The ’80s horror movies will always have a special spot in people’s hearts. It was the era of latex suits and bold filmmakers who were absolutely not afraid to be flat-out unhinged. They’re by no means perfect, but that’s exactly why we love them. And those imperfections are why the remake conversation never really dies.
In the right hands, these could be remakes that feel like unleashing the story’s final form.
1. An American Werewolf in London
An American Werewolf in London is the blueprint for an entire genre of horror-comedies that can still scare you sometimes while also making you laugh. The setup is very simple: two Americans backpacking through Britain, one scary night, a survivor who can’t trust his own body, and glaze it all over with dark humor. A modern version could keep close to that mood while pushing the transformation and the paranoia to another level. London also isn’t the same city it was in the early ’80s, which opens the door for fresh social tension without losing the story’s lonely, cursed vibe.
2. Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors is cute, dark, catchy, and secretly savage about ambition, greed, and a singing carnivorous plant. There’s plenty of room to modernize the setting by swapping the old-school energy for something more hip while keeping the same theme of a struggling nobody getting the chance to win at life, but at a steep cost. Plus, a new Audrey could be incredible if they commit to practical effects with modern enhancement rather than turning it into a CGI blob.
3. Christine
Christine might actually feel more relevant now than it did back then. The whole “possessed car” thing hits differently in an era where AI is controlling our lives on a daily basis. Keep the core of the story the same, but tap into modern isolation and the way obsession can look like a “glow-up” from the outside. In fact, Christine doesn’t even need to be a “smart car” to work; the creep factor is already baked in. But a remake could play pretty well with today’s tech paranoia.
4. Possession
Possession is chaotic, emotionally brutal, and still feels like it tapped into something most modern movies won’t touch today. A remake would only require a director and a cast who are prepared to fully embrace psychological terror. The core idea involving a marriage collapse as a kind of horror story never stops being relevant. A modern context could shift the focus to public image, constant surveillance/stalking, and the way relationships can just disappear in slow motion while people online pretend that everything’s just hunky-dory.
5. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
If you’re seeking a wacky and crowd-pleasing film, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is an excellent choice. Horror fans love a movie that understands it’s ridiculous and commits anyway. A remake could go bigger, nastier, and more inventive with the set pieces, while keeping that same sense of ultra-dumb but still horrifying vibes. Plus, thanks to IT, everyone wants clowns now!
6. Re-Animator
Re-Animator is another one that practically comes with a warning label: it’s gross, funny, and may make you uneasy. This is why it would be an ideal fit for a contemporary approach. Today’s audiences are used to extreme horror and dark comedy, and modern medicine/biotech gives the premise an extra layer of potential realism. Updated VFX and CGI also wouldn’t hurt.
7. The Fly
The Fly epitomizes the concept of tragic body horror. It’s not scary because something is chasing you in the dark alley; it’s scary because your own body becomes unfamiliar, and there’s nothing you can do to reverse it. That is something that will always work on a psychological level, and a modern version could tie it to current anxieties around gene editing, experimental treatments, and the obsession with “upgrading” ourselves. Furthermore, if a remake effectively captures the relationship and the gradual fear of witnessing someone’s transformation, the horror element will triumph regardless of the complexity of the effects.
8. Videodrome
Videodrome feels like it was sent here from the future somehow, but back then, we didn’t have the technology to take full advantage of the story. It also aged quite poorly visually, but not ideologically. The concept of media rewiring individuals reflects our current experiences with the internet, and a modern remake could fully explore the updated premise, including algorithms, deepfakes, fringe content pipelines, and the ongoing debate about “what’s real and what’s AI.” If done right, it would be a nightmare that feels uncomfortably familiar.
9. Near Dark
Finally, we have Near Dark—a vampire movie for people who are sick and tired of the sparkly bloodsuckers, coffins in dark castles, and all that “invite me in” nonsense. It’s gritty, romantic in a messed-up way, and feels weirdly intimate. If a remake could expand on the road-movie aspect of it, it would be enough, but by taking one step further and pushing the moral gray areas even harder, you just know it would have the chops to become a modern cult classic.