Like any movie genre with hugely popular movies and franchises, there comes a time when the studios decide to revisit their existing IPs by remaking movies from their back catalog. The horror genre is no different, and while audiences often get some great remakes, such as 1982's The Thing, and The Fly from 1986, there are many horror remakes that would have benefited from a few changes.

There have also been some excellent modern horror remakes recently, such as Robert Eggers' Nosferatu. However, for every horror remake that lands a killer blow with audiences, and at the box office, there are other movies from the genre that would have been much better with a few tweaks. There's nothing wrong with remaking classic horrors, if they're remade with respect to the original.

10 Martyrs (2015)

Directed By Kevin Goetz And Michael Goetz

When the original Martyrs was released in 2008, it was met with a mixed reception from fans and critics, but that didn't stop it from going on to becoming one of the most talked-about horror movies of recent times. The French-made production was a brutal revenge story with such visceral horror that you're likely to only watch it once.

Unfortunately, when it was remade in 2015, in English, it was a watered-down version of the original, and currently has only a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, 2015's Martyrs isn't a bad movie overall, it just pales in comparison to the original. A bolder approach to the original story, plus being brave enough to at least match the gore of the French movie, would have elevated the remake considerably. Sanitizing the original movie didn't work for this remake.

9 The Amityville Horror (2005)

Directed By Andrew Douglas

The house in 1979's The Amityville Horror is one of the most iconic locations in the horror genre. It's a character in itself, plus the way it's designed makes it look like the kind of place you'd avoid on a dark night. That was one of the reasons why the 1979 movie worked so well.

With less CGI, and less reliance on clichéd horror tropes, the 2005 remake would have been far better.

The plot of the movie follows a couple who move into the house where a mass murder was committed, and the premise was ripe for a more modern re-imagining. The 2005 remake, starring the ever-dependable Ryan Reynolds, also takes place during the 1970s, and the story is relatively the same.

However, what worked so well about the original is that often what the audience doesn't see is scarier than what's on-screen. The movie isn't one of Ryan Reynolds' best, as it tries to cram too many jump scares into the plot overall. With less CGI, and less reliance on clichéd horror tropes, the 2005 remake would have been far better.

8 Carrie (2013)

Directed By Kimberly Peirce

One of the hardest tasks any horror remake has is to try and recapture the magic of the original movie. When you're taking on such an iconic movie like Carrie, which has been copied and parodied ever since it was released in 1976, the remake has to at least match the original for scope and invention. The casting in the 2013 version was good, as Chloë Grace Moretz is a fine actor, but it was lacking in other areas.

Carrie is being remade for TV, but the original movie was incredibly unnerving from the beginning, and the classic moments such as the shower scene, the wild final act, and Carrie's relationship with her mother are framed by inventive camerawork. All of which is lacking in the remake. It's a decent film, but in context, it's too safe. The key moments needed more real menace and greater threat, and the CGI simply doesn't work well enough.

7 Poltergeist (2015)

Directed By Gil Kenan

This is another example of a director doing a decent job of remaking a classic horror movie, but when you consider how iconic the original Poltergeist is, the remake is severely lacking in some areas. Poltergeist was based on a true story, and has many iconic scenes, and imagery that have become synonymous with the era.

While it's too influenced by Stephen Spielberg for a horror movie, it's a fun ride nonetheless. A remake of Poltergeist was a great idea because the original never knew if it was a spooky Spielberg family movie or a Tobe Hooper horror flick. The remake, however, simply should be more creepy.

There's no sense of real dread or exciting thrills like there was in the original, and changing the iconic character of Tangina, played by the great Zelda Rubinstein, to a guy simply didn't work. Some clever casting, plus less reliance on bad CGI, would have made this remake a lot more fun.

6 House On Haunted Hill (1999)

Directed By William Malone

For a movie that was made in 1959, the original House on Haunted Hill was incredibly creepy, and its storyline in which a millionaire offers $10,000 to five people, if they agree to be locked overnight in a spooky house, was solid. The remake was made forty years after the original, so plenty of time had ed between versions, and with a few alterations, the 1999 remake could have been great.

The location still works very well, but the remake, unfortunately, sticks to the basement of the house for the majority of the action while there's an entire decked-out mansion they could have explored. The cast is good, and while Geoffrey Rush is a great actor, the movie would have been more fun with a bold choice, such as Bruce Campbell, to bring some macabre life to Stephen Price. It's a fun remake, but better use of its location and more creative casting would have improved it.

5 House of Wax (2005)

Directed By Jaume Collet-Serra

This is another great example of a classic Vincent Price movie from the 1950s that could have been remade in a very effective way. While the 2005 remake is by no means a terrible movie, there are certain elements that could have been improved upon to make it better. The cast is mostly solid, with 24 star Elisha Cuthbert at the height of her career, but the casting of Paris Hilton in a key role was too divisive.

Hilton actually does a good job in the role of Paige, and is playing almost a parody of her real self. However, this is also to the detriment of the film. Hilton's appearance in the film may be fun, but it distracts from what could have been a very effective remake of the solid, creepy 1953 original. While Paris Hilton was a key aspect of House of Wax's marketing campaign, and helped to sell the movie, her inclusion was more of a gimmick. Recasting the role would have been a good move.

4 Pet Sematary (2019)

Directed By Kevin Kölsch And Dennis Widmyer

Stephen King adaptations have been hit or miss over time, and while the horror maestro's novels are some of the most chilling books of all time, they haven't always been translated into great movies. King has previously called Pet Sematary his most frightening novel, and in 2018, directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, claimed that their 2019 remake would be the scariest adaptation.

The original movie has become a cult classic over time, and while it wasn't a critical hit overall, it's still considered one of the better Stephen King adaptations by a lot of people. The remake is technically very good, but it needed more well crafted scares to make it effective. It's too restrained, and with more gore, plus some memorable visuals, it could have been great. Also, the trailers spoiled Pet Sematary's main twist.

3 Hellraiser (2022)

Directed By David Bruckner

The original Hellraiser from 1987 was a fascinating, grotesque look at the macabre ways in which people seek out pleasure, and pain. It also featured an incredibly cool-looking, iconic villain in its Lead Cenobite, AKA pinhead.

What would have worked better is if the writers had created characters who didn't make such stupid decisions.

Its sequels didn't expand upon the original film as well as they could have, so when Hulu remade the movie in 2022, hopes were high. Hellraiser's pinhead is a classic villain, and the 2022 reboot works well on several levels, including some of the cenobite design. What would have worked better, however, is if the writers had created characters who didn't make such stupid decisions.

They're either constantly screeching, or acting like fools, which makes it very hard to care about any of them. Also, while the cenobites look great, if director Bruckner had shot them in more inventive ways than simply in a full-frame, they would have been more menacing.

2 The Omen (2006)

Directed By John Moore

It's been suggested that 1976's The Omen had a cursed set, but it was one of the first movies to deal with the concept of the antichrist, to great effect. It was a hit with audiences, and critics, plus it also performed well at the box-office. Its main antagonist, Damien, played by Harvey Stephens, is terrific, and is a truly iconic horror villain. The 2006 remake has a great cast, but is lacking in imagination.

While it's not a direct shot-for-shot remake, The Omen still manages to feel far too similar to its superior original. Director John Moore has made some good movies, such as 2001's Behind Enemy Lines, but the production needed a visionary filmmaker to breathe new life into the franchise. An auteur such as Guillermo Del Toro could have brought the supernatural story to life with visual flair.

1 A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Directed By Samuel Bayer

Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, and the franchise has been a hugely popular series ever since he first donned his bladed glove, in 1984. There have been rip-offs of A Nightmare On Elm Street, but when director Samuel Bayer made the remake in 2010, it was a great time to revisit the character and bring the series back to life.

However, while the 2010 movie is certainly divisive, it could have been salvaged by some straightforward alterations to the production. Jackie Earle Haley is great casting, as Freddy Krueger, but his whole appearance is entirely wrong, and his voice in the film is irritating when it should be more menacing. Plus, hiring a director with a greater horror pedigree, such as James Wan, would have been a smart move.