Horror movies are often remade in Hollywood, and countless classics from the 1980s have had the remake treatment. 1980’s Friday the 13th and The Fog, 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1985’s Fright Night, and 1988’s Child’s Play are some of the 80s horrors to have been remade in recent years.
80s horror comedy, however, tends to be overlooked when it comes to remakes, and that’s a shame. Some of the best horror movies of the decade had comedy elements, and they deserve a chance to shine in the 21st century with modern technology vamping them up.
This piece will discuss six 1980s comedy horror films that are long overdue a modern remake and why they deserve one.
Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins tells the story of a young man, Billy Peltzer, living in the fictional town of Kingston Falls, Pennsylvania. Billy receives an unusual pet for Christmas that comes with three strict rules, and when those rules are broken, the creature multiplies, and its offspring become vicious green monsters. Mayhem and hilarity ensue when the little beasts head out into Kingston Falls on Christmas Eve.
It’s a bona fide horror comedy classic with some of the best practical effects in cinema history. It combines laughs and scares equally, and a modern remake would be most welcome. In the digital age, the eponymous creatures could cause utter chaos on a global scale very quickly, making for a spectacular movie romp. However, despite the wonders of modern CGI, 21st-century Gremlins should still use practical effects to pay homage to the brilliant original.
Chopping Mall (1986)
Chopping Mall is a hugely underrated and tragically overlooked techno-horror about a trio of high-tech security robots in a shopping mall that malfunction, turn murderous, and stalk a group of teenage mall employees after dark when the establishment has closed its doors. It’s unashamedly silly and cheesy but very bloody and lots of fun, and its tagline, “Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg,” is utter genius.
A remake of this one has long been rumored and reported to have a supernatural twist, but it never happened. Shopping malls are such great settings for horror movies – see both versions of Dawn of the Dead for proof of that – and modern malls have all kinds of goodies to make a potential remake incredibly interesting. Moreover, the “supernatural twist” that’s rumored to happen is intriguing. Seeing a studio’s 21st-century take on Chopping Mall would be great.
Creepshow (1982)
There are some excellent anthology horror movies, and Creepshow is certainly one of them. They’ve become increasingly popular thanks to movies like 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat, 2012’s V/H/S, 2013’s All Hallow’s Eve, and 2017’s XX. Creepshow comprises five short films; “Father’s Day,” “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill,” “Something to Tide You Over,” “The Crate,” and “They’re Creeping Up on You!” It’s directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, a dream team in horror circles.
While it’s entertaining and undoubtedly funny, it doesn’t hold us so well today and feels like Romero and King were working slightly beneath themselves. Romero has sadly passed, but remaking Creepshow with a modern horror master directing (such as Eli Roth or James Wan), having King write it again, and making it less uneven, darker, and scarier would be awesome. It’s a film that deserves another shot.
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
An American Werewolf in London is one of the finest comedy horror movies and the best werewolf film ever. It’s about David and Jack, two graduate students from New York City, as they backpack their way through England. Jack is killed when they get attacked by a werewolf during a full moon, and David becomes one of the ferocious creatures. This film’s practical effects were groundbreaking, and while they don’t hold up 100% today, they’re still wildly impressive.
A movie of An American Werewolf in London’s standing deserves a lasting legacy, including a modern remake. It would be fabulous to see a recreation of the iconic werewolf transformation scene with today’s technology powering it. London has changed so much since 1981 that throwing a werewolf into the bustling metropolis it is today would make for intriguing viewing. However, whether or not any filmmaker could match the flawless balance of terror and humor it accomplished remains to be seen.
Re-Animator (1985)
Loosely based on H. P. Lovecraft’s 1922 serial novelette “Herbert West: Reanimator,” Re-Animator is a funny, energetic, fast-paced, gross-out comedy horror movie far better than its zany premise suggests. It follows a medical student who creates an analytical reagent to bring dead bodies back to life and then finds himself in conflict with the professor and researcher who wants to claim the invention as his own.
Re-Animator is a cult film that didn’t have significant success at the box office, and it deserves its chance to shine. A modern remake would garner plenty of interest now that it has a following of devout fans. In 2011 and 2012, a musical – Re-Animator: The Musical – hit theaters in Los Angeles, New York, and Edinburgh, Scotland, to critical acclaim, proving there’s an audience for it. Modern cinema is sorely missing wacky comedy horror films like this one. It’s undoubtedly about time that changed.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark – based on Elvira’s Movie Macabre television series – follows the eponymous eccentric horror host as she quits her Los Angeles television job after being inappropriately harassed by the station’s new owner, then inherits her great aunt’s mansion in the heart of an overtly prudish Massachusetts community. It’s a fish-out-of-water horror comedy with plenty of campness, raunchiness, and lashings of gothic spookiness.
In the 21st century, Elvira’s Movie Macabre has successfully been revived on This TV and Shudder, confirming the character still has an audience. There’s also been talk of an animated sequel to the movie, and Elvira has appeared in the direct-to-video Scooby-Doo films Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island, and Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! However, a remake of the original would be great, with a new actress taking over from Cassandra Peterson and allowing the fabulous character of Elvira to continue endlessly, a la James Bond.
