thank you sm

[@alien777]

The ring was one if the best remakes of the last years.

[@jackclaque]

I'm loving your videos! Good analysis!

[@rachellydiab]

Hey thank you so much!

[@la_wren]

Suuuuch a good point about the plays continually being adapted but no one is ever mad about that while we get so heated about film remakes!

[@rachellydiab]

Right! It's definitely changed the way I think about it a bit 💭

[@alien777]

Maybe becouse a play is live?! You can not rewatch it 20 years or 40 years. It is like saying why are you not made about a new football game that is played. So i disagree to some degree.

[@la_wren]

@@alien777 yes! that's the same point I was making :) the changeability of live performance is what makes it interesting. I was just saying that I had never thought about plays in terms of "remakes"

[@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan]

I absolutely love the analogy of stage plays. I've never understood why people hate remakes. If they didn't care for the movie, that's fine. But to judge something before it's even been seen...?

[@clownpendotfart]

I think there's a huge difference: you can watch the original movie even years after it was made, but you can't watch a live performance from years ago.

[@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan]

@@clownpendotfart No analogy is 100% foolproof.

[@clownpendotfart]

@@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan It's not even close.

[@Nope2022HugeTheWarningFan]

@@clownpendotfart Ever seen a grown man's eyes roll?

[@AkiVainio]

No mention of Herzog's remake of Nosferatu.

[@karowolkenschaufler7659]

true. that is missing. and I think it is a good example of an homage. my first try watching the Murnau version was very exhausting to me. I didn't finish it. I wasn't used to the tempo and how silent films work. so I watched the Herzog version first, wich can easily stand on it's own feet with powerfull imagery. and then, through that I gave the Murnau version an other shot and have come to love it as well.

[@clownpendotfart]

Or that Eggers' previous film was another adaptation of the source material for Hamlet!

[@fenixdown22]

We like remakes as long as they're good :) Glad to find another person who didn't like GDT's Pinocchio!

[@h-donproductions3546]

Great video with some brilliant points made. I have a difficult relationship with direct remakes as in remaking essentially the same film over again with little to no creative reason. And my main reason for most of these is the simple fact that they are fundamentally irrelevant in comparison to the great original versions and to be in any way enjoyed it requires you not to have seen the original. I was furious when I took my wife to see Joker, then we came home and watched the King of Comedy and she said to me; “Oh this is just like Joker.” 😤😤😤 With that being said, sometimes a reimagining can be very interesting and sometimes very enjoyable. DePalma’s Dressed to Kill springs to mind as a truly great film which reimagines a classic like Hitchcock’s Psycho. I personally regard The Thing (1982) to be a reimagining of The Thing From Another World (1951) rather than a remake. Another World is a really good film but obviously The Thing is a masterpiece and I will die a happy man never seeing the 2011… whatever the fuck that shit was. I totally agree that the primary reason for these remakes is simply to make money with little creative imagining and the over saturation of them in the last fifteen years is clearly ridiculous. So my simple answer to this is not to complain or go all film bro nuts, but just simply ignore them. I saw the original and I loved it. The only time I’ll ever seek out a direct remake is when the original wasn’t that great in my opinion. Great video looking forward to seeing more.

[@johnrawten197]

To be honest I didn't think I would enjoy your vid as much as I did. You got a sub!

[@rachellydiab]

@@johnrawten197 I’m so glad you did! Thank you for watching (-:

[@TheShepherdFilms]

Hey a recommendation on a "reboot" (it's not a reboot but it is everything I would ever want from a reboot of Evil Dead) , It's called Deadstream, shoestring budget, sort of twitch streamer found footage, but the quality of writing, acting, and character work is far beyond that summary. If you haven't seen it, you should definately give it a watch.

[@s.f.nightingale1735]

What's kinda funny, is I haven't watched a disney remake since like beauty and the beast, because I just expect them to suck. But I loved the live action Cinderella. I enjoy the Ocean's series which are reboots, same with the Italian Job, though I don't like the original Ocean's, and haven't watched the Italian Job. I think your conclusion is spot on. It's also a little upsetting, because we're not inherently opposed to formulas in storytelling. Like almost an entire shelf of my family's movie collection is rom coms, those follow a formula meet cute, develop feelings, misunderstanding, resolution. Making things in a specific genre because it's popular is a broader version of what we dislike about remakes.

[@catsoup7820]

They could never make me hate you Girl on Film❤❤❤

[@rachellydiab]

😘😘😘

[@frigidlegumes]

I would actually LOVE to hear your thoughts on GDT's Pinnochio, as i felt very lukewarm on it myself and was surprised to find very little criticism of it 😅

[@clownpendotfart]

GDT seemed hostile to the source material, so he wanted to make something completely different. Verhoeven was hostile to Starship Troopers (which he didn't bother actually reading), and now you hear people on the internet saying the film was poorly received because people didn't realize it was satire, when Roger Ebert explicitly did realize that (it's just bad satire).

[@tpfang56]

I can agree that some of the early 2000s remakes are overhated. Personally, I actually feel that way about The Thing 2011. It’s nowhere near the OG, but it’s not bad either - a solid 7/10 and that’s even considering the poor CGI use that covered up the practical sfx. Mary Elizabeth Winstead can do no wrong and she’s such an underrated horror icon! I wish you talked more about the other INCREDIBLE remakes from the 70s/80s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers 78, The Fly 86, and The Blob 88. What makes those remakes so special is that the way they updated the originals to fit the era and, imo, are huge improvements on them in terms of characters, themes, filmmaking, etc. I don’t like the 50s Thing From Another World or the 50s Blob at all and think they’re some of the worse 50s sci-fi classics. The 50s Fly is pretty decent, but only the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers comes even close to the 70s remake. Oh, and that reminds me. Speak No Evil got a remake pretty much instantly, and it turned out to be pretty good. It’s not better than the original but many people hated the original’s ending, so it gave some people what they wanted. For me, it did a good job at doing its own thing.

[@Necrophadez]

You're seemingly the only other person who has the same opinion on Paris Hilton's House of Wax performance as mine.

[@rachellydiab]

she’s so good right!!

[@deidjpeidj]

YES! I struggle with some remakes but there are some that are really good in their own right. 2018 Suspiria & the US Ring adaptation really were well done to the point I like them as much as the originals. I thought the latter in particular did a great job of adapting the lead role of Reiko into Rachel in a way that made her more relatable to a western audience. I have a warm spot in my heart for the trashy remakes in the 00s or I would not have gotten my first tastes of horror films. I agree that House of Wax is a blast.

[@unknowntosociety01]

highly anticipating the new Crow movie.

[@rachellydiab]

@@unknowntosociety01 Likewise! good or bad i’ll be in that cinema with wide eyes

[@vins1979]

I feel the remarkable absence of Scarface!

[@rachellydiab]

Are you talking about the potential upcoming remake? hard to discuss the merits of a movie that doesn’t exist yet!

[@vins1979]

@@rachellydiab nope, I am talking about Brian De Palma's 1983 Scarface, with Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, that is a remake/re-imagining of Howard Hawks's 1932 Scarface. 🙂

[@rachellydiab]

@@vins1979 Oh wow, I wasn’t even aware that the 80s film was a remake itself! Definitely another example of a beloved remake that would be missed if we never made them at all

[@vins1979]

@@rachellydiab I KNOW! Not many people know that Brian De Palma's Scarface is actually a remake. This is a case in which the remake totally obscured the original. Same thing with Martin Scorsese's The Departed, which is a remake of the Chinese movie "Infernal Affair".

[@tiatitanic9302]

Subscribed :) love the content

[@rachellydiab]

Thank you 💜

[@alien777]

The omen remake lacks the atmosphere. In comparison it is bad, on its own it is ok. Suspiria is good, but i never watched the original. Old boy remake was the worst insult to the original movie and the autiance. Remaking a amazing movie is stupid. Remaking a forgotten movie or a bad or just ok movies can be turn out good.

[@CraftianMods]

Let Me In is probably my pick for the worst... more Hollywood slop when compared to Let The Right One In, one of my favourite films ever. Haven't seen the American version of Martyrs, although it looks hilariously bad and toothless. On the plus side though, Evil Dead 2013 freakin' rocks. The point is ultimately what reason the remake has to exist. Is it because English speakers are too lazy to read subtitles? Or is it something with genuine artistic license and intent? An interesting case between the two would be Haneke's Funny Games.

[@rachellydiab]

That’s so interesting, i loved let me in- but i saw it quite young so maybe now I’d feel differently! Evil dead does indeed rock so I’m with you there hahah And yes Funny Games is a bizarre one, i definitely plan on covering it in the future bc i absolutely adore both versions!

[@deaditeera]

Why’d you hate Del Toro’s Pinocchio? 😂

[@kimtaeyeon2848]

❤

[@lXedalinl]

Great remake was the Blob 80s version.

[@Mondomeyer]

I'll acknowledge when I like a remake; I've done so before, but the truth is that the overwhelming majority are terrible. I see remakes the same way I see pornos: There are some gems here and there, but is it really worth sorting through all the crap?

[@rachellydiab]

Hilarious comparison, thank you hahah.

[@Mondomeyer]

@rachellydiab You're welcome.

[@hankherer6177]

Are you Buffy?

[@jarelllevingston7882]

Those 2000s horror remakes are fine, because the originals are bad too. Halloween, Friday the 13th, House of Wax, etc…

[@rachellydiab]

this is a sizzling take and i have half a mimd to agree! I think there’s often a prestige awarded to older films that isn’t always deserved

[@jarelllevingston7882]

@@rachellydiab p.s. speaking of remakes and what not, you should check out the first omen. I just saw it last night. The female director did a great job, her and the main actress are largely why it’s good.

[@alien777]

Wow halloween is not and never was a Bad movie. And the remake is shit, becouse it misses the point of the original and explaint Michaels evilness with overused cliche.

[@evecates2232]

You putting two of the worst remakes of all time on the thumb nail was a choice...

[@karinwahlrab3377]

ok the wicker man 2006 was hilarious 😂 like I laughed out loud so hard during that movie but I agree I that remakes or reimagining can be an important aspect of storytelling