MovieChat Forums > Bates Motel (2013) Discussion > Other classic horror films that could be...

Other classic horror films that could be a great tv show?

posted 8 years ago by npiazza91
7 replies | jump to latest

Something that is more small like Bates Motel and not a huge epic like Game of Thrones...I think many horror classics can work like this. I think Jaws could be great if they opted to go with a mechanical shark rather than CGI. I think Carrie can work similar to Bates Motel by starting when she was in middle school and having the final season be the book. I still say they can do an awesome Friday the 13th show, a Halloween show or a Nightmare on Elm Street show.

I actually really like this idea of making tv shows based off of classic horror films. Scream is a good show, and I've heard great things about Hannibal. Making a tv show about a classic horror film is so much better than making a crappy remake. You know that more effort gets put into tv shows, there is more time to show and develop the characters, and if it ends up failing, it ends up being looked at as "that crappy tv show that tried to be Halloween and failed" rather than "that terrible new Halloween movie". There's a difference. One tarnishes the name, the other doesn't.

[–] adpurnell1989 8 years ago

I would love a TCM show

[–] nocturnelle1 8 years ago

I like this question. I think that if a horror film is going to work as a television show, then it has to have a lot of psychological depth to make it interesting over the span of several episodes (at least one season, right?). The character motivations, character back story, and conflict can't have been resolved in the film, it has to leave something more and worthwhile to explore. I also think that the Bates series works so well because the acting is spot on. Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga are outstanding in those roles.

That being said, I'm not too keen on a Freddy or Jason show because the movies have been done to death and neither one is especially sympathetic, they're just caricatures of villains so I'm not even interested in their prequels. Michael Myers, on the other hand, maybe had potential, but Rob Zombie made a prequel movie about that character already. I can't imagine what else can be done with his story that would bring a fresh element at this point...

I might watch a "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" show.

[–] s_obrien1989 8 years ago

See, personally I've always loved the idea of a show called "Elm Street". I imagine it as a Desperate Housewives/Knot's Landing type show with a horror twist. In other words, it would follow the daily lives and drama of different folks who live in the neighbourhood, and of course one of the supporting characters who pops up now and then would be Fred Kruger, who lives down the street on his own. Throughout the first season, he'd almost seem like the most normal, friendly guy on the block. Of course, the audience knows different, but they wouldn't jump right into it. Maybe one kid would go missing, and there'd be investigation surrounding it. Then slowly more and more kids. We'd see Nancy, Glen, Rod and Tina as young children. I really feel this could be stretched out at least four seasons if the stories were good.

Then of course, the final season would end with the parents of Elm Street cornering Freddy and torching him. There's tons of room to delve into his back story as well, a new take on the "Bastard Son of a 100 Maniacs" thing. If it was successful enough they could even move into the plot of A Nightmare on Elm Street afterwards.

[–] nocturnelle1 8 years ago

I like that. I couldn't imagine a way to make it appeal to me, but I think your idea is really good. I guess like any show, the success would hinge on whether or not it's well written and has the right actors in the roles.

On a separate but related note, I just watched the first episode of "The Exorcist" which was promising. It has nothing to do with the film or the original characters, but the description states that it's based on the William Blatty novel. Not as good as Bates, but worth a watch. It was a million times better than than the Damien series, I thought.

[–] OneWayFilms 8 years ago

The premise is BRILLIANT, but the delivery has to be TOP QUALITY. The Damian series had potential, but it failed from the start for me.

I personally think CARRIE would be an EXCELLENT choice. SO MUCH BACKSTORY could go into her relationship with HER mother, and WHY her mother was SUCH a RELIGIOUS freak.

And all the time we see their relationship develop from dysfunction, we can see Carrie discover her POWERS!

I'd certainly give CARRIE: THE TV SERIES a chance.

[–] pinchpot 8 years ago

I would actually like to see a sort of simultaneous anthology series. I imagine it something like Trick R Treat. A bunch of different horror stories happening all in the same town. Like Takes from the Crypt but all connected and happening at the same time

[–] dilophux 8 years ago

Halloween

Psycho, no not this, actually a miniseries based on the actual movie, would maybe work as a 3-parter

Friday The 13th, actual Friday The 13th, Jason and all not that show from the 80s that had nothing to do with the movies or Jason

Carrie, we almost got that show but *beep* happened, they should resurrect the idea and make it, it would be great