10 Horror Movies That Would Never Get Made Today

Over the years, many different horror movies have pushed the boundaries of the genre in shocking ways, but some of these films would not be made today. The horror genre has been going strong for well over 100 years, with early movies like Dracula shocking audiences before a resurgence in popularity in the 1970s with titles such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In recent years, the horror genre has become incredibly developed, seeing the likes of video game adaptations and even theme park rides inspired by films, and vice versa.

The best horror movies are remembered for their shocking elements, use of gore and suspense, and the fear they inject into audiences. However, not every movie that includes these elements pays off, and sometimes, the scare factor is taken too far. Although there have been some great examples of movie remakes in the past, there are some horror movies that would definitely not get the green light today.

10 Meet The Feebles (1989)

Directed By Peter Jackson

The Peter Jackson movieMeet the Feebles follows a theatre troupe of puppet animals in the seedy underbelly of show business, a similar premise seen in the animatronic horror movie Five Nights at Freddy’s. Still, the use of grotesque acts and pornographic imagery in Meet the Feebles means it’s unlikely such a film would be remade now. A lot of the language used throughout would no longer be appropriate, seeing as the world has changed a lot since the late 1980s. The way the film approaches the discussion of sexual assault and substance abuse is something that, even with a change in society, would be difficult to justify in the modern world.

The horror genre has seen success lately with black comedies involving puppets and animatronics in recent years. A notable example of this is the TV series Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, but this doesn’t mean that Meet the Feebles would receive the same reception. The extreme and controversial nature of the film just simply wouldn’t fly in the modern world, and even if the story were to be drastically altered, it’d be hard to avoid some sensitive elements.

9 Braindead (1992)

Directed By Peter Jackson

Another from Peter Jackson, Braindead, seems like a simple zombie movie at a glance. Several versions of the film were released back in 1992 due to the use of extreme gore, and in the US, even had a different name, Dead Alive. In fact, Braindead was banned in South Korea, Singapore, and Finland, and only certain versions are available in Germany for these same reasons.

While its dark, comedic undertones did lighten things up, as well as having solid special effects for the time, there are certain elements that, even if remade, would still scar audiences. A notable example of this would be Vera’s (Elizabeth Moody) transformation after being bitten by the rat-monkey, which resulted in her skin peeling and her ears falling off. There are also mentions of possible necrophilia, which, even in a zombie movie, is plain weird and would be difficult to justify including in a modern remake.

8 Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Directed By Ruggero Deodato

The 1980 Italian movieCannibal Holocaust is best remembered for its use of extreme gore and graphic violence, which was so severe that after its premiere, director Ruggero Deodato was arrested on obscenity charges. There were many reasons why the film received such a shocking response, but this was mainly because some of the on-screen deaths were so intense and detailed that it was believed to be real. Cannibal Holocaust was censored in many countries worldwide, and another reason for this was due to animal abuse during filming, in which seven animals were killed for the sake of production.

Outside the controversies and within the story, the characterization of indigenous people wasn’t exactly in their favor. Of course, nowadays, depictions of indigenous people and minority groups are slowly growing fuller and less offensive. However, a remake could draw attention back to the original and the chaos it caused, so perhaps Cannibal Holocaust is a film that’d be better to leave in the past.

7 Society (1989)

Directed By Brian Yuzna

1989’s Society is a stand-out in the body horror subgenre, but even its satirical undertones were unable to justify its strange storyline. Following themes of class division, the elite, and societal hierarchies, Society was controversial for its scenes of sexual manipulation and the implications of incest. While recent films such as Saltburn, which has similar themes, have been successful, it’s unlikely a Society remake would see the same results.

Society justifies its characters preying on the lower classes in a bizarre way. In a supernatural twist jammed in at the end of the film, it’s established that Bill’s (Billy Warlock) elitist family is another species, which felt a little out of place compared to the rest of its runtime. While Society was praised for its special effects and makeup, its story probably wouldn’t hold up in the modern world, especially as its main themes have been covered extensively in cinema in recent years.

6 Zombi 3 (1988)

Directed By Lucio Fulci And Bruno Mattei

The 1988 Italian horror film Zombi 3 is the second installment in the Zombi franchise; weirdly enough, with Zombi 2 named as such to imply it was a sequel to the American film Dawn of the Dead. Despite heavily featuring biological weapons and mutated creatures, Zombi 3 was criticized for its lackluster makeup and low-quality special effects. This could have been acceptable if it wasn’t for the plot being incomprehensible at times and lacking any character development.

Seemingly taking tropes and elements from other various horror movie hits and merging them together, Zombi 3 lacks its own original plot points. While a story about a mutation outbreak is a common occurrence in horror, it’s been overdone at this point. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything about Zombi 3 that is unique and hasn’t already been done in another film, so a remake would be pointless.

5 Enter The Void (2009)

Directed By Gaspar Noé

Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void is an experimental horror film, absolutely fitting the subgenre’s name. The film is primarily shot in the first-person point of view of drug dealer Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) as he goes through a psychedelic experience. While Enter the Void had some fascinating cinematography and uses of computer imagery, one prominent scene is so controversial that it’s hard to focus on any other element of the film.

Towards the end of Enter the Void, Oscar starts watching various people having sex. While that is creepy enough by itself and something that would probably face criticism nowadays, he then enters Alex’s (Cyril Roy) mind while he has sex with Linda (Paz de la Huerta). The point of view shifts slightly, and Oscar sees everything as if he is Alex’s penis, witnessing his own sister being ejaculated into and impregnated. While the premise of Enter the Void, as well as the first-person point of view, are interesting enough, the almost pornographic elements ruin it.

4 Audition (1999)

Directed By Gaspar Noé

The Japanese horror film Audition is remembered for its horrific scenes of violence and torture, as well as being criticized for certain misogynistic elements. Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) begins the film with a search for a new wife, but his criteria is strict, and he even auditions several women to find someone who fits his tastes. He swiftly becomes obsessed with Asami (Eihi Shiina), and despite her having her own motives and wanting him to pursue her, it’s still plain weird.

Asami has her controversial moments as well, though, with one notable scene showing her vomit into a bowl and feeding it to Shigeharu, and several moments that show the leftover body parts of the people she’d dismembered. Because of this storyline, it’s hard to determine which of the two is the true villain, so there’s nobody for audiences to root for truly. Its final sequence sees a lot of extreme violence, which throws off the pacing for the rest of the film, and Asami shoving needles into a minor’s eyeballs is an image that horror cinema could do without repeating.

3 Faust: Love Of The Damned (2000)

Directed By Brian Yuzna

In an unusual combination of genres, Faust: Love of the Damned is a superhero horror film based on the comic book of the same name by Tim Vigil and David Quinn. Its opening scene immediately throws audiences into a world of gore, showing off a crime scene filled with bodies that had been brutally dismembered. Halfway through the film, John (Mark Frost) is transformed into the devil, known as “Faust,” which causes a significant shift in tone.

What started as a psychologically driven revenge story becomes about satanic rituals, but the film’s climax is what really causes its controversy. M (Andrew Divoff) rapes Jade (Isabel Brook), which is an awful act anyway, but it’s made even worse by the fact that M only does this to try and humiliate John, treating Jade as if she wasn’t a thinking, feeling person. Of course, it makes sense that because of Jade’s backstory this would be included, but this subplot doesn’t add anything particular to the rest of the film.

2 The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009)

Directed By Tom Six

Horror movie enthusiasts will be aware of The Human Centipede franchise, which saw three installments from 2009 to 2015. The first, The Human Centipede (First Sequence), gained a lot of attention for its storyline: following a deranged surgeon who kidnaps three people and surgically joins them together, mouth to anus. The ludicrous concept was rather shocking, even by the standards of horror.

The film is filled with many horrific scenes, depicting Heiter’s (Dieter Laser) victims having to eat human waste, be beaten and tortured, and be subjected to racist verbal abuse. This list of reasons proves why The Human Centipede shouldn’t be revived, and even though the world has changed a lot since it was released in 2009, it’s still doubtful that such a film would ever be considered for a remake. Even if it was, it’s unlikely many performers would be keen to put themselves forward for a role.

1 A Serbian Film (2010)

Directed By Srđan Spasojević

A Serbian Film‘s extreme storyline follows struggling pornstar Miloš (Srđan Todorović), who is unknowingly cast in a snuff film with disturbing undertones. There are many awful scenes throughout that see morally corrupt acts being performed, such as a newborn child being assaulted and multiple moments of sexual assault on women and minors. The film was banned in several countries worldwide, and understandably so, as certain parts of A Serbian Film could be considered child pornography. While a lot of horror movies have their positives and negatives, there’s nothing about A Serbian Film that could justify it being remade.