how do i think them up????

[neilold]

I've got a great idea for a horror movie. I'm going to do a remake. It will be a re-make of an old 70/80s semi-obscure classic. It'll have a bunch of faceless teens with no sort of character development for any of them, who you'll be glad to see the back of. The killer will be someone who makes a sham of the role of the original killer. I'll put trendy new references in it to stuff like the internet and reality tv. There will also be the odd cameo from the stars of the original. Finally i'll totally divide my audience by making it similar enough to the original to upset fans of the original , but at the same time not similar enough in order to get away any critical comparrisons. What a fantastic idea, if only there were directors around at the moment who had similar sort of ideas. I just don't know how i think them up, i really don't.

[Ferox13]

Remakes are a sure fire/easy way to make money.

As long as they continue to do so they keep getting made.

Don't be so naive to think that there are no new scripts ot there - Hollywood is run by acccounts now.

[p1zl3]

I've got a great idea for a horror movie. I'm going to do a remake. It will be a re-make of an old 70/80s semi-obscure classic. It'll have a bunch of faceless teens with no sort of character development for any of them, who you'll be glad to see the back of. The killer will be someone who makes a sham of the role of the original killer. I'll put trendy new references in it to stuff like the internet and reality tv. There will also be the odd cameo from the stars of the original. Finally i'll totally divide my audience by making it similar enough to the original to upset fans of the original , but at the same time not similar enough in order to get away any critical comparrisons. What a fantastic idea, if only there were directors around at the moment who had similar sort of ideas. I just don't know how i think them up, i really don't.

You forgot to mention gratuitous boobs every 15min 38sec...

[Doc Faustus]

These remakes are not really grossing that much and are alienating fans. One thing you need to succeed artistically is repeat business regardless of what level you're working at. I'm a small press writer with a very small fan base that trusts me. They know that if I write something, I'm going to make sure it's a quality original product that does not compromise my vision. If I write a collection of Desperate Housewives fanfic, they might not trust the next book I put out. So, I don't. It's going to be a bitter pill for a lot of these directors writing remakes that stop making anything above the most middling show at the box office. They're corrupting themselves as a brand. We might be a country that accepts the Big Mac as an actual food item but that does not mean that somebody starting at the bottom trying to build up their own brand should make a 1,500 calorie burger and slather it in thousand island dressing. Besides, the studios have stables of writers to do the remakes for them. You can't just write a remake and try to submit it to agents. That's a good way to waste six dollars in postage.

[Ferox13]

These remakes are not really grossing that much and are alienating fans. One thing you need to succeed artistically is repeat business regardless of what level you're working at. I'm a small press writer with a very small fan base that trusts me. They know that if I write something, I'm going to make sure it's a quality original product that does not compromise my vision. If I write a collection of Desperate Housewives fanfic, they might not trust the next book I put out. So, I don't. It's going to be a bitter pill for a lot of these directors writing remakes that stop making anything above the most middling show at the box office. They're corrupting themselves as a brand. We might be a country that accepts the Big Mac as an actual food item but that does not mean that somebody starting at the bottom trying to build up their own brand should make a 1,500 calorie burger and slather it in thousand island dressing. Besides, the studios have stables of writers to do the remakes for them. You can't just write a remake and try to submit it to agents. That's a good way to waste six dollars in postage.

I think for the most part all remakes are making bank.

And what fans are they alienating - ppl like us. I would imagine we are a tiny fraction of the cinema going audience that go to see these films. I bet if u asked every person who saw the Prom Night remake who directed the original i would say a fraction of 1% would know. The remakes are not made for nerd fans who collect films from the 2nd unit director of Street Trash.

[Doc Faustus]

Not too much bank. They end up in bargain bins pretty fast. And they don't encourage repeat business from even casual gorehounds.

[cheebacheeba]

Kickin' it like Mario
The land o' Koopa-rio
Best back up if you see me grab a Star-io
I'll glow and I'll run and I jump real far-io
To bitchslap you like I bitchslappa Wario.


PEACE, I'M OUT

[neilold]

some ineresting posts.

[Elvis_Christ]

Yo neilold you should remake Final Destination

[Ferox13]

Not too much bank. They end up in bargain bins pretty fast. And they don't encourage repeat business from even casual gorehounds.

I would guess almost every single remake made cash..

When a Stranger Calls cost $15m made $41m

The RIng cost $48m made $129m

The Grudge cost $10m made $110m

Prom Night cost $18m made $48m

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre cost $9.2m made $80m

The Amityville Horror cost $19m made $65m

Friday the 13th cost $16m made $65m

Thirteen Ghosts cost $20m made $41m

The Omen cost $25m made $54m

My Bloody Valentine cost $25m made $51m

Dawn of the Dead cost $28m made $58m

Halloween cost $20m made $58m

These figure are what they made in US CINEMAS ONLY - so they also made more cash from the foreign market and DVD sales too.

So i'm not really sure where you're getting the idea that they're making 'Not too much bank'.. Remakes are a safe bet and consistantly make money - I don't understand your point that 'they don't encourage repeat business from even casual gorehounds'.

To put it in perspective heres the American Gross' for some 'original script/non-remake' horror:

The Mist cost $13m(?) made $25m

Land of the Dead cost $15m made $21m

30 Days of Night cost $32m made $39m

I am Legend cost €150m made $256m

1408 cost €25m made €71m

28 days Later cost $9.8m made $45m

[Despare]

Paranormal Activity cost $15,000 and has an estimated total domestic gross of $103,847,000.

[Ferox13]

Paranormal Activity cost $15,000 and has an estimated total domestic gross of $103,847,000.

God bless hype...

I think Blair witch cost about $60k.

But as I showed Remakes do in general make as much if not more then 'original films'

[illdojo]

Yo neilold you should remake Final Destination

:D Yep, or....I Know What You Did Last Summer. That would be so killer.

[massacre man]

:D Yep, or....I Know What You Did Last Summer. That would be so killer.

And by "be so" you mean "involve a" right?

[thegrouchsmom]

I would guess almost every single remake made cash..

When a Stranger Calls cost $15m made $41m

The RIng cost $48m made $129m

The Grudge cost $10m made $110m

Prom Night cost $18m made $48m

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre cost $9.2m made $80m

The Amityville Horror cost $19m made $65m

Friday the 13th cost $16m made $65m

Thirteen Ghosts cost $20m made $41m

The Omen cost $25m made $54m

My Bloody Valentine cost $25m made $51m

Dawn of the Dead cost $28m made $58m

Halloween cost $20m made $58m

These figure are what they made in US CINEMAS ONLY - so they also made more cash from the foreign market and DVD sales too.

So i'm not really sure where you're getting the idea that they're making 'Not too much bank'.. Remakes are a safe bet and consistantly make money - I don't understand your point that 'they don't encourage repeat business from even casual gorehounds'.

To put it in perspective heres the American Gross' for some 'original script/non-remake' horror:

The Mist cost $13m(?) made $25m

Land of the Dead cost $15m made $21m

30 Days of Night cost $32m made $39m

I am Legend cost €150m made $256m

1408 cost €25m made €71m

28 days Later cost $9.8m made $45m

I hate to requote this whole passage b/c it is quite lengthy, but I do have to wonder why anybody would say "Yeah, remakes don't make money" when it takes so little internet research to see that they do make a LOT of money. That's why they make them. Even after you say things like they only "alienate" people, the sequel to Halloween is currently sitting at $40 million in worldwide box, and it's budget was $15 million.....$25 million profit before even hitting video shelves is a lot of cash to pass up for something that can be produced quickly, can star anybody, and doesn't have to have any real advertising money behind it...

Another great quote from Ferox13:
And what fans are they alienating - ppl like us. I would imagine we are a tiny fraction of the cinema going audience that go to see these films. I bet if u asked every person who saw the Prom Night remake who directed the original i would say a fraction of 1% would know. The remakes are not made for nerd fans who collect films from the 2nd unit director of Street Trash.
True dat.

[Doc Faustus]

I had been looking at the Prom Night and Hitcher remakes as examples, who both put in weak showings. Also, I was pointing out that it's not a good idea for a new writer to query with a remake script. It's like sending an agent a script for a Superman project. They have people to write those. Workhorse whore writers who can churn out scripts quickly. Sending an agent or studio a remake script is not going to get you into the movie industry.

[thegrouchsmom]

Workhorse whore writers who can churn out scripts quickly. Sending an agent or studio a remake script is not going to get you into the movie industry.

heh-heh....

[Ferox13]

I had been looking at the Prom Night and Hitcher remakes as examples, who both put in weak showings.

The Hitcher indeed did very badly - Prom Night did make some money in the US cinemas and wikipedia has it as a worldwide total of $56,597,560 (I'm not sure if this is DVD sales too I'd say so) which is a lot of profit on a $18m budget.

So The Hitcher was definally a failure the majority of remakes seem to make significant 'bank' - and of course this is the reason they are being churned out..

As for you point of a new writer starting tihe a script for a remake or exisiting francise I never criticised - you're right. Its not how hollywood works on these things.

[p1zl3]

Workhorse whore writers who can churn out scripts quickly. Sending an agent or studio a remake script is not going to get you into the movie industry.

I have a tendency to blame directors over writers... I've seen some stupidly written films amaze me with cinematography...

Case and point:
City of Lost Children
--and--
Killing Zoe

[Doc Faustus]

I don't blame the writers for shitty scripts. I blame the people who give them crappy assignments and an intellectual environment that makes it nearly impossible to live on genuine creativity.

[wufongtan.]

30 Days of Night cost $32m made $39m



It made so "little"? I'm suprised at that. but yet they are making a part two. Probably hoping to build on the fan base the original built. I hope it does well though because if it doesn't then hollywood will say that People aren't interested in those sort of vampires anymore. and we will be stuck with twilight type vamp movies for the next 20 yrs or so.

[Ferox13]

It made so "little"? I'm suprised at that. but yet they are making a part two. Probably hoping to build on the fan base the original built. I hope it does well though because if it doesn't then hollywood will say that People aren't interested in those sort of vampires anymore. and we will be stuck with twilight type vamp movies for the next 20 yrs or so.

Well that figure is US box office only - so you have to think what it made worldwide plus its DVD sales...

[neilold]

well iv'e certainly stirred up opinions, i only did the thread as a sort of personal joke against remakes in the first place!!! anyway glad it's got a interesting discussion going.