If I had a penny for every time I came across a horror movie remake ... my savings account would look rather nifty, wouldn't it? Well, despite the obvious lack of a penny-spewing Genie, I found a morbid fascination in seeking out horror movie remakes. Except this was in reverse. There I was, looking up modern horror flicks and zooming onto ones inspired by older, supposedly less snazzy flicks. Then I proceeded to watch the originals, just to see how each fared against its younger, more action-packed children. Here's what I found after morbid experimentations with The Blob and Last Man on Earth.
The Blob: Footloose and Fancy Free
Alright, so the story is basically the same. A big, gooey entity devours anything and everything in its path. And it grows as it feeds. Now the whole town must find a way to defeat the monster. The original was a 1950s number with Steve McQueen while the 1988 remake was a new-fangled teen rebellion with a twist version.
Thankfully, the remake retained the essence of the movie and came out a winner. However, it was the smaller differences between the two movies that caught my attention. For instance, some of the main characters with their obvious high school labels (token Jock, nice-girl cheerleader and biker-punk hero) were such stark contrasts to the older version. McQueen's character had a slight young Bond feel to him. I mean, he loved fast cars but his dress sense didn't scream "I love drag races". He may have implied that he loves the rebellious bits of life (hence his mix-and-mingle act with the 'wrong' crowd) but he also exuded the aura of a young man with ambition. Honestly, it was quite hard pigeonhole the character.
Now, pit that against the late '80s one where everyone was a cardboard cutout of social caricatures. Fine, so McQueen's character might well have been a caricature in his time. But isn't it disturbing that 'typical' main characters in horror movies haven't changed since the 80s? To end the comparison of these two movies, keep this image in mind. The so-called 'wrong crowd' who loved racing and walked with the swagger were one of the first to nab a fire extinguisher in a heroic effort to save the town. Honestly, I would have expected them to surround the bank.
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The Last Man on Earth vs I am Legend: Brains anyone?
Everyone must have seen Will Smith's lonely zombie fight in I Am Legend. Just in case someone missed the flick, here's a quick synopsis. Nasty disease strikes almost everyone and people either die or turn into hungry flesh-eating zombies. One man survives; he hunt by day, holes himself in his house at night. Oh, and he's looking for survivors/a cure/groceries. I won't spoil the story. Needless to say he finds what he is looking for and makes some gruesome discoveries in the process.
Firstly, I must admit the I am Legend was a brilliant remake. Smith have been written off as a bit of a martyr but his portrayal of an embittered, lonely survivor was excellent. Vincent Price, the original lonely doctor, is a hard act to follow, you know. However, there were differences. It was nothing major throughout the story, simply a choice in how the story ended. Admittedly, I felt letdown by the newer remake. The 60s version explored the ambiguity of morality and human ethics. In fact, the whole climax of the movie is really just a "Who's the real bad guy?" moment. It was thought-provoking and daring at the same time; in this way, it stayed true to the science fiction genre. On the other hand, the 2007 bonanza played along the socially acceptable "Zombies are bad no matter what" sentiment which, I felt, was a cop-out in a bid to get more ratings.
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Access The Last Man on Earth (Public Domain Movie)
There you have it. The nitty-gritty and the ugly sides. Have you seen either of these four movies? If so, what one did you prefer? Was there really an alternate ending to I Am Legend? And are there any originals of horror remakes that gets pride of place in your home?
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