Most movie producers are creatures of habit, particularly those of the horror variety. They stick with what they know...

Saw was quite an original concept, but barely four years on from it's release in 2004, bang! how many have we got now? Five!

Of course, it's nothing new. It's a trend that really began in the 1980s. Highlighting the mentality of that time was the fact Psycho, the classic that it is, was dragged kicking and screaming out of the 1960s and pulled into the '80s with three follow-ups. Anthony Perkins was happy - he was afterall working again - but was anyone else?

The likes of Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street led the charge of the new brigade, setting the standard for today's Saw by releasing a film almost every year.

But what happens when enough is finally enough, and the franchise's killer has had more lives than a cat?

Well, in the 21st century we 'reboot' or 'reimagine'...

And following hot on the heels of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, The Hills Have Eyes etc etc are these to come ... like it or not.





7. The Driller Killer

The original: First seen in 1979 directed by and starring Abel Ferrara. He plays a temporamental artist who gets one too many knock-backs from art dealers so goes on a murderous rampage through the city streets of New York at night, knocking off homeless people - using a drill. Well, chainsaws and knives were already taken you see. A pretty self-explanetory sort of title.

The franchise: There was none, but the graphic and gory film has attracted a bit of a cult following on DVD. Ferrera though has continued working, mainly behind the camera, directing the brutal Bad Lieutenant (1992) with a buffed up Harvey Keitel and Body Snatchers (1993).

The remake: Relative newcomer writer-director Andrew Jones has been linked to the film for a couple of years now. But there is still no sign of a production start date. The guy has been keen on making it happen though, getting onto chatrooms to suss out people's thoughts on the possible remake. See here

Here's a really 'scary' scene from the original:






6. Child's Play

The original: First seen in 1988 directed by Tom Holland (Fright Night) and starring Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings) as serial killer Charles Lee Ray and the voice of the toy the character's spirit later possesses, Chucky. Has there ever been a crazier horror flick? I loved The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment featuring the 'bad' Krusty doll. I guess it wasn't as bad as those Leprechaun movies.

The franchise: Can you believe they milked another four Chucky movies out of this? There were the stock-standard follow-ups (1990 and 1991), and then the real head-spinners, Bride of Chucky (1994) and the subsequent Seed of Chucky (2004). Where could they posibly go from there ... Vasectomy of Chucky? Midlife Crisis of Chucky?

The remake: Don Mancini, the man who wrote the scripts for all of the previous Child's Plays now wants to do it all again, by not only writing, but also directing a direct remake of the original - and someone is actually going to pay him for it. The guy is obsessed with these Chucky movies. They are the only thing he's ever done. Can you imagine his house being full of Chucky dolls? There's a movie - Obsession of Chucky. Hang on, that sounds like a perfume.

Watch Chucky in action from the original:






5. Silent Night, Deadly Night

The original: First seen in 1984 directed by Charles E. Sellier Jnr. This controversial horror revolved around an orphaned teenager called Billy who goes nuts one Christmas Eve, dressing up as Santa, having way too much punch ... and carving people up with an axe. The film, which caused outrage upon it's release, was quite a departure for Sellier, who has always specialised in making documentaries about conspiracies and mysteries.

The franchise: Spawned four follow-ups, but not all continued the story of the bad boy Billy. There was Part 2 (1987), when his younger brother Ricky took over the wearing of the red suit, as well as the hacking of people to death; Better Watch Out! (1989), in which Billy returned from the grave to wreak havoc; then Initiation (1990), about a society of witches; and finally The Toy Maker (1991), about a band of killer toys.

The remake: Doesn't seem to have a director yet, but does have a cast, and a script. The remake, like the original, will revolve around a little boy who witnesses his parents being murdered by an intruder in a Santa's outfit. But this time, instead of him later being portrayed as a teenager who goes nuts at an orphanage, he will be a fully grown garbage man. Time to take out the trash.

Check out this funny scene from the first movie:








4. Friday the 13th

The original: First seen in 1980 directed by Sean C Cunningham, who didn't do much else. The story sees a bunch of horny teenagers at Camp Crystal Lake get picked off one-by-one by a knife-wielding crazed killer - who turns out to be one Mrs Vorhees, mother of Jason who drowned there years earlier.

The franchise: It's amazing how many times a Friday falls on the 13th day of the month. There were no less than 10 movies in the series, plus Jason v Freddy (2003). The fourth was called The Final Chapter (1984), the fifth A New Beginning (1985), the ninth The Final Friday: Jason Goes To Hell (1993), and the 10th Jason X (2001). The makers just won't let go will they?

The remake: Already done and just waiting to be dusted. Filming has been completed with director Marcus Nispel (Pathfinder) at the helm. The story again takes place back at Camp Crystal, but though it is a 'reboot' (not another sequel), Jason is the killer, and not dear old ma. It will be released early next year and stars Jared Padalecki (Supernatural). It's too late to stop it.

Check out the teaser for the new film:






3. A Nightmare on Elm Street

The original: First seen in 1984 written and directed by Wes Craven (Scream) and starring Robert Englund as the grotesque Freddy Krueger, who likes to wear hats, striped jumpers ... and a glove with blades. But, despite the appearance of a young Johnny Depp, this ain't no Edward Scissorhands. Freddy likes to disembowel his victims in their dreams.

The franchise: Spawned six direct sequels and one all-star team-up, Jason vs Freddy (2003). It all began with Freddy's Revenge (1985), followed by the entertaining Dream Warriors (1987), Dream Master (1988) and Dream Child (1989), before the premature Final Nightmare (1991), and then the really creatively-named New Nightmare (1994).

The remake: Prominent screenwriter Wesley Strick (Wolf, Cape Fear, Arachnophobia) is on board to direct. No definitive word on the actual script yet, but a Freddy origin story would seem the way to go, though I don't think that is on the producers' agenda unfortunately. Englund won't be back as Freddy, and Billy Bob Thornton won't be donning the hat and glove either despite a recent rumour.

Here's a fan-made teaser for the remake:






2. Hellraiser

The original: First seen in 1987 written and directed by horror master Clive Barker, it was a brilliantly gruesome classic. The film centres around a cheating whore who brings her dead lover - her husband's half-brother - back from hell thanks to a steady stream of human sacrifices. The move though pisses off a bunch of demons in leather and chains, The Cenobites. It was Barker's first film as director and it made $20m and cost just $1m.

The franchise: Ahhh, to tell you the truth I lost track of Hellraiser movies a long time ago, but I know they focussed heavily on the Cenobites leader Pinhead (played exclusively by Doug Bradley). There was the direct sequel (1988), which I didn't mind, followed by Hell on Earth (1992), and a bunch of others I haven't bothered with, the futuristic Bloodline (1996), Inferno (2000), Hellseeker (2002), Deader (2005) and finally Hellworld (2005).

The remake: While it's only been three years since the last two movies in the series, French director Pascal Laugier, who was appointed just last month, wants to take it all back to the start by making a film that won't "betray" Barker's original work. Laugier is the man behind the apparently brutal Martyrs (2006), which I also haven't seen, but from what I've heard about it, I want to.

Watch the original movie's trailer:






1. Poltergeist

The original: First seen in 1982 written by none other than Steven Spielberg himself and directed by Tobe Hooper (The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Evil spirits torment a suburban family and then kidnap the youngest daughter. Who could forget 'They're here'. Or that damn clown. One of the creepiest movies I ever saw as a kid. Was even nominated for three Oscars, including for Best Effects. Now where was that kid from The Sixth Sense when you need him?

The franchise: Spawned two sequels, including the equally scary albeit under-rated follow-up The Other Side (1986) and the so-so Final Chapter (1988). Heather O'Rourke, who played little Carol Anne, who gets sucked into the TV in the original and was the only family member to appear in all three movies, died in real-life near the end of filming for the third.

The remake: Ukrainian writer-director Vadim Perelman (House of Sand and Fog) has signed on to direct, and is currently working with screenwriters Juliet Snowden and Stiles White on the project. Reports say Perelman has an arty feel that should make this Poltergeist an interesting one. We'll wait and see. It's been a while since we've had a good scary ghost movie.

Here's the original movie's trailer.