Dont Be Afraid Of The Dark (2011)
The Original: 1973 made-for-TV film about a woman who accidentally releases goblin creatures from a fireplace in her home.
The Remake: A passion project for Guillermo Del Toro, who produced this version, updating it for modern times and adding his usual flair for creature design.
Most Horrific Element: A point-of-view shot rummaging under bed covers trying to find one of the creatures proves particularly tense...
The Hitcher (2007)
The Original: 1986 road horror movie about a sadistic killer posing as a hitchhiker.
The Remake: An evil Rutger Hauer is replaced by an evil Sean Bean in this retelling, which also has a new female protagonist, Grace. Shame that the film quickly descends into cheap shocks and gratuitous gore.
Most Horrific Element: The hitcher chains Grace's boyfriend Jim between a truck and a trailer and eventually puts his foot down on the accelerator, splitting him in half.
Dark Water (2005)
The Original: From Ring director Hideo Nakata, this 2002 J-horror tells the story of a divorced mother and her daughter moving into a new apartment and experiencing spooky happenings and a mysterious water leak.
The Remake: Not falling for the usual mistake of swapping out tension for schlock scares, this version keeps the original's sense of creeping dread and adds star quality and lush cinematography.
Most Horrific Element: A ghostly girl's face popping up everywhere throughout, from the bathtub water to inside a washing machine.
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Original: Classic franchise-starter from 1979 which tells the 'real-life' supernatural shenanigans that occurred when a family move into a new haunted house, home to grisly murders a year before.
The Remake: It looks better than its dated predecessor, but this version is crammed full of schlocky scares and familiar tropes.
Most Horrific Element: Not coming up with a reasonable explanation as to why the family don't just get up and leave after the first night of terrifying happenings.
The Invasion (2007)
The Original: The 1956 and 1978 films Invasion Of The Body Snatchers , about humans in a small town being slowly replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.
The Remake: Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman star in this loose adaptation of the same source novel, with one major difference being that the humans aren't duplicated with specially-grown alien clones; they are simply victims of mind control instead.
Most Horrific Element: The ghastly mutations and unsettling behaviour seen in the previous incarnations are replaced with something a little more mundane: a supposed alien 'virus'.
Which is then cured.
Quarantine (2008)
The Original: Spanish film REC (2007), a found footage film that follows a female news reporter and her camera crew as they are trapped in an apartment building with a mysterious force killing the residents.
The Remake: An English-language copy that has followed the original exactly save for swapping out the religious themes for something altogether more scientific (and not as interesting).
Most Horrific Element: That ending which, as with the original, sees the news reporter dragged along the floor into darkness.
Shame it was spoiled in the trailer, but it still has impact.
Mirrors (2008)
The Original: South Korean horror film Into The Mirror (2003), a film about a detective who investigates a series if horrible murders, all involving mirrors.
The Remake: New director Alexandre Aja made lots of changes to the original script, keeping the mirror-based elements and some of the death scenes but otherwise creating an entirely new story featuring detective-turned-security-guard Ben (Kiefer Sutherland).
Most Horrific Element: Ben's sister is killed by her reflection when it reaches up to its mouth and pulls her jaw apart, ripping her face in two.
The film's not great, but it's a nice moment - created using practical effects, no less.
Fright Night (2011)
The Original: Popular 1985 vampire film in which Charley Brewster discovers that his next-door neighbour is a bloodsucker and seeks the help of classic horror film actor Peter Vincent - played by Roddy McDowall - to kill him.
The Remake: An updated version of the 80s film, this remake looks to be more of a pop cultural, self aware telling of the same tale, riding on the coat tails of the recent vampire phenomenon. The most notable change, however, is making Peter Vincent a performing Las Vegas illusionist, as played by David Tennant.
Most Horrific Element: Tennant's skin-tight leather trousers. Without a doubt.
Piranha 3D (2010)
The Original: Corman-produced B-movie from 1978 about a swarm of killer piranhas attacking a summer resort.
The Remake: While keeping the same tongue-in-cheek tone, this version amplifies the B-movie elements to give more blood 'n' guts, more tasteless death scenes and, yes, more boobies.
Most Horrific Element: After in attack, a half-chewed Derrick yells that his penis has been bitten off.
Cut to a gratuitous shot of it floating in the water as two piranha fight over it.
I Spit On Your Grave (2010)
The Original: Horrendously violent and cheaply made rape and revenge film released in 1978, about a woman who is brutally gang-raped and proceeds to systematically take revenge on each of her attackers.
The Remake: Still just as controversial and disturbing in its subject matter, but at least this version was filmed professionally, as opposed to the low-budget shoddiness that dogged the original.
Most Horrific Element: The brutal rape scene is unrelenting, and almost impossible to watch.
