Source
r/horror•
geodebug

Discussion: change one thing to make a movie you hate much better

Discussion

I was just discussing on another thread how boring "I didn't find X scary" or even "I didn't like movie X" comments are.

I was trying to think of a way to elevate movie discussions into something more fun and interesting.

So here's the challenge where you get to play studio executive:

  1. pick a well-known horror movie that you found underwhelming
  2. think about one thing you'd change about it to make it better
  3. explain why that change would improve the movie

Ideas for "one thing" changes:

  • Changing one actor
  • Removing one character entirely
  • Removing one scene (or adding a scene that explains something better)
  • Remove the narration
  • Make it black and white
  • Add more gore

Please don't do the "I wish for more wishes!" bullshit (unless you can't help yourself, then have at it). The game is more fun/challenging if you answer in good-faith. There's nothing to win here anyway, lol.

Posted Jul 12, 2023, 2:35 AM UTC

119
EIDuderinoLong live the new flesh.•

If The Babadook had ate that annoying kid within the first act, then I probably would not have hated it.

1
geodebugOP•

But the kid was the monster in that movie.

1
horrorfan55They mostly come at night, mostly•

I hate how a lot of horror movies cut character plotlines short by killing off one of the characters involved. It’s really annoying.

X is the most recent example. The story was really boring until The cameraman got cucked. And right when the story was getting good, he died. The story went back to being boring

1†
geodebugOP•

So how would you have changed that? Cameraman lives but who dies in his place? How would that play out?

I'm not arguing with your idea, it actually makes sense. There was some real drama going on with the cuck and they could have done more with that dynamic, like maybe he has a chance to help Maxine but doesn't because he's still jealous, and then has to pay a price for it?

1
horrorfan55They mostly come at night, mostly•

Not sure. I’d say at least have him talk to his girlfriend once before one of them dies. At least do something with the wasted plotline

1
geodebugOP•

I'll try: M3GEN

One thing I didn't like was how she suddenly had the ability to control everything electric around her like she was the T-X from Terminator: Rise of the Machines

In my opinion it made the end of the movie dumber than it needed to be.

M3GEN was an amazing character on screen but it became a cliche when she controlled every machine. It takes away her creepiest feature: using her growing intelligence to manipulate people.

It would be as if at the end of Ex Machina, Ava could somehow control the entire underground bunker with her mind, instead of needing to fool Caleb.

1
CountZero3000•

Not directed by Ty West

1
geodebugOP•

Lol, has he lived long enough to become the villain on Reddit?

I have to admit I kind of appreciate his throwback art style but I get how some might not dig it.

1
Naudilent•

Any number of movies could be made better not by removing a character but by removing that character's clothes. C'mon, Blackcoat's Daughter, you've got a girls school, nuns, and Satan all in one movie!

More seriously, Session 9 needed more Larry Fessenden. His character gets talked up a lot, then he finally comes roaring in like a bat out of hell, strolls on in ready to work and maybe tear shit up, then... deaded. I get that the movie travels in a different direction, but I expected him to nailgun a psych ward full of demons then chug a bottle of 100 proof ectoplasm for dessert.

1
geodebugOP•

As a child of the 80s I too miss all the random nudity that popped up in that era.

Even in a PG movie like Airplane! you had random nudity (and blow job jokes).

It was a different time.

1
SteMelMan•

I remember watching "Renfield" and thinking, I would have liked this movie so much more if not for the ridiculous amounts of blood and gore. The producers could have taken out 90% of it and had a fun, PG13 movie that teens could have seen and driven better box office results.

1
geodebugOP•

Solid idea. Maybe it would have gone over better with a younger crowd.

I feel bad because I fell asleep so much during that movie while watching with my daughter, who was home from college that weekend.

I'm not adverse to gore but, while the premise and talent were great, I just didn't think it was that good. Silly, but not as funny or sharp-witted as it probably should have been.

I always wonder how movies are made like this. Didn't anyone in the room say "you know, the script could use a lot more spice"?

1
SteMelMan•

Agree on the gore factor. I don't mind it when it relevant to the plot, but this just seemed gratuitous and, worse, seemed to slow down the movie while all the blood was splattering! Like a kid shouting "Look at me! Look at me!" to his mom to admire his work.

1
Mikes_Vices•

Not a movie I found underwhelming, but just something that bugged me…

As much as I loved Hereditary, I was always slightly disappointed at how obvious/on the nose the final scene in the treehouse was. The context throughout the film was enough to know of the witchcraft in the family and the line being broken, so it felt like they were just spelling it out for those who “might not get it”. The visuals were cool and all, but it felt unnecessary to me.

I maybe would have liked a bit more subtlety or vagueness, but I’m not a filmmaker, so I would have no idea of a “better ending”. 😅

Also quite possible that I missed something more that the end was supposed to be saying, and if so, maybe someone could fill me in for my next re-watch?

1
geodebugOP•

Interesting take. It must be hard to decide how much is enough when revealing this kind of plot.

I guess I do like that they have Charlie's head as an effigy in that scene. We saw earlier that the cult had no problem digging up dead bodies (like when they displayed Grandma's body to Charlie early on).

While I'm not sure if it would improve the movie my suggestion is to take away the supernatural powers Annie gets at the end for some reason. It's a fun scare to notice her on the ceiling but still, maybe a little too on the nose that this is "real" not just a cult being crazy.

I didn't mind Steve (dad) going up in flames. There could still be some question as to if Annie used actual magic or not.

1
Blue_Tomb•

I've not seen it since the opening weekend so have probably forgotten some of the subtleties but my thought of the ending was that it was a like certain Satanic conspiracy classic minus the irony and that may have been the point. I wasn't that taken with it myself, but I'm not sure how it might have been replaced. Perhaps by looping back to the earlier portions of the film and having not blatant occult imagery or any irony, but just terribly broken people, who may have achieved their aims, but to what end?

1
sadbillygoat999•

Friday the 13th part 8

I'd replace the main guy actor with Paul Rudd, cut out all the stupid imagery and "flashbacks" of child Jason with a full head of hair. Of course include all the deleted and cropped gore just as with part 7. And change the sewer flooding thing.

I'd have an ambiguous ending with Jason just slashing everyone around him in Manhattan, police unable to stop him. And leave it at that. Considering it's the last actual Friday movie and he's in a huge densely populated area? I think it would be a scary legendary ending for Friday.

Maybe replace the lead girl too. They were both just boring and lacked charisma.

1
geodebugOP•

Lol, this studio exec has notes!

Been a long time since I've seen that movie but I'd probably agree with the changes. Paul Rudd can elevate anything.

1
Blue_Tomb•

I would have had more development of the antagonists, and / or what they thought they were doing, scientifically or philosophically, in Martyrs. I know it's become something of a 21st century cult favorite and many would call it perfect, this is a personal thing and not intended as a snub to anyone. But I think that purely in the film itself and setting aside individual interpretation, substance is quite lacking (I'll spare the paragraph on why I think this, especially philosophically) and it's as reasonable to find it rather trite (as I did even on a couple of watches) as it is profound (as most others seem to). I would have had a scene, not necessarily blatant or expository, to add some confirmatory depth.

1
thebrassbeard•

The Force Awakens - Han dies. Chewie freaks out and fucks up Kylo (explaining the trashed helmet) and rips his arm off (like Han in ANH says he’d do) and thusly giving him the ‘rite of passage’ of having a robotic arm a la all things skywalker. It would’ve made Chewie a fucking badass, Kylo more ‘Darth’ and his rage/path more understandable. What. The. F. Why. Am. I. Not. The. One. Who. Wrote. This?

1
Ophelfromhellrem•

Last feet one drum hill 123 cloverfield afterthought assignment.Remove the final girl slasher part and we good...well not really man that movie raped the cloverfield universe.

1