10 Hidden Gem Horror Movie Remakes You Need To Watch

Essential horror remakes you need to see right now.

By Andy Murray /

When it comes to horror cinema, remakes have a nasty habit of diluting the essence of what made the original so effective in favour of cheap and marketable thrills. This is especially true when it comes to foreign language films where phenomenal fright fests like Pulse, Martyrs, and The Eye (to name just a few) were gutted of their chills when translating the terror for mainstream audiences.

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There are, of course, plenty of exceptions to this rule where remakes have successfully carried over the same level of dread and, in some cases, even improved and expanded upon the source material.

We all know about the exquisite and frequently spoken about likes of Gore Verbinski's The Ring, Cronenberg's body horror bonanza The Fly, and Luca Guadagnino's bold reimagining of Argento's Suspiria. Nevertheless, there is still a vast assortment of equally excellent horror remakes that have somehow managed to slip under most of our radars.

Though these flicks may not necessarily be superior to the original, all these films do have something interesting to offer. Whether that be a devilish twist on what came before or simply being an all-round fun time, these underseen remakes should be on every horror fan's watchlist.

10. We Are What We Are (2013)

Cannibal horror flicks are a whole beast of their own within the world of horror, with Cannibal Holocaust and The Hills Have Eyes being the quintessential examples of the subgenre. Typically, these films revel in their stomach-churning gore and taboo subject matter, which is what made Mexican horror We Are What We Are stand out from the crowd.

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Unlike its peers, this film was far more subdued in its violence. Rather, it anchored itself around the central family dynamic to tell a more grounded story as we watch a younger generation forced to continue the family's cannibalistic traditions.

The American remake of the same name likewise focused on the human aspects of the story when sisters Rose and Iris (Julia Garner and Anbyr Childers) are tasked with preparing for a family feast after the unexpected death of their mother.

Unlike the original, this version takes things in interesting new directions. By shifting the setting to the dreary Catskills, the remake has an American Gothic flavour coloured by the dreary blues and greys of its rainy setting which it uses to full advantage to explore themes of religion, patriarchy, and female empowerment. This version is a distinctly American horror story.

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