Top 10 Badass Reimaginings of Classic Monsters
October is the Battle of Verdun for those of us here at Dread Central, as we stalwart few weather an unending barrage of news and new content laying craterous waste to our minds and keyboards. As the calendar page turns and the thunderous pings of new emails cease to report, we all take a collective moment to catch our breath, grab a pint, and think about absolutely anything other than horror for a change. It’s a brief respite, however, as we happy few are never far from taking up arms and rattling off our favorite films and anticipated features in an anthem of fandom.
Just because October has ended doesn’t mean that there aren’t big releases on the horizon for horror fans. November 25th marks the opening of the eagerly anticipated Victor Frankenstein, a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic tale of obsession and science gone wrong. James McAvoy assumes the role of the titular doctor, while Daniel Radcliffe stars as the beloved cinema icon Igor. It looks like it might do for Frankenstein what Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes did for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character, injecting action, drama, and charisma into the setting.
It’s a bold take on a beloved and often repeated story, and it got me thinking of other classic monster tales that have been similarly reimagined. So, without further ado, I present to you my Top 10 Badass Reimaginings of Classic Monsters!
1) Frankenstein’s Monster:
There is no monster as entrenched in horror cinema history as that creation of Doctor Victor Frankenstein. Debuting in 1910, he was one of the first monsters ever to be put to screen. Karloff canonized the creature’s iconic square look, green skin, and bolts in his masterful 1931 portrayal. The character has since been on the screen ever since, resurrected time and again to fill the role of the tragic abomination we all secretly relate to.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994):
While not my favorite Frankenstein film, you’re hard pressed to find a more soulful depiction of the creature than Robert De Niro’s. Lonely and afraid, the monster is left to his own devices in a world that neither understands nor wants him. He is plagued with intelligence, love, desires, and a grotesque image that makes all those human qualities a curse.
Confronting his creator, he is not angry over his horrific visage, but his abandonment. He is a patchwork creation whose father never even tried to answer the question of what came out of his resurrection vat. He kills because he is an angry orphan who was never shown another way, and his suffering breaks our heart despite the severity of his actions. The film is faithful to the original work to a point, but with a deeper exploration into the fear and pain of the Monster. While Kenneth Branagh’s acting and direction might be better suited for a more hyperbolic story, the Monster makes the film.
Frankenstein’s Army (2013):
All right… enough soul-searching, intellectual stuff. Time for some badass fucking monsters. Frankenstein’s Army is a balls-to-the-wall slaughterhouse of a film. This is the movie that I show people when they tell me that all found footage is the same. Taking place in WWII, a group of Russian soldiers fights Viktor Frankenstein’s army of patchwork “zombots.” There are some truly great plot details involving Stalinist rule by fear and Soviet backstabbing, but what steals the show are the ingenious practical effect monsters. Seriously, just watch the trailer, hop onto Netflix, and marvel.
2) Vampires:
In the world of horror cinema, the crown for best classic vampire is a strong contest between Schreck’s Count Orlok in Nosferatu (1922) and Lugosi as the eponymous Dracula (1931). In either case, vampires have evolved past their source materials, exploding into a pop culture phenomenon. There have been many attempts to create a new kind of vampire “canon,” but these two stick out as among the most successful attempts to expand the lore.
Interview with the Vampire (1994):
Without Anne Rice’s iconic book of the same name, the modern vampire narrative probably wouldn’t exist. While the idea of a vampire society existed prior, it was Rice’s vision that brought it to many audiences for the first time. Without Interview with the Vampire, we probably wouldn’t have “True Blood” (2008-2014), Underworld (2003), “The Vampire Diaries” (2009- ), etc.
Telling the tale of Louis’ transformation and darkening at the hands of the sadistic and destructive Lestat, Rice’s story is about the struggle for humanity within the inhuman. Her vampires are savage, cold, cunning, and most terrifyingly organized and calculating. Though slaves to a thirst for blood, they are in control of their descent into cruelty. This conscious awareness, ability to resist, and willingness to become removed from their humanity are what make these creatures so monstrous.
Thirst (2009):
It’s popular now to tell the tale from the monster’s point of view, especially in a transformation narrative. Thirst is a shining (in moonlight, of course) example of how to do this narrative well. Taking the classic vampire tale, it polishes it with unique characters, moral struggles, and a ton of grey area. Character motivations are muddled, and who the victims and villains are shifts as circumstances change. It starts as a human narrative about control and desire, but the vampiric urges slowly creep up to deprive them of their happy ending. This isn’t vampires doing human things; it’s humans irrevocably becoming vampires.
