When I first read of director Matt Reeves’ plans to remake the Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In I was absolutely mortified. The re-envisioning of classic movies has always been a practice in American cinema culture, but the idea of taking a cult classic that has barely had time to cement its new permanence in the vampire film genre, having only been released a year ago, is pure blasphemy. At the time that Reeves was first approached by Overture Films about adapting the film to accommodate an American audience, Let the Right One In had yet to be released. However, seeing as how it is now one of the most celebrated independent foreign vampire films of this decade without the assistance of American homogenization, why would Reeves still pursue the project so soon? Does Hollywood really feel that American audiences are that unable to appreciate the film in its current state, that it must be translated and glamorized in order for audiences in this country to embrace it? No matter if it is a fan of the vampire genre or merely a general advocate of independent film, when asked to name one of the most memorable new films that they have seen within the last few years the title Let the Right One In is on the tip of their tongues. This should be an obvious statement that a remake is not only unnecessary for this film, but would be highly undesired.


So, why is America obsessed with remakes? Especially within the past decade, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of films either remade by Hollywood producers hungry to make a quick buck, or are currently in development. And there seems to be no end in sight. Back to the Future, Teen Wolf, Tron, Red Sonja, The Karate Kid, Logan’s Run, Fahrenheit 451, Hellraiser, Clash of the Titans, The Birds…the list goes on and on for films that have been recently acquired and are in production for remakes. I am very opinionated when it comes to the topic of remakes; I do not, in any situation, approve of them. If the original work was memorable enough to inspire a director decades later with the mere idea of recreating it, then it was strong enough to stand on its own and should not be altered. Something that was specifically targeted to a certain generation most likely will have no appeal to the current generation if morphed into the modern culture. The reason why Back to the Future worked, in part, was because it tapped into the innocent, quirky personality of the 80′s, a cultural persona that modern teens would most likely be a bit too jaded for. I also find incessant remaking of movies insulting to indie directors that strive for originality. Yes, yes, we’ve all heard the statement that there are no new ideas, only new interpretations of old stories. So invent something new! Is Hollywood really stretched so thin creatively that it cannot invest the time and effort to seek out revolutionary new ideas? Ah, but that is why independent film arose in the first place. Even in the 1950′s, Hollywood had boxed itself in with predictable, stale, if pretty, productions which it felt was “suitable” for American audiences. And now, I suppose, those people who are reselling the rights to their original films for remakes are so desperate to make a dollar that they are willing to sacrifice the artistic integrity and voice that made the first film a cultural landmark. What a pity. Whatever it is that drives this horrific trend of impulsive mass remakes, I certainly hope it is a trend that burns itself out quickly. American audiences deserve better.


And, to Matt Reeves, I didn’t like Cloverfield (my Fear Zone review) so you’d best do a damned better job in your handling of Let the Right One In, which is to be titled Let Me In, or I will definitely be sinking my reviewer’s fangs into it when your version is released. You can count on that!

Tags: Back to the Future, Cloverfield, directors, Hollywood, indie film, Let the Right One In, Matt Reeves, movie remake, Movies, The Karate Kid, Tron, vampire movie

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