THE HORROR REMAKE BLOODY BRACKET

Round Three

The first matchup of Round Three pits Zack Snyder’s remake of a Romero zombie classic against Alexandre Aja’s update of a Craven hillbilly classic. Who comes out on top and advances to the Finals? Morbidly Amusing debates.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

VS

The Hills Have Eyes  (2006)

Dr. Morbid: Dawn of the Dead does everything a good remake should, respect the original while introducing different characters and situations. However, I’m just not a fan of fast zombies. Even though they are scarier, they lose something to me, not to mention the fact that the original Dawn didn’t need a remake as it holds up just fine. The Hills Have Eyes was just great, bloody entertainment that turned a so-so movie with a great concept into nuclear awesomeness. I choose Hills by a narrow margin. Victor: The Hills Have Eyes

That Other Raimi Brother: The original Dawn of the Dead is one of my favorite horror films of all-time and the idea of a remake to such a classic fell on deaf ears when I first heard about it. It’s safe to say then that I was pleasantly surprised when I found Zack Snyder’s recent Dawn to be a smart, well-crafted horror flick that definitely stands among the best of the new century. Alexandre Aja’s Hills update actually improved upon the original and truly embraced its nuclear concept to great effect. It’s a bloody good time, but I feel Hills lacks the craft and amazing opening that made Dawn such a great zombie movie. Dawn, for me, is the better film. Victor: Dawn of the Dead

Ross Tweedy: Both of these remakes are worthy of the top spot, but I have to go with Hills for this one. It’s tough to top mutated people living within a former nuclear test site who just destroy people. The burning of the father is just fucking frightening. Dawn was a good, rather faithful remake (at least in surface story), but it is also unfortunate that it has to live up to much more ‘important’ horror classics. After all is said and done, Hills wins out as the better overall remake. Victor: The Hills Have Eyes

Hills squeaks by Dawn to advance on to the Finals, 2 votes to 1. 

Up Next:   My Bloody Valentine  (2009)        VS    Maniac  (2012)