If the new Halloween film showed us anything, it’s that a mass audience is ready and willing to come out to see a classic horror franchise rebooted; it just has to be good. Just ok won’t cut it, like 2009’s Friday The 13th, while outright abysmal could kill a franchise (2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, we’re looking directly at you). Some sites have been placing odds on remakes of films such as An American Werewolf in London and even Canada’s classic Cube. On that note, here are four horror franchise that, if done right, we think could make magic and gore.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Robert Englund swore, he swore, he was done with Freddy Krueger once and for all after Freddy vs Jason. But just a few weeks ago, Englund put on the make-up and glove of Krueger for an episode of The Goldbergs. Ever since that, social media has been abuzz about Englund giving the character a fitting and final send-off. All we’d really need is a solid script and a director willing to do right by the character and his legacy.
Friday The 13th: Even though the 2009 reboot wasn’t horrible, momentum and various ongoing legal issues have prevented from Jason Voorhees from persuading camp counsellors for nearly a decade. Like Michael Myers in Halloween, there is definitely a large horror contingency ready and willing to see Jason take an axe or hockey stick or even a toothbrush to some unsuspecting, sexed-up teens. Thankfully, we may be closer than ever to a new Friday The 13th, as basketball player LeBron James is in active discussions to produce a new version of the franchise.
Gremlins: The two original Gremlins films (from 1984 and 1990, respectively) are genre classics, even if the second one skewed heavier towards comedy than some liked. Today there are no really creepy characters out there that you could throw a PG-13 rating behind and appeal to adults and teens alike. The brand has become a little more prominent in recent years, with the appearance of Funko Pops and Vynyls featuring Gizmo and Stripe hitting store shelves. A retelling or a brand new story that introduces a new Mogwai would probably make for some fun at the movies, as long as you don’t feed it after midnight.
Dracula: Forget Universal’s Dark Universe that failed to materialize after the disaster that was Tom Cruise’s 2017 Mummy film. The idea was too ambitious; franchises need to be earned, not simply created in an office. That being said, an A-list actor, director, and screenwriter could do a lot with a classic Dracula story. I’m not talking about a remake of Francis Ford Coppola’s film, but something more in line with the Bella Lugosi version. Audiences love vampires if they’re done right, and admittedly, they don’t mind them when they’re done wrong either (see: Twilight).
