8 Horror Movie Remakes That Are Better Than The Originals
7. The Blob (1988)
It's amazing how much the passage of time can change the way movies are perceived. Audiences loved The Blob when it opened in 1958, but if you showed it to a gore-hungry teenager today (or anyone, for that matter) they'd dismiss it as silly and non-scary.
And... that's because it is. 1958's The Blob was a low-budget independent film that didn't have a lot of resources and certainly wasn't expected to make an impact, and its dated effects (the titular creature looks like seedless strawberry jam) and wooden performances don't do it any favours today.
On the other hand, the 1988 remake holds up much better. There are a handful of genuinely scary, shocking moments - Paul's death, the phone booth scene - and it contains a healthy spattering of gore that makes the creature seem infinitely more deadly than it did in the original.
The remake also ups the ante in the story department. In the original, the Blob is an organism from outer space, but here, it's the result of a scientific experiment gone wrong, and throughout the film, the military are shown trying to cover up the situation, often at the expense of the innocent townsfolk. There are two villains here, and this extra layer makes the non-Blob scenes just as engaging as the rest.
The Blob is soon set to be remade - again - by the director of Con Air, and will feature Samuel L. Jackson in a leading role. Unfortunately, that sounds more light-hearted and funny than scary, so it's hard to see this one jumping to the top of the pile.