Makeover for mega monsters

Universal Studios remakes classics

A monster makeover is in motion.

By Kaitlynn Aiken Could it be more monstrous?

Photo by Kaitlynn Aiken

Universal Studios, creators of the classic

movie monsters, are in talks of remaking all of their award-winning, beloved and frightful characters.
We are at an age where original ideas come few
and far between, and movie makers, in the desperate strive to continue business, have turned to
remaking the classics that still live on in our
hearts today.
In recent decades, the masses have been
introduced to contemporary takes on the
iconic villains from the 70s and 80s
(Nightmare on Elm Street [1984/2010],
Friday the 13th [1980/2009], Halloween [1978/2007], The Evil Dead
[1981/2013], and Texas Chainsaw
Massacre [1974/2013] to name a
few), only to be let down in the end.
Remakes of older films have often left viewers disappointed due
to directors and screenwriters not
sticking to the original world the idea comes from. What makes remakes such
disasters is that movie makers over compensate for the demands of the public.
They think that a twist ending or a shock factor is what will hook the viewers
in for more.
While perceptions have changed in the public, the general appreciation of a
good story has not. This is why Universal Studios should not attempt to recreate their classic movie monsters.
Universals classic monster movies were made in a time that based stories on
vibrant history and good books, to remake them with contemporary beliefs
would soil the names associated with the original work.
In addition, the classics were made in a time in which the movie industry
was not as booming as we see today. Actors worked in movies to fulfill their
own desires and did not receive much money in return.
What made the characters so influential, and what allowed them to live on
in our hearts, was the enthusiasm the men behind the masks had included. A
remake of any classic would minimize the success that the actors created.
Future generations could then classify the characters with new actors of their
own day, rather than those who made them famous.
This is already seen in non-Universal remakes of the characters.

Dracula

Tod Brownings Dracula (1931), originally starring Bela Lugosi, was remade in 1992 starring Gary Oldman and Winona Ryder.
Positive feedback on movie review sites, like Rotten Tomatoes, was reported
with an average of 12 percent lower than the original.

Phantom of the Opera

In 1925, Lon Chaney Sr. played the role of the phantom in Phantom of the
Opera, and became an influence to the special effects world. Later, in 1984, a
musical was adapted by composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber, which was made
into a movie in 2004, starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rosum. The movie
turned out to have reviews fifty-nine percent lower than the original film.
Audiences disliked the remake because of the outstanding differences from
the original storyline, and the one later produced. The original was intended
to be a horror mystery, and composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber turned it into a
romance story.

The Wolfman

In 1941, Creighton Chaney (now known as Lon Chaney, Jr.), made the role
of the Wolfman famous as the talented son of Lon Chaney, Sr. Rotten Tomatoes
rating gives it a nintey-four percent positive rating. Then, in 2010, a remake
was made starring Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins, which
received a positive rating of thirty-four percent.
It is possible that Universal could live up to their monster fame, but it is
seemingly unlikely due to failures of other famous companies.