10 Movie Remakes Better Than The Original

10. Cape Fear

Cape Fear
Universal Pictures

Perhaps more known today for being the subject of one of the greatest Simpsons episodes… well, ever, Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of Cape Fear, starring Robert DeNiro and Nick Nolte in the leading roles, isn’t just a great remake, but one of the best thrillers of all time.

Centred around a defence attorney and the convict he helped conspire to put away forever, Cape Fear first released in 1962 and starred Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum opposite each other as Sam Bowden - the aforementioned attorney - and Max Cady, his former client now released from prison. Both works were based on the 1957 novel, The Executioners, and though the original is certainly a great film, Scorcese’s remake is the superior of the two.

But for what reason? Both films utilise the same score composed by Bernard Herrmann, and both boast the same compelling tale all about Cady’s obsession to get revenge on the man who was supposed to help him avoid incarceration. However, the remake manages to go much darker than the original film, and Robert De Niro is utterly bone-chilling as Cady, more-so than Mitchum.

Both are absolutely still worth watching, but the remake manages to offer something more, all whilst paying respect to the original J. Lee Thompson adaptation.

[Ewan Paterson]

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

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