Hollywood often stands accused of eschewing original ideas in favor of established intellectual property and the worst movie remakes don’t do the town any favors. While predominant among horror films, the trend ultimately leaves no genre unscathed. Viewers who actually witness this dreck are left to wonder why filmmakers decided to mess with the original material, which was frequently superior in every way. “Money” is usually the answer. (Here are 20 movies they just can’t stop remaking.)
To be fair, there are plenty of cases where a remake feels at least somewhat justified in its initial conception. The most common examples would be when Hollywood adapts a successful foreign film for American audiences. If it worked with “The Ring,” maybe it can work with “The Grudge” and “The Eye,” executives figured. From a critical perspective, they figured wrong. (These are the best foreign films of all time.)
To determine the worst movie remakes of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed Worst Remakes of All Time on IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. To rank the films, we created an index of average user ratings on IMDb and average audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, scaled to take into account the varying number of votes across the movies in our database. This combined rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating to obtain each film’s 24/7 Tempo index score. To be considered, each film had to have at least 10,000 total user ratings between IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes and 10 approved Tomatometer critic reviews.
Click here to see the worst movie remakes of all time
Those looking for guilty pleasures won’t have to look far. From the disastrous “Wicker Man” remake to the Madonna vehicle “Swept Away,” these films are packed with bad movie tropes. We celebrate them in spite of – or perhaps because of – their countless flaws. But if you’re looking for actual quality, be sure to track down the original, which will prove superior in every case for the films listed here.
32. The Grudge (2004)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.45
> Directed by: Takashi Shimizu
> Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall, William Mapother
> Original Film: Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
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31. I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.42
> Directed by: Steven R. Monroe
> Starring: Sarah Butler, Jeff Branson, Andrew Howard, Daniel Franzese
> Original Film: I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
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30. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.39
> Directed by: Shawn Levy, Shawn Levy
> Starring: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo
> Original Film: Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)
29. The Amityville Horror (2005)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.34
> Directed by: Andrew Douglas
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jimmy Bennett, Jesse James
> Original Film: The Amityville Horror (1979)
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28. Poseidon (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.33
> Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
> Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum, Josh Lucas
> Original Film: The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
27. Dark Water (2005)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.30
> Directed by: Walter Salles
> Starring: Jennifer Connelly, Ariel Gade, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth
> Original Film: Dark Water (2002)
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26. Planet of the Apes (2001)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.28
> Directed by: Tim Burton
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth, Michael Clarke Duncan
> Original Film: Planet of the Apes (1968)
25. The Pink Panther (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.27
> Directed by: Shawn Levy
> Starring: Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer
> Original Film: The Pink Panther (1963)
24. The Hitcher (2007)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.26
> Directed by: Dave Meyers
> Starring: Sean Bean, Sophia Bush, Zachary Knighton, Neal McDonough
> Original Film: The Hitcher (1986)
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23. Clash of the Titans (2010)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.25
> Directed by: Louis Leterrier
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng
> Original Film: Clash of the Titans (1981)
22. The Time Machine (2002)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.24
> Directed by: Simon Wells
> Starring: Guy Pearce, Yancey Arias, Mark Addy, Phyllida Law
> Original Film: The Time Machine (1960)
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21. House of Wax (2005)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.22
> Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
> Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton, Elisha Cuthbert, Brian Van Holt
> Original Film: House of Wax (1953)
20. Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.20
> Directed by: Steve Beck
> Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard
> Original Film: 13 Ghosts (1960)
19. The Eye (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.18
> Directed by: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
> Starring: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey, Rade Serbedzija
> Original Film: The Eye (2002)
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18. Down to Earth (2001)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.13
> Directed by: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
> Starring: Chris Rock, Regina King, Chazz Palminteri, Eugene Levy
> Original Films: Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), Heaven Can Wait (1978)
17. All the King’s Men (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.12
> Directed by: Steven Zaillian
> Starring: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins
> Original Film: All the King’s Men (1949)
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16. Yours, Mine & Ours (2005)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.10
> Directed by: Raja Gosnell
> Starring: Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo, Jerry O’Connell, Sean Faris
> Original Film: Yours, Mine & Ours (1968)
15. (tie) Psycho (1998)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.09
> Directed by: Gus Van Sant
> Starring: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, Julianne Moore, Viggo Mortensen
> Original Film: Psycho (1960)
15. (tie) A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.09
> Directed by: Samuel Bayer
> Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy
> Original Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
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14. The Stepford Wives (2004)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.08
> Directed by: Frank Oz
> Starring: Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close
> Original Film: The Stepford Wives (1975)
13. Conan the Barbarian (2011)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.04
> Directed by: Marcus Nispel
> Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang
> Original Film: Conan the Barbarian (1982)
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12. (tie) The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.01
> Directed by: Scott Derrickson
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith
> Original Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
12. (tie) When a Stranger Calls (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.01
> Directed by: Simon West
> Starring: Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, Katie Cassidy, Tessa Thompson
> Original Film: When a Stranger Calls (1979)
11. The Women (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 1.00
> Directed by: Diane English
> Starring: Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes, Annette Bening, Debra Messing
> Original Film: The Women (1939)
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10. Black Christmas (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.96
> Directed by: Glen Morgan
> Starring: Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Katie Cassidy
> Original Film: Black Christmas (1974)
9. (tie) The Haunting (1999)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.93
> Directed by: Jan de Bont
> Starring: Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor
> Original Film: The Haunting (1963)
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9. (tie) Shutter (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.93
> Directed by: Masayuki Ochiai
> Starring: Joshua Jackson, Rachael Taylor, James Kyson, Megumi Okina
> Original Film: Shutter (2004)
8. Get Carter (2000)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.88
> Directed by: Stephen Kay
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Rachael Leigh Cook, Miranda Richardson, Rhona Mitra
> Original Film: Get Carter (1971)
7. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.86
> Directed by: John Frankenheimer, Richard Stanley
> Starring: David Thewlis, Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk
> Original Film: The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977)
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6. Pulse (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.84
> Directed by: Jim Sonzero
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Rick Gonzalez, Christina Milian, Ian Somerhalder
> Original Film: Kairo (200
5. Prom Night (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.80
> Directed by: Nelson McCormick
> Starring: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis
> Original Film: Prom Night (1980)
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4. (tie) One Missed Call (2008)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.65
> Directed by: Eric Valette
> Starring: Edward Burns, Shannyn Sossamon, Ana Claudia Talancón, Ray Wise
> Original Film: One Missed Call (2003)
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4. (tie) The Wicker Man (2006)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.65
> Directed by: Neil LaBute
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ellen Burstyn, Leelee Sobieski, Kate Beahan
> Original Film: The Wicker Man (1973)
3. Swept Away (2002)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.64
> Directed by: Guy Ritchie
> Starring: Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Bruce Greenwood, Elizabeth Banks
> Original Film: Swept Away (1974)
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2. The Fog (2005)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.56
> Directed by: Rupert Wainwright
> Starring: Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, Selma Blair, DeRay Davis
> Original Film: The Fog (1980)
1. Rollerball (2002)
> 24/7 Tempo index score: 0.42
> Directed by: John McTiernan
> Starring: Chris Klein, Jean Reno, LL Cool J, Rebecca Romijn
> Original Film: Rollerball (1975)
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