Recycled fear : the contemporary horror remake as American cinema industry standard /

Abstract

Contemporary American horror has become a genre of remakes, and the originality and creativity of horror films from the 70s, 80s, and early 90s seems lost. The impressive number of horror remakes has developed into a film movement whose influence is filtering into other genres. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is one of horror's most revered films, but Gus Van Sant's remake removes some of its historical importance. Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) owe their successes to Psycho, but their remakes have diluted the genre's relevance in cinema. Original horror films are important because they often reflect social and cultural atmospheres, but remakes offer little but box-office revenue and star power. Horror films also represent cinematic works of art that are worthy of academic study and historic preservation. Filmmakers must return to making original films before remakes completely invalidate the genre.

The research and material contained in this dissertation will examine contemporary American horror films in the construction of remakes. A critical introduction will take into account the growth and development of the remake industry as a direct result of Van Sant's 1998 Psycho recreation. John Carpenter, Sean S. Cunningham, and Wes Craven are responsible for creating three of the most memorable horror films in the genre's history, and those films will be examined in connection to their remake counterparts. This dissertation represents an investigative look into the contemporary horror film as it transforms into a genre of remakes. Included chapters will highlight cause and effect relationships the "remake machine" has introduced into filmmaking as it relates to director/actor recognition, artistic value, money and marketing, storytelling, and viewer pathos in terms of fear. Through the critical introduction and subsequent chapters, the completed dissertation will argue that the contemporary American horror remake and its continued production demonstrates this movement in film as a genre of its own and a major phase in filmmaking deserved of critical attention.