Horror Movie Reboots You Didn't Know Were In The Works

We often hear that Hollywood is out of ideas, that they would rather take the easy money of remaking a nostalgic property instead of sinking millions into an untried idea. On one hand, that's not entirely true — plenty of wholly original films continue to get released and make plenty of money.

On the other hand, yes, there are a lot of remakes out there. And, oftentimes, they make a lot of money.

Not every remake has to be bad, though. Some are marked improvements over the original, others are able to reimagine things just enough to stay fresh and interesting. Today, we're taking a look at a genre that often does well with modern updates: horror. John Carpenter's The Thing, David Cronenberg's The Fly, even Frank Oz's movie-based-on-a-musical-based-on-a-movie Little Shop of Horrors... the history of the genre is full of brilliant reimaginings.

There are a ton of horror remakes in various stages of development floating around out there. Some of them are right around the corner, and some of them might never see the light of day. Here are several upcoming horror reboots that we're pretty excited about. 

Universal's Monsterverse, their attempt to create a Marvel-esque interconnected film series using their stable of classic monsters, got off to a real bad start. Tom Cruise's big budget version of The Mummy failed to gain traction, causing the initial "Dark Universe" plans to get scrapped. However, the recent success of The Invisible Man is reportedly revitalizing Universal's plans, and Dracula sounds like it is the next classic to get the remake treatment.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that Universal's new plan with their interconnected universe is to create smaller budget films that can stand on their own, rather than working to tie everything together in blockbuster Marvel style. They also write that Blumhouse will be producing the film, and that Karyn Kusama is being tapped to direct. Kusama previously directed horror films like Jennifer's Body and The Invitation. Like The Invisible Man, the Dracula remake would take place in modern times and feature modern twists on the classic story.

As for other Universal monster remakes, the studio is reportedly in communications with other filmmakers like Elizabeth Banks, Paul Feig, and John Krasinski, but there is no word on which projects those specific filmmakers have been approached with.

There have been a lot of very unsubstantial rumors floating around out there about a return to Elm Street, especially with the runaway success of 2018's Halloween reboot/sequel. Now, according to Bloody Disgusting, we really can expect a new Nightmare on Elm Street film to start production in the near future — but that's about all we know so far.

In 2010, there was an attempt to reboot A Nightmare on Elm Street with Jackie Earle Haley playing the lead villain. Unfortunately, the reboot was panned by critics and audiences alike, and the franchise faded into the background.

In September of 2019, Wes Craven's estate regained the rights to the character and franchise. Bloody Disgusting reports that the horror master's estate (Craven himself passed away in 2015) is actively seeking pitches for the return of Freddy Krueger. The site reports that they are accepting pitches for both a feature film and a possible HBO series.

Obviously, this information is all tied to the very beginning of the process. That said, it seems it won't be too long before A Nightmare on Elm Street comes back to haunt us.

Interestingly, Gremlins is coming back in 2021 — but not necessarily as you'd think. It's returning as a television show, rather than a movie, and it's also going to be animated.

In 2018, director Chris Columbus told Metro that he was working on a reboot of the Gremlins franchise, but didn't go into too much detail. TV Line got a little more in-depth in early 2019, releasing information about the series. It will reportedly by a sort of origin story — the Gremlins show will be set in 1920s China and show how Mr. Wing (who is a ten-year-old in the show) came to possess the Mogwai named Gizmo. Together, they will encounter an assortment of spirits and creatures from Chinese myth and folklore.

The first two Gremlins films have dramatically different tones, and it sounds like the Gremlins series will lean more into the comedic style of Gremlins 2: The New Batch, but more family friendly. The first season is scheduled for ten episodes, with Tze Chun (Gotham) serving as showrunner. Interestingly, the TV Line piece makes no mention of Columbus being attached to the project — maybe there are two Gremlins reboots in development?

Despite the fact that it was essentially riding on the coattails of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer actually became a pretty hot property in the late 1990s. The original film was a veritable who's who of heartthrob actors: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddy Prinze Jr. all did battle with "The Fisherman" in the campy slasher flick. Fans can rejoice: I Know What You Did Last Summer is returning, this time as an Amazon Prime series.

James Wan is attached to the series as a producer, and Bloody Disgusting reports that the series' pilot is written by Shay Hatten. Hatten also wrote the screenplay for John Wick 3: Parabellum. No director that we know of is attached for the pilot episode at this point.

I Know What You Did Last Summer told the story of a group of teens who run over someone with their car and dump the body in the ocean. The next year, the group starts receiving threats from someone who knows their secret, and they start getting murdered by a person in a raincoat carrying a hook.

We don't have a ton of information on the remake of The Toxic Avenger, but Variety reports that the film became a "high priority" for Legendary Pictures as soon as they obtained the rights for it in December 2018. The original is a low-budget cult classic that helped Troma Studios secure a devoted following, so hopefully the remake will be able to capture some of the original's charm.

Macon Blair, who began his career as an actor in films like Blue Ruin and Green Room, will reportedly be directing the project. He has only directed one other film: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. That debut feature took home the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, so he does have a little bit of hype surrounding him.

Variety also writes that Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment are attached to the project as producers, and it's hard to imagine them allowing a reboot of The Toxic Avenger without some of the charm of the original.

Quick quiz: how many Hellraiser movies have there been?

Answer: Ten! There are ten! And the most recent one, Hellraiser: Judgment, came out in 2018!

That said, Spyglass Entertainment is trying to revitalize the franchise a bit with a reboot. Yes, the Lament Configuration is headed back to the big screen, bringing Pinhead and the rest of the Cenobites with it. David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) is attached to the reboot as a writer and producer. Clive Barker, who wrote the original story the series is based on and directed the first film in 1987, is also attached.

Hellraiser never quite reached the level of massive horror franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, but its dark and twisted narrative and memorable villain did help the series carve out its own fandom. The story revolves around a puzzle box that, when solved, unleashes a gang of sadomasochistic demons into our world. The leader of these demons is Pinhead, one of the most iconic horror villains of the 1980s.

Goyer is excited to be given a chance with the franchise. He told Deadline, "Having the chance to reimagine Pinhead and the Cenobites for a new audience is a nightmare-come-true." The Hollywood Reporter has also learned that the team behind the Sundance darling The Night House will bring the Hellraiser reboot to life. David Bruckner will direct the film, and the writing duo of Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski will pen the script, based on a story concept from Goyer.

You can safely describe the 1990 film The Witches as "a movie that probably traumatized a lot of children." Based on a book by Roald Dahl, it starred Anjelica Huston and featured some impressive effects work from Jim Henson Productions. The Witches is being rebooted, and its release is scheduled for right around Halloween in 2020.

Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) is in the director's chair for the project, which stars Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, and Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch.

Dahl's original book focuses on a group of terrifying witches and a boy who stumbles across their secrets. The author did not like the ending of the original film, and reportedly asked the filmmakers to remove his name from the film's marketing. The remake will reportedly be darker, thus sticking closer to Dahl's original tale. Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron are also attached to the film as producers, and you know those two can get real dark.

This one is still extremely early in development, but we do have a few concrete details on the remake of this obscure gem. Audrey Rose was released in 1977, a bizarre little horror mystery starring Marsha Mason and Anthony Hopkins. Mason plays Janice, a woman with a daughter whose life is turned upside down when Elliot Hoover (Hopkins) shows up. He insists that Janice's daughter is actually a reincarnation of his own dead child, and all sorts of creepy events start occurring.

It's a slow burn, but one that could be very impressive with the right people telling the modern adaptation. All we know so far about the remake of Audrey Rose is that it is being released by Orion Pictures and the screenplay is being hammered out by Chloe Okuno. She also wrote the short horror film "Slut," which one several film festival awards, including the AFI Fest Grand Jury Prize. Okuno seems like just the writer to put together a creepy, surreal story like Audrey Rose.

Filmmaker Andy Muschietti is quickly becoming a Hollywood darling. He caught a bit of the right kind of attention with his 2013 horror film Mama, but really started getting looks after helming both It and It: Chapter Two. Now, he's got one of his dream projects in the works — a remake of the werewolf classic The Howling.

At San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, Muschietti was asked what horror film he'd love a shot at remaking. His answer: The Howling. Either he got his wish or the project was secretly in the works at the time, but Coming Soon reported in January 2020 that the filmmaker would indeed be working with Netflix to bring the 1981 movie back to life. The original film, directed by Joe Dante of Gremlins fame, is about a woman who is sent to a secluded resort to help relieve trauma after a near-death experience. Unfortunately for her, the resort is home to a group of werewolves.

The Howling is a fairly straightforward (but still effective) bit of 80s horror — it also features one of the best werewolf transformation scenes of all time. Muschietti should be able to do it justice. There's no timeline for The Howling on Netflix, but don't hold your breath: the director also has Attack on Titan and The Flash in the works.

The internet has made it very easy for scary stories to spiral out of control and take on lives of their own. Remember Momo? That thing your aunt forwarded your mother about? Even more mainstream, what about Slender Man? It started as a silly internet story before it spawned movies, video games and even real world crimes. The rapid speed and dubious fact-checking of the internet are ripe for urban legends to spring up and gain attention.

That's why Urban Legend is ripe for a reboot. Deadline writes that Screen Gems is fast-tracking the project and currently casting the key roles. The new movie will focus on "a diverse cast of college students as they navigate a series of bizarre deaths that resemble urban legends linked to the darkest corners of social media." Colin Minihan (What Keeps You Alive) is attached to write and direct.

The original film came out in 199,8 and it's surprisingly entertaining, especially with all its late '90s trappings, like young Jared Leto and Tara Reid. We'll have to wait and see if Minihan leans into the dark side or keeps a tongue-in-cheek attitude with his version.

A true classic of the genre, the original Night of the Hunter was released all the way back in 1955. It still holds up surprisingly well, and a full-scale remake just might work (we aren't counting the made-for-TV version from the '90s). Variety writes that Universal is mounting a Night of the Hunter remake, though it sounds like they'll be modernizing it instead of making a period piece.

The original film is based on a book and follows a religious fanatic and conman named Reverend Harry Powell. He targets a widow and her two children after he learns that the woman's husband hid a sizable cash sum somewhere near their home. He is an exceptionally creepy villain, played to perfection by Robert Mitchum. The whole concept of "LOVE" and "HATE" knuckle tattoos was popularized by the character.

We don't have any names for cast or directors yet, but Matt Orton is writing the script. He recently penned Operation Finale, starring Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac.

A Stephen King fan favorite is finally getting the big screen treatment. Salem's Lot has been adapted for television a few times — the 1979 miniseries starring David Soul is the version most people are aware of, but another version was made in 2004 with Rob Lowe and Donald Sutherland. The second season of Hulu's Castle Rock also borrowed portions of the story, with vampires overtaking the little town.

Well, New Line Cinema is making their own version of Salem's Lot, and we also know who is bringing this vision to life: Gary Dauberman. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dauberman was already attached as the film's screenwriter, but he is also going to be sitting in the director's chair for the Salem's Lot remake.

The original book concerns an author named Ben Mears, who returns to the town where he lived as a child. He quickly learns that he was right to be afraid of Jerusalem's Lot when he was younger, as a terrifying presence is gathering underneath an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town.

Dauberman worked on the screenplays for both IT films for New Line, and has also contributed to the Annabelle films. His directorial debut came in 2019's Annabelle Comes Home.