These Horror Remakes Are Vital Sociopolitical Mirrors Of Their Time

Everything is connected. Our viewpoints and how we communicate them are always shaped by the world around us, whether we realize it or not. Politics, affecting everything from everyday expenses to healthcare, inevitably influences our lives. Art, including film, has always reflected this influence, and it’s perfectly normal that it would continue to do so.

A filmmaker’s artistic decisions are shaped by their background – things like their upbringing, the resources available to them, and their overall life experiences. This helps explain why horror films often become connected to political issues. The genre taps into our current fears, even for viewers who aren’t actively involved in politics. Sometimes, a filmmaker doesn’t set out to make a political statement, but the film’s timing and themes can unintentionally become a call for change, like with Night of the Living Dead. Other times, filmmakers deliberately address societal issues and prejudices, as seen in Get Out.

Remakes can be hit or miss. If a remake is just about making money, it usually doesn’t work well, offering little beyond flashy visuals, like the 2017 version of The Mummy. However, when a remake is made with genuine artistic intent and a meaningful message, it can be something truly special.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

As a huge movie fan, I think Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been remade so many times for a really good reason. It taps into some incredibly basic, deep-seated fears we all share – the fear of losing who you are, of becoming just another face in the crowd, of feeling like an outsider, and of not being able to trust anyone around you. These are the kinds of fears that stick with you, and that’s why the story keeps getting retold.

The original 1956 film portrayed a town stifled by conformity and the monotony of everyday life. The 1978 remake explored similar ideas, but reflected the changes that had occurred in home life over two decades. While Becky Driscoll’s (Dana Wynter) father held the power in 1956, Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) finds herself controlled by her husband in the 1978 version. Geoffrey (Art Hindle), after being replaced by a pod person, becomes overly controlling, highlighting the importance of women having independence and control over their own lives.

In 1978, the year the film came out, a massive feminist march took place on July 9th to drum up support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which still hadn’t been approved. This demonstration was crucial because years of opposition from Phyllis Schlafly, a prominent conservative voice, had nearly stopped the amendment from gaining traction.

This major defeat played a significant role in preventing the Equal Rights Amendment from becoming part of the US Constitution, delaying progress towards equal rights for women. Phyllis Schlafly became a symbol of those who resisted change and preferred traditional roles for women. This group helped maintain societal norms that kept women subordinate and encouraged them to conform to a restrictive cultural standard.

I think Phillip Kauffman’s 1978 version of Invasion is really interesting because it moves the story to a city, making you think things are more advanced. But then, it quickly takes that feeling of safety away. It really highlights how vulnerable people are when they don’t have protection, and especially how much the women in the film rely on men just to get around safely. Nancy Bellicec, played by Veronica Cartright, is a perfect example. She’s the last woman left after her husband and friends are… changed, and it feels like the film is saying a woman on her own just isn’t safe. And honestly, that sadly felt true back in 1978.

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s The Thing came out during a period of significant upheaval in the 1980s. The Cold War was ongoing, Ronald Reagan was newly in office and reshaping American culture, and the world was shaken by shocking acts of violence and assassination attempts, including one against President Reagan. Adding to the sense of change, Walter Cronkite, a highly trusted news anchor, retired from CBS, leaving a void in American broadcasting.

In 1981, before the movie The Thing came out, the CDC published its first report on what would become the AIDS epidemic in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review (MMWR). This report alarmed doctors nationwide, who had been seeing puzzling and untreatable cases. President Reagan didn’t speak publicly about AIDS until 1985, and research into the disease was severely underfunded. Because no one understood how it spread, widespread fear and suspicion developed surrounding both the illness and those who were infected.

Carpenter claims he didn’t set out to make a film about AIDS. He was actually interested in exploring how friendships fall apart when trust erodes. But whether he meant to or not, The Thing ended up reflecting a country grappling with widespread fear, rapid change, and a mysterious, frightening disease.

The Fly (1986)

David Cronenberg’s version of The Fly creates a uniquely terrifying experience for viewers by placing them in the position of Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis), who is pregnant with the child of scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum).

The movie centers around the idea of who controls their own body, focusing on both Ronnie and Seth. Ronnie discovers she’s pregnant around the same time Seth begins to change, and she immediately and emphatically states she wants an abortion. When questioned about her decision, she powerfully declares, “I don’t want it in my body!”

As a huge film buff, it’s always stuck with me how relevant certain movies remain. When I recently rewatched this one, I was struck by how its themes felt even more poignant given the rollback of abortion rights in the US with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. But it’s important to remember things weren’t great when the film originally came out either. And it’s especially powerful knowing it was filmed in Canada, where abortion was still illegal at the time. The Canadian Supreme Court didn’t actually legalize it until almost a month after the film’s release – January 28th, 1988. That really adds weight to Ronnie’s desperate, heartbreaking plea.

David Cronenberg is a celebrated Canadian director who has often received funding from the Canadian government. It’s fitting, then, that he’d weave this into the unsettling themes of his films, and he’s known for being direct about Canadian politics.

The Blob (1988)

The 1988 remake of The Blob, directed by Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont, is far more violent than the original 1950s film. Unlike the first movie, which starred Steve McQueen, the remake focuses on two main characters: Shawnee Smith as cheerleader Meg Penny and Kevin Dillon as the rebellious Brian Flagg. The story also takes place in a more isolated location.

Gender roles are largely shaped by how society and its beliefs teach us to behave. By 1988, characters like Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, and Nancy Thompson had shown that women could be strong and capable heroes in movies. However, these were still unusual examples, and it was taking time for more diverse representations to become common.

Sandra Day O’Connor made history as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. During this period, laws addressing discrimination also evolved, impacting areas like public schools, how organizations accepted members, and how law firms promoted their employees. Even President Reagan acknowledged the progress by proclaiming August 25, 1988, as Women’s Equality Day, a symbolic but significant act for that era.

It’s not a coincidence that Meg is the most capable character in the 1988 film, The Blob. The movie cleverly uses your expectations about how men and women behave, and it works perfectly. Meg consistently steps up and fights for what’s right, even while being undermined by arrogant men who dismiss her concerns and belittle her.

Funny Games (2007)

Michael Haneke’s film Funny Games is a commentary on excessive violence in movies and television, and was intentionally made with political themes. He remade the film to reach a wider English-speaking audience who might not have watched the original due to it being in German. As Haneke explained, the film explores how violence is depicted in the media, and the language barrier prevented the original from reaching many viewers.

According to Haneke, his film Funny Games felt particularly timely because media violence had become more prevalent since the original release. The mid-to-late 1990s saw a surge in coverage of violent events, including the Unabomber attacks, the JonBenét Ramsey murder, and the tragic death of Princess Diana, who died in a car crash while being pursued by paparazzi.

After 2007, these events became more common. School shootings continued, building on the tragedies of Columbine and the murder of Matthew Shepard, alongside events like 9/11, the Columbia space shuttle disaster, the Iraq war, and the disturbing reports of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers shown on 60 Minutes. The list goes on and on.

It was a huge understatement to say violence in media had gone up, and that’s what made both versions of the film Funny Games so important.

The Crazies (2010)

As a critic, I see The Crazies as tapping into a really disturbing vein of American anxiety. It reminded me a lot of the unsettling, over-the-top violence in Funny Games, but it felt particularly relevant to the mood of 2008. With Obama’s election, there was this strange, concurrent spike in hate crimes and senseless violence – everyday people committing awful acts in their own communities. Gun violence was escalating, and frankly, people were losing faith in the system. Director Breck Eisner clearly recognized this climate and smartly updated George A. Romero’s original 1973 film, focusing on the dangers of government inaction and the resulting fallout for ordinary citizens.

Eisner adapted Romero’s political ideas to focus on small-town America, imagining landscapes like the endless, empty plains in North By Northwest, where miles of desert stretch in every direction. This isolation in a place like Ogden Marsh makes the town’s residents seem insignificant, turning any harm that happens there into just another number while simultaneously making the violence feel much worse.

Released in 2010, The Crazies arrived at the end of a strong period for horror films. This decade saw the rise of intense French horror and a wave of remakes, including titles like Thirteen Ghosts, Black Christmas, and Dawn of the Dead. These often-violent movies mirrored the quickly changing and turbulent times, and while The Crazies wasn’t the most extreme, it definitely shared the same energy.

The Invisible Man (2020)

The four years before Leigh Whannell’s remake of The Invisible Man were marked by significant and disturbing events. Donald Trump’s presidency included two impeachment proceedings, and the nation experienced numerous mass shootings, including tragedies at Pulse nightclub and Parkland High School. The deaths of Botham Jean, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and many others sparked widespread protests against racial injustice. On top of all this, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill.

Stories about women’s safety and sexual assault dominated the news. The widespread abuse committed by Harvey Weinstein came to light, and former doctor Larry Nassar was convicted of harming hundreds of young women. The #MeToo movement quickly gained global momentum. Reflecting this cultural shift, the film The Invisible Man was reimagined not as a story about a scientist, but about escaping an abusive relationship.

While visiting the film set, Whannell and executive producer Beatriz Sequeira told FANGORIA that these disturbing cases were so well-known, people would interpret them regardless of the filmmakers’ intentions. They decided it was better to intentionally shape the narrative and use the cases as a meaningful allegory.

The film The Invisible Man showed a remarkable understanding of itself and its themes. The filmmakers, led by Whannell, realized the story resonated far beyond the movie industry, impacting the wider world. As artists often do, they drew inspiration from real-life experiences.

2025-10-24 16:36