One thing that’s been prevalent now more than ever is video game remakes. Dormant series like Splinter Cell and System Shock aren’t first getting brand-new sequels but remakes of the classic entries. Horror titles are no exception, with the recentResident Evil, Dead Space, and Silent Hill remakes.
Putting aside whether these remakes are necessary, most of them are excellent. They can expand and enrich the world with added details, improve gameplay mechanics, or put more focus on the story. Standard remakes will count, but story remakes or reimaginings will also be included.
Updated on July 26, 2025, by Dominic Allen:The video game remakes train isn’t derailing anytime soon. So many are coming out, and just recently, two big ones for horror: Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster and Silent Hill 2. Both of these remakes are really good and need to be included. With many horror remakes on the horizon, this likely won’t be the last time this list will get updated.
Capcom titled the Dead Rising remake a Deluxe Remaster, as it is essentially the same base game. However, withthe amount of changesand the fact that the game was entirely remade from the ground up on the RE Engine, it definitely is a remake.
Deluxe Remaster looks great, has better AI, and offers plenty of quality-of-life improvements, but there’s one reason, and one reason only, that makes this the best version of DR1: you’re able to skip time. This is a game changer, and once you start skipping time, you’re never going back to the original, where you stood around waiting for events to start.
The Silent Hill 2 remake was a game many didn’t think would be good. While Bloober Team clearly have problems when creating its own stories, when it comes to remakingan established masterpiece like Silent Hill 2, they did a damn near pitch-perfect job. All the nitty-gritty details that made the story so satisfying to understand on your own remain here, and it’s shocking how little story content was cut from the original.
Silent Hill 2 remains scary with its all-time great sound design and atmosphere. Even the enemy redesigns are scarier looking. The original is still king in terms of artistry, with its deliberately small-scale level design, but this remake nails the scare factor and storytelling, even to the point where you could say the story is better in the remake.
When you remake a game, you want to pick a title that can use some touch-ups, not a flawless masterpiece. In that way, there are not many better choices thanCastlevania: The Adventure for the original Game Boy. This title is universally cited as one of the worst Castlevania games by fans, but the remake completely transforms it.
It’s an excellent traditional Castlevania with better levels and tighter controls, and it was actually the second to last 2D game in the series. The only big downside is getting the title, as it was a WiiWare exclusive. Since the Wii Shop has been shut down, it’s very hard to obtain this game, but if you can somehow get a copy, it’s worthwhile.
The original Castlevania game has actually been remade multiple times with the same basic premise of Simon Belmont entering Dracula’s castle to kill him. Many of them are really good, like Castlevania Chronicles, for example. However, none of them can top Super Castlevania 4 for the SNES. The ability to whip in all eight directions was a game-changer and made all the previous titles seem dull in comparison.
Bloodlines for the Genesis was a great game, but without those eight directions, it’s not even in the same league. Not to mention, the levels are the best designed in the series yet. In terms of traditional non-Metroidvania 2D games in the series, Castlevania 4 is the best one.
2010
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
BottleRocket, Namco Bandai Games
Namco
Splatterhouse is one of the earliest horror-themed series, with the first three games being one of the few standout horror titles before the PS1 era. A reimagining eventually launched in 2010 with elements of all three games sprinkled in. Now Splatterhouse does start rough, with the first few levels being quite lacking, but once you get past that, it dramatically improves.
The combat is quite satisfying once you fully understand it, and the voice acting is top-notch. Jim Cummings voices the Terror Mask, and he’s the standout personality in the game. The later levels have a lot of creativity to them, and it even comes with the three original games as unlockables. That never happens nowadays, which makes this remake even more special.
When looking at the pre-release footage of Dead Space, you likely thought it was a Bluepoint Games-style remake where it’s essentially the same title, but all remade from the ground up. Once you get your hands on the game, though, you’ll find out you’re dead wrong. First, the story is completely retooled with all new voice performances, audio logs, scenes with added backstories, and most importantly, Isaac talks now.
All of this greatly improves the narrative, but the gameplay is similarly changed and improved. The remake introduces a fully interconnected Ishimura with backtracking encouraged by the new security clearance cards and side quests. The gunplay is even improved with betteralternate fires for the roster of weapons. You simply couldn’t ask for a better remake than this.
The third Siren title, Siren: Blood Curse for the PS3, is a reimagining of the first game. This made sense as it was the first entry on the PS3, and the previous games were quite obscure. Siren: Blood Curse has a perfect mix of traditional survival horror and more stealth-focused horror games. Many parts do an excellent job of disempowering you to make it scarier.
The standout level of the entire game takes place in ascary Silent Hill-esque hospital, complete with evil nurses and patients. You don’t play as a normal character, though, as you control a little girl. You must use stealth the whole way through, and it’s scary because of how powerless you are. Unfortunately, this game only released digitally in the States, making it a bit of a hidden gem.
Still, to this day, many will cite the 2002 Resident Evil remake as one of the best video game remakes ever. Shinji Mikami returns as director, which adds a bit of authenticity to the project. Playing the game, it really feels like the developers tried to do what they couldn’t with the PS1 hardware to make what they envisioned in the first place.
One great aspect about this remake that not all do is that it works for both newcomers and players of the original. Mikami’s team made sure to trip up people who’ve played the classic game because many scares and puzzles are slightly changed. Most other remakes would have the same puzzle solutions, but the developers wanted to ensure that veterans couldn’t simply enter the same password again.
When the Resident Evil 2 remake was first shown off, some hardcore fans were disappointed. Instead of the originally fixed camera angles, the RE2 remake used the standard third-person viewpoint. However, when the game launched, all that disappointment was gone, and the title is actually up there with the first remake as one of the best in gaming.
Despite the new camera system, it stays very faithful to the original with its big interconnected maps, monsters, and the scare factor. RE2 remake may very well feature the best-looking and sounding zombies ever crafted in gaming. Not to mention Mr. X, one of the scariest pursuer enemies in horror that you never want to encounter. The game’s got plenty of replay value and is one of the best recent horror games you can buy right now.
This next game was only released in Japanese and PAL regions, which is why you might not have even known that Fatal Frame 2 received a full-blown remake. After the original Wii release of Fatal Frame 4, Koei Tecmo used a lot of the same resources to create a remake of the critically acclaimed second entry.
The remake features many of the same gameplay elements as the fourth title and also puts in more endings than even the Xbox port. All of the Fatal Frame games are a fun, spooky time, and this one is no different. While not as good as the original, it’s still a fantastic horror game and one ofthe best exclusive to the Wii.
