In Adam Lowenstien’s reflection on Samuel Bayer’s 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street the author discusses how the horror genre is one of the most cannibalistic of genres. Homage, pastiche, intertextuality and imitation are plentiful within horror. He also marks how many remakes are often saturated in nostalgia but often lack the subversive nature of their predecessors.[i] Ryan Lizardi disagrees with this statement and his article on horror remakes, ‘“Re-Imaging” Hegemony and Misogyny in the Contemporary Slasher Remake’, identifies the two camps of thought concerning remakes. The first regard the remake as formulaic and cheapening the original text while the other posits that the remake attempts to work through cultural fears and anxieties helping to place these fears in a new context. The context in which these remakes are constructed is revealing especially when one compares the remakes to their predecessors. The author argues that horror remakes of 70s and 80s are “hyperrealized” and have the same ideological concerns as their originals.[ii] This section of the site reflects on remakes of 70s and 80s horror and the way in which they are innately nostalgic and hyper-realized. A textual analysis of thematic elements of each film reveals the value of the remake and posit its worth and relevance to the genre.
[i] Lowenstein, Adam . "Alone on Elm Street." Film Quarterly 64.1 (2010): 18-22.
[ii] Lizardi, Ryan. "'Re-Imaging” Hegemony and Misogyny in the Contemporary Slasher Remake’." Journal of Popular Film & Television 38.3 (2010): 113-121.
[i] Lowenstein, Adam . "Alone on Elm Street." Film Quarterly 64.1 (2010): 18-22.
[ii] Lizardi, Ryan. "'Re-Imaging” Hegemony and Misogyny in the Contemporary Slasher Remake’." Journal of Popular Film & Television 38.3 (2010): 113-121.