There have been talks of this floating around the rumor mills for quite some time now and we are finally seeing some movement on it. At first, I was quite excited when Bruce Campbell confirmed the remake yesterday on twitter (@groovybruce), but my opinion has changed quite a bit the more I've learned. While it is said the film will be produced by Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell, Bruce will not be reprising his role as Ash and the reigns will be handed over to newcomer director Federico Alvarez, known for his 2009 short film "Panic Attack" (below).  I am not totally against a reinvention at this point, but have serious doubts as to whether this will be a good match up. I enjoyed his film from a technical persepective, but it is nothing we all haven't seen before in this age of CGI enhanced monster movies. Sam Raimi proved in 1981 that a true classic could be made on a shoestring budget without the aid of all the computer generated bullshit we have today. I would just hate to see overuse of CGI in a reinvention of a film that clearly doesn't need it, and from my take on "Panic Room", that is exactly what Alvarez will be bringing to the table. Only time will tell, I am just hoping that the new film does not make a mockery of the legacy left behind from the previous 3.

Everybody knows that Hollywood is going overboard with the remakes, but not all of them are terrible. If done correctly and provided enough time has passed, it is possible to bring some of our favorites into the modern world. Unfortunately, this does not happen too often, as the machine that is Hollywood likes to churn these movies out as quickly as possible, thus foregoing the quality and letting the fans down. I'm sure I will have a lot of people disagreeing with my picks, but if you don't like it, submit your own damn list. Anyway, these are what I think are the top 10 best remakes out there:

10. My Bloody Valentine 3D(2009)

I think this one made the list due to expectations. I went into it thinking it was going to be terrible, and walked away pleasantly surprised. I think the 3D version did justice to the original, and they mixed it up just enough so it wasn't a total ripoff.

9. Last House on the Left(2009)

Honestly, I can't believe this is here. I was downright pissed about this movie and went into it knowing I would hate it. I didn't see how they could possibly pull this off. The original was so raw and sleazy in a way that could never be matched. The remake certainly had a different feel to it, but overall I think it was very well done, thus earning it a spot on this list.

8. Willard(2003)

I can't think of anyone better than Crispin Glover to have such an intimate relationship with a rat. He totally nailed the part and brought a creepiness to the role that I felt was absent in the original. Not to mention that the cat scene certainly goes in my book of all time favorite horror moments. I know many will disagree, but this is one of those rare instances where the remake outshines the original.

7. The Hills Have Eyes(2006)

I am not going to say that this remake was superior to the original, as the original was great for its time, but was in severe need of being updated. They certainly pushed the limits with this one, but did not overdo it.

6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(2003)

The success of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake has led to the current craze in Hollywood. They actually did get it right with this one. The story of Leatherface turned into a disaster in the original movies and needed to be corrected. Between this film and "TCM: The Beginning", I think they did justice to an iconic horror legend that truly deserved to be resurrected.

5.The Fly(1986)

David Cronenberg's adaptation of the 1958 classic starring Vincent Price, while very different from the original, was a really solid movie in its own right. Updated to reflect the numerous advances in technology since the 1950s, this "re imagining" delivered everything we had come to expect from Cronenberg. Overall, it is a great film, lets just hope they don't try it again in 3D.

4. The Blob(1988)

I must say that Kevin Dillon is certainly no Steve McQueen, but he managed to pull this off, as did the rest of the cast. This movie was in serious need of an updating at the time. It is a great story, but it was hard to make the blob intimidating in 1958. "The Blob" not only belongs on the top of this list, but also really represented the 1980's very well. Definitely a well done remake and I just hope Rob Zombie doesn't screw up the upcoming remake like he did Halloween 2.

3.Halloween(2007)

I know that I'm gonna get a lot of shit for this, but I really enjoyed Rob Zombies remake of "Halloween". True fans are split down the middle on this topic with one side saying that Michael was fine the way he was and that no back story or motivation is what made him scary. I disagree with that. I think the depth added to the character in the first half of the movie made him more real, therefore scarier. Getting an in depth look at why and how he became the monster we all know and love just enhanced the experience even more for the second half of the movie. The cast was incredible, as was the soundtrack, not that we would expect less from a Rob Zombie film.

2. Night of the Living Dead(1990)

Tom Savini's adaptation of the 1968 Romero classic "Night of the Living Dead" was absolutely dead on. While nothing can compare to the original, Savini did an excellent job staying true to the 1968 version. It was obvious that the whole cast and crew had great reverence for Romero's masterpiece and they delivered spot on performances. After a debut like this, I can't believe Savini has yet to direct another feature film.

1. The Thing(1982)

"The Thing" is not only #1 on this remakes list, but also ranks up there as one of the best films of all time. John Carpenter's adaptation of the classic "The Thing From Another World" from 1951, far surpasses the original and is a must have for any serious collection.

OK. I really don't even know where to start with this one. Why do the people at Platinum Dunes continually feel the need to fix what is not broken? Most of the readers and visitors to this site grew up with these movies, and I don't think I am alone in saying that what has been done is unforgivable. They have once again managed to take an iconic horror legend and reduce him to a pile of rubble. This new, "re imagined" Freddy Krueger was dull, boring, and lacked the same motivation that made the character such a powerful, frightening entity in the 80's and early 90's. For us hardcore fans of the franchise, Robert Englund is and will ALWAYS be Fred Krueger.

Many people out there rave about what a great actor Jackie Earle Haley is, but honestly I have yet to see any evidence of that. The writers seemed to give him enough one liners that he probably could have made a few people jump had he delivered them correctly. His portrayal was so monotone it would make a Clear Eyes commercial with Ben Stein seem exciting in comparison. The only positive thing I can say about his performance is that he looks remarkably like a child molester when not in makeup. Kudos on that Jackie, you nailed it spot on.

Now on to the story. What exactly was wrong with the original? I could understand updating it a bit to keep up with the times and to appeal to a younger audience, but they totally changed a background story that took 8 movies to develop. Freddy's problem was always with the parents, never with the kids themselves and never at any point did he have a personal relationship with the children in the movies. The whole point was punishing the parents by tormenting the kids. Also, Freddy was a KILLER in life just as he was in death. It was never sexual in nature, so I'm thinking one of the screenwriters at one point had a gardener that was a little too friendly.

Overall, this movie lacked everything that made the original great. Not enough blood, not enough sex, and not one single scare in the whole movie. As a matter of fact, I had to watch it twice just to write this review, as I fell asleep the first time around. With any luck, the sequel will end up dead in the water just as the Friday the 13th sequel did. There are plenty of original ideas floating around out there and it is time to stop raping classic flicks just to make a quick buck.

If you can't do something right, DON'T DO IT AT ALL! How many more of our favorite movies are going to get butchered for the sake of making a quick buck? I know not all of Hollywood is brain dead and I know for a fact from my dealings with independent filmmakers that original screenplays still exist. It's time to buck the trend and stop going to see this garbage so maybe we can get some new, original movies in theaters again. The only way we can make that happen is to stop feeding the machine and not allow movies like the following make millions at the box office.

10. Friday the 13th(2009)

This movie had potential, had they just followed the proven formula. Don't make Jason into something he isn't. He moves very slow, yet seems to teleport to catch anyone, anywhere. He hacks people to death with whatever is handy and has AWESOME music to go along with it. That's it. Couldn't get more simple. Jason does not take hostages, nor does he use a bow and arrow and he certainly won't be competing in an Olympic decathlon anytime soon. Only good thing about this movie was that it was so bad they had to call off the sequel.

9. The Wicker Man(2006)

I don't think this film could have been any worse if they tried. It amazes me that they took such a fantastic classic horror movie and followed the script so closely, yet totally ruined it. The original totally sucked you in right from the beginning with an utterly eerie soundtrack making it that much more chilling. "The Wicker Man" remake is the exact opposite. It does not engage the audience at all and there isn't one likable character in the bunch. Nick Cage's role just seems like a lost, confused child and is actually quite comical, which as I understand it is the opposite of how things were intended. It is no surprise to me at all that Robin Hardy, the original director, has teamed up once again with Christopher Lee to offer audiences another "re imagining" of the classic only a few years after this remake was released.

8.The Omen(2006)

There can be only one Damien. The original is still eerie after 35 years and there was absolutely no need for an update. I'm not saying the movie wasn't well put together, it was just missing something and had nowhere near the effect of the original regardless of how many times you have seen it.

7. The Amityville Horror(2005)

This was totally unnecessary. The original is a great, timeless movie, but keep in mind that we have already been subjected to 7 sequels. I don't know about the rest of the world, but I am Amityvilled out. Perhaps a different cast would have changed things, but I find it absolutely impossible to take Ryan Reynolds seriously in any role he plays. Overall it just didn't work for me, and I am still trying to figure out where in the original was the babysitter taking bong rips in the bathroom?

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Fredrick Charles Krueger
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 178 pounds at death
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
Last Known Residence: Springwood, Ohio.
Last Known Employer: Unknown

Fred Krueger was born to Sister Mary Helena (Amanda) Krueger. Amanda had been working at Our Lady of Sorrows, an insane asylum run by the church. The day before the Christmas weekend, Amanda had been feeding the worst inmates when the guards accidentally locked her in. Over the long weekend, Amanda was raped hundreds of times. Nine months later, Fred was born and given over to the state.

Over the years, several reports emerged about Freddy's maladjustment to society. When he was eight, his teacher reported that he killed the class hamster with a large mallet in front of the other students. He was then moved to a new homeroom, but he frequently got into fights with other students. By age 16, he had dropped out of school. Soon after Freddy left school, his foster father was found dead, having bled to death from multiple cuts on his body. Freddy was taken in for questioning, but was released due to lack of evidence. It must be noted that there is evidence of abuse occurring, but nothing could ever be substantiated.

Years later, Freddy got married and started a family. During this time large family pets, and then children, started to disappear around the Springwood area. Krueger's wife soon disappeared without a trace. Her body was later discovered buried under the rose bushes of the Krueger household. Throughout the course of the investigation, Krueger was implicated in the murders and arrested. His daughter, Katharine, was put into foster care. The trial lasted two and a half years and Krueger was eventually exonerated due to improper arresting procedure. The parents of those killed, along with those who feared Krueger, sought justice. They burned Krueger alive in the boiler room of the power plant on the outskirts of town.

Unfortunately, death was not the end of Krueger. Five years later, the children of Springwood started dying strange and bloody deaths. Many ended up institutionalized or moving away from Springwood, but there was no escaping this strange phenome non. Death seemed to follow the children of Springwood and those that managed to survive this savage bloodbath had an extremely high suicide rate. It was said by the few who survived that Freddy Krueger was back from the grave, seeking revenge by terrorizing the children of those that murdered him in their dreams. He appeared burned, in the same red and green sweater he was killed in, weilding the same glove of razor sharp knives he used in life. With the ability to turn into anything, Freddy haunted and ultimately killed all of the teens of Springwood one by one. Those who had woken from dreams would often display wounds similar to those they dreamt of. These claims were obviously ignored by the authorities.

Finally, an answer had been found. A new drug named Hypnocil was found to suppress dreams. While the adaptation of this drug was slow, all residents and ex-residents of Springwood now take it. Sadly, in the time it took to become approved by the FDA, over 70 children and teens had died. The city of Springwood became stagnant, and many of the remaining adults went mad. By the end of the 1990's, government aid was focused on Springwood and a new mental institution was built for those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder over the death of their children. The city was rebuilt from the ground up, and families once again moved in. All of them were supplied with complimentary prescriptions for Hypnocil, and to ensure the past would not repeat itself, a sleep institute was founded in the town.

However, after nearly ten years of silence, the threat of Freddy once again reared its ugly head, and the deaths began again. Sixteen teenagers were killed, and after a period of two weeks the killings stopped. Several families once again moved away from Springwood, but most of them still renew their Hypnocil prescriptions. Today, the town of Springwood still fears the legacy of Fredrick Krueger. While his terror spanned 30 years after his death, there is hope that one day Springwood can forget his terrible legacy.