Hollywood is currently experiencing a pretty extreme case of reboot syndrome. What started as an occasional affair has become a primary source of cinematic déjà vu. Franchises like Ghostbusters, Ocean’s 11, and Charlie’s Angels have all been subject to reboots recently with a fairly consistent (low) level of success.
The horror genre hasn’t been subject to quite the same degree of reboots as other genres, but there are still exceptions. The Grudge was recently released to a lukewarm reception, and Dracula received a Netflix original series. Still, it feels as though the horror genre is lacking in a lot of ways and the 2020s could turn that around. So, here are five horror icons that deserve comebacks in the 2020s, as well as five that should be left alone.
Comeback - Dracula
Technically, Dracula just received a reboot, but it wasn’t the comeback that audiences had been hoping for. Dracula starts out strong, but diverges strongly from the original source material in plot, tone, and character development.
Some liked it, but most didn’t. It isn’t terrible, but Dracula is one of the original horror icons, and he deserves a true comeback in the vein of Bram Stoker’s original literary masterpiece.
Leave Alone: Regan
The horror genre was never the same after the 1973 film The Exorcist. It was a dark, disturbing, and visceral experience that audiences had never seen at the time. Regan, the little girl suffering from a demonic possession, was the film’s focal point.
She managed to projectile vomit and make crude, sexual insults in a raspy, demonic voice while retaining a childish innocence. She was a character that has yet to be matched, and likely never will. The franchise did receive a reboot of sorts with a FOX drama series, and they were wise to not try to recreate the possession of Regan.
Comeback: Freddy Krueger
A Nightmare on Elm Street was one-of-a-kind when it was released. Horror movies in the ’80s featured countless teenagers getting murdered by serial killers, but Freddy Krueger managed to do things a little differently. He wasn’t an actual person, but a demon that existed in people’s dreams, and could kill them in those dreams with a razor blade-equipped glove.
He quickly became an iconic horror movie character, with his striped sweater and disfigured face, and soon suffered from a number of disappointing sequels. The 2010 Nightmare on Elm Street reboot couldn’t quite capture the magic and terror of the original, which means Freddy is in dire need of a competent, faithful comeback.
Leave Alone: Leatherface
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is perhaps one of the most overused horror franchises in history. With eight films in total, covering sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, and five films that could still potentially be produced, it’s safe to say that audiences have seen enough of Leatherface for a while. He was great in the original, terrifying audiences with his loud machinery and cannibalistic family.
However, he has overstayed his welcome at this point and would certainly benefit from a little time off, as would audiences.
Comeback: Hannibal Lecter
Anthony Hopkins’s portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal Lecter, in The Silence of the Lambs catapulted him into the horror zeitgeist. Even those who don’t care for horror movies can pull at least one quote from Hopkins’s performance. He continued to play the role in several sequels and prequels, and the character was even rebooted in the NBC series Hannibal, which was unfortunately cancelled after just three seasons, leaving a void.
The character deserves a major comeback, and with the right actor, that comeback just might be a worthy successor to Hopkins’s portrayal.
Leave Alone: Frankenstein’s Monster
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a literary masterpiece and a staple of the horror genre. Featuring a surprisingly human monster in a surprisingly monstrous human world, Frankenstein tells the story of a mad scientist who creates a human from mismatched body parts. From true recreations of Shelley’s novel, to spin-offs, to whatever I, Frankenstein was going for, Frankenstein’s monster has seen no shortage of film appearances.
Most recently, Depraved (2019) featured a modern re-telling of the classic story, and frankly (sorry, couldn’t help it), it was one of the most refreshing contributions to Shelley’s universe in decades, so let’s leave things on a high note for a while.
Comeback: Frankenstein’s Bride
Bride of Frankenstein was considered to be one of the greatest sequels of all time, regarded by many to be even better than the first film. It featured the return of Frankenstein’s monster, but also introduced a new monster, meant to be his mate. As if being created as a result of a science experiment wasn’t bad enough, the monster’s bride was created for the sole purpose of being a mate for the first monster.
This presents a level of moral depth not often seen in horror movies, and this particular bride has been largely unrepresented in film since her original appearance. She deserves a proper film focused on her perspective.
Leave Alone: Samara
When The Ring (the 2002 remake) came out, it wasn’t quite an instant classic, but it soon found its place in many people’s hearts. What’s more, the image of Samara, sopping wet with hair covering her face, crawling out of the TV with disjointed movements quickly became an iconic image of the horror genre.
Unfortunately, The Ring saw a couple of underwhelming sequels that left a bad taste in audiences’ mouths. It wasn’t Samara’s fault, but it’s hard to imagine a successful comeback happening any time soon.
Comeback: Jaws
When a monster shark begins terrorizing a small Northeastern town, a local sheriff teams up with a marine biologist and an old sailor to take the beast down. Jaws was basically the first killer shark movie, and despite the countless others that followed, it’s still the best. It was the reason that many people didn’t go to the beach the summer of 1975, and it raised the bar for monster movies.
A new shark movie is made just about every summer, but the genre is in need of some fresh air. That is why Jaws deserves a major comeback. Any movie can feature huge, killer sharks, but there is only one Jaws.
Leave Alone: Jason Voorhees
Teenagers just can’t seem to figure out how not to get murdered in horror movies, and more often than not, they’re getting murdered by Jason Voorhees. Introduced in Friday the 13th, he soon became a staple of the horror genre, being featured in movies, books, and even video games with his iconic hockey mask and machete. Yet somehow, throughout all of it, he never seemed to get enough character development to be a truly compelling character. That’s not to say that he doesn’t deserve it, but we need a break from Jason before we can really accept a genuine comeback.
