The Wes Craven remake epidemic.

What has happened to Wes Craven? The man gave us one very seminal classic of horror; Nightmare on Elm Street, and with a few solid pieces like Last House on the Left, Hills Have Eyes, Scream, Serpent and the Rainbow, New Nightmare, any one balking at his cred is vastly mistaken. Not too many directors, especially in this genre, have that many solid films under one’s belt. I’m sure there is even a few that dig People Under the Stairs, The Shocker, and Scream 2.

Do you notice something about the majority of those films I just mentioned? They’re all up for remakes.

Tinsel town is just in this craze. There is perhaps nothing we can do about it, other than turn our backs on them, which might be a good move on paper, but a disastrous movement if we do. There isn’t a horror director left that hasn’t had a film remade. John Carpenter has three, George Romero has at least four, so of course, and this cycle would hit Wes Craven, probably a candidate for the Horror’s big Three in the 1970′s and 1980′s. There’s nothing really wrong with that, except for when the person who’s films are being remade, is actively a part of it.

I’m sure, outside of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane, every director wishes he could go back a tweak this or change that for the better, but at that time, with the money and technology, the best they could do was what the finish product became. Craven is not only allowing remakes of his films to happen, but is active in the production side of things. I think this is good…sort of. Why not take some interest in this and help out the filmmaker to give them the best shot at making a solid film. Case in point: Hills Have Eyes.

I don’t mind that, but what has caused grief with me is the fact that he is doing this multiple times. Has the recession hit him so hard that he is so willing to take a studio’s paycheck to remake his filmography? I hope not. Craven was one of our most innovative horror directors. His Freddy Kruger is one of our beloved villains, one I’m sure my grandchildren will be scared of.

Let’s take a look at what’s being circulated for remaking: The Shocker, where he claims technology will improve the film he wasn’t that pleased with in the first place, People Under the Stairs, the proposed Scream 4 is looking more like a series reboot, don’t forget about Nightmare on Elm Street, Platinum Dunes stars filming in one month, and today’s Last House on the Left joins Hills Have Eyes, and Hills Have Eyes 2 as already been remade. It doesn’t stop there. He was an executive producer for a Carnival of Souls remake in 1998 and he was recent heard talking about furthering the Dracula 2000 series in a reboot fashion. His only new idea is this 25/8 film. He is even talking about a Hills Have Eyes 3, that I won’t call original even though he never has done one from his original series.

The merits of these remakes will be reviewed when they come out. But I’m sure at first many of you at the beginning of this article thought, “so what if he wants to do a few, and make a few bucks. It’s smart.” After reading the last paragraph, do you still agree with me? The man directed 29 films, some of those are TV and other segments like his short in Paris, Je T’aime, but four have been remade so far, with many more in the works.

Why does this bothers me? He is a “Master of Horror”. His films are inventive, original, scary, and he’s done it multiple times. While a remake doesn’t erase the past film, it seems at this rate like he is trying to erase the past. I know Cursed was a disaster, Wes, so was Scream 3 and Vampire in Brooklyn. Red Eye was not a bad film, so you’re telling me you’re given up on us? I know the ending has been kind to our favorite horror directors’ careers. But Romero and Argento are making a come back with decent pictures, and sure, Hooper is gone and Carpenter is lazy, but buck the trend, sir.

Horror is in a desperate time for originality. We all know that, and while not all remakes are a bad thing, it hurts me to see one of the greats sell out.

One day, Wes Craven will remake Wes Craven, maybe sometime shortly after Music of the Heart is remade.

Agree or disagree? Comment below or email me at jon@killerfilm.com