The biggest issue with the horror genre as it stands are the constant reboots or re-imaginings of films that do not need it. Classics like Suspiria and Nightmare on Elm Street do not need a remake. Instead, the horror genre should be looking into the cult or obscure horror films with incredible concepts that could not be explored fully due to the time or resources. A lot of those films had great ideas that were never executed correctly. In other cases, the technology was just not there. That is what I wish to look at it with this list. These are in no specific order.

Honorable Mentions: The Funhouse(1981), The Wasp Woman(1959), The Mummy(1932), White Zombie(1932), The Wishmaster(1997).

The Beast Must Die 1974
The premise of this film is genius. Six people are invited to a mansion on an island for the weekend. A string of murders connects the six individuals. The main character is an avid hunter and he believes one of them to be a werewolf. Unfortunately, due to the time and budget they used a wolf or dog instead of a werewolf. The concept is incredible, and Calvin Lockhart and Peter Cushing do a fantastic job; however, the low budget and dated effects keep it from being what it should be. This film has the elements of blaxploitation, murder mystery, and horror. The opening scene even resembles a Roger Moore Bond. The 70’s funk soundtrack should stay in. Someone like Quentin Tarantino could do great things with this film and leave it as a tribute to the 1970’s, scratches and all. I cannot explain why, but I feel this movie must be remade.

Hellraiser: Hellworld 2005
The concept of this movie feels somewhat ahead of its time. World of Warcraft had started to gain steam when this film came out. The idea of this movie is based on gamers playing an MMORPG based on the Hellraiser franchise. Eventually, at a rave, they unleash forces beyond their control. Instead, one could make a horror/slasher killer that uses a popular MMO to kill his victims. Maybe, even have him go Freddy Krueger but through the use of a computer instead of a dream. With Virtual Reality gaining popularity, one could combine that with the MMO aspect to make for a contemporary horror film that contends with horrors of technology gone wrong.

Mr. Sardonicus 1961
One of the strangest low budget films with a creative concept. I’ll include a picture with the infamous face from the movie below. The face in this film is extremely disturbing yet hilarious at the same time. I’m unsure how to feel about it. I only imagine what a creative makeup artist could come up with today. The story itself is also unlike anything I've seen. A man searches for a winning lottery ticket from his dead father’s grave, and this causes his face to enter a disfigured state. He tries to reverse it with a doctor’s help. The actual film is hit or miss and desperately needs a reboot. Even today people would do about anything for a winning lottery ticket. Numerous people go out and buy lottery tickets. I see this as a film with loads of potential that could be met with a re-imagining.

The Wolf Man 1941
The Wolf Man is done to death, so change the concept up. In Japanese culture, there is a Were-Tiger or humanoid tiger. A Were-Tiger killing people in feudal times could be an interesting twist on The Wolf Man story. The video game series Elder Scrolls could inspire another twist to the story as well. Instead of a Wolf Man go with a Were-Bear. A humanoid bear stalking its victims in modern rural America. I’m shocked that no company has used these concepts. The werewolf is a common fixture of Halloween, so use a different animal like a Tiger, Bear, Lion, Rhino, Boar, or Buffalo. Take any random animal and make a go of it. As long as it looks good and the story is unique people will love it.

Blacula 1972
Since The Beast Must Die has blaxploitation elements, I should continue with one of the best blaxploitation films. Blacula, despite the strangeness of the concept, is one of the few original Dracula concepts that could be reworked into today’s society. William Marshall may be the second or third best take on Dracula ever. In this one, Dracula curses an ancient African prince turning him into a vampire. The proclaimed Vampire Blacula then finds himself in modern Los Angeles. Unlike other takes on the Vampire, Blacula does not feel like a villain (Dracula Untold notwithstanding). Blacula is searching for his long lost love. However, he does kill a lot of cops and people who get in his way. With race relations between cops and Black people what they are...it would fit contemporary societal issues. One could incorporate that into the plot making the film a commentary on these matters (similar to Romero’s zombie movies). Plus, Blacula was extremely low budget even for its time and could use modern day technology to enhance it. The only prerequisite is that they keep a jazzy, funk soundtrack.

The Walking Dead 1936
Believe it or not, Karloff starred in a Zombie-esque film long before The Walking Dead comic. Even the Tales From the Crypt comic series ripped off this film in one of their stories. The Walking Dead is a simple concept that works at any time. A man is framed for murder and executed. He is resurrected and those that frame him die by accident anytime the framed man approaches them. More or less, karma kills them with his resurrection, and he never harms the people who framed him. The film mixes the horror genre with the mafia/gangster genre. The name could easily be changed too, so people do not confuse it with the television series/comic. Rename it Dead Man Walking or something like that.

Rodan 1956
We get the constant Godzilla reboots. Even Mothra got a remake and Gamera is getting another reboot soon, so why not Rodan? Rodan is a monster that deserves a remake and could fit modern day sensibilities better. The two Rodans use sound waves and flight to wreck everything. Why not take that a step further and make Rodan a commentary for our over-reliance on electricity. The original Gojira masterfully used Godzilla as a symbol for the horrors of nuclear warfare. Rodan could do the same by using its sounds abilities to cause power outages and take away that which we always rely on. Rodan could be symbolism for how we react to a world without electricity. If nothing else, it would be different while mirroring the original Gojira.

Urban Legend 1998/Fade to Black 1980
I’m going to cheat somewhat on this one and combine two movies I have never actually seen. I think the concepts share some similarities and would make a compelling movie if combined. Urban Legend is a movie with killings based on urban legends. Fade to Black has a killer stalking a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like and he happens to be obsessed with classic cinema. Have an unhinged killer stalking a Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, or Katy Perry look-a-like and performing the killings while imitating modern day movie characters(or killing doppelgangers of famous actors/actresses) with some urban legend killings thrown in. If one sticks with horror characters, there are plenty to spoof since 1980. A man obsessed with cinema is a great concept that changes over time as cinema continues to change. The Golem(1920)
The concept of a Golem has barely been revisited since the 1930s and never in a substantial way. A story where a Jewish person builds a Golem to protect themselves is neat, yet I would rather see a bloodthirsty take. Have a madman build a Golem and use it to do his bidding. Golems are nearly indestructible in their lore, so it could run through everything like Jason or Michael Myers. There are varieties of Golems too. There are clay, rock, forest, etc. The Golem is a concept with a lot of potential that could be used creatively today in various ways. Though, I suggest a slasher horror film with the Golem over a fantasy or sci-fi film.