Remakes can be hit or miss a lot of the time as sometimes they make sure that the game is completely different from the original game whereas other times they only change the graphical quality of the game. Horror games are no different in this regard, but sometimes the graphical changes are able to add to the scary atmosphere or enemy design of the game.
There are not a lot of horror remakes that are available as the survival horror genre and what its become today is fairly new. That being said, there have been some remakes, remasters, and soft reboots that have caused a lot of stirs in the horror genre of gaming over predominantly the last 20 years.
10 The House Of The Dead: Remake
The House of the Dead: Remake brings the arcade rail shooter back to life for the most part by adding different endings that the player can unlock, new enemy designs, and different routes that the player or players can take on their journey. The game gives the player 10 lives and if they lose all of those the player has the option of buying more lives using save points.
The game feels like a nice refreshing version of the original, but it is an extremely short game that can feel a little outdated in its play style. The horror aspects do fair a little stronger due to its graphical upgrades, but they are nothing that expands on the horror genre itself.
9 Silent Hill 2 HD
The Silent Hill 2 HD is actually part of the Silent Hill HD Collection that includes a remaster of both Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. Both of the remasters were not received well when they were released as they did little in terms of adding new content to the game as well as made some mistakes when it came to upgrading some textures of the game.
Silent Hill 2 is the best of the 2 remasters as the presentation is handled a little better. The enemy design is upgraded and there will be moments where disfigured enemies surround the player in constricting hallways and their grotesque appearance will place the player in an unnerving situation.
8 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - Director's Cut
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - Directors Cut was the release of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly--which had come out for the PlayStation 2 the year before--but for the Xbox. This game includes a completely new ending to the game as well as adds a whole new Camera Obscura to the game which is the weapon that is used by the game's main character.
Other than the previous details mentioned, the game doesn't change much and adds a slight graphical upgrade. The one thing that makes this version scarier is the first-person mode that the game introduces.
7 Metro 2033: Redux
Metro 2033: Redux was rebuilt to fit the modern graphic standards of its time. This game is part of the dual feature Metro Redux that comes with a remake of both Metro: Last Light and Metro 2033 The graphical improvements go a long way toward creating an environment that feels even more irradiated than it felt in the older version of the game where a lot of the graphics felt polygonal and outdated.
The story also makes the game feel fresh as the storytelling that was placed in Metro 2033 adds layers to how the player is able to communicate with different NPCs. The new enemy designs that the game added were also a nice addition to modernized scares for players to encounter.
6 Alan Wake Remastered
Alan Wake Remastered feels like a true recreation of the original game as nothing has really changed besides graphical updates and the removal of advertisements that used to randomly appear on TV screens in the original game. The game is good at survival horror initially, but because the gameplay has not been updated to fit with modern survival horror games it can feel dry.
That dryness is however counteracted by the fact that the game's story remains phenomenal over the years and the fights with the different Taken antagonists are more difficult as the game progresses. The few bosses that the game adds are also fun to play against as they all introduce new mechanics and situations like a possessed crane.
5 Siren: Blood Curse
Siren: Blood Curse is a remake of Siren that changes a lot of what the original did in terms of setting and controls. It takes survival horror seriously as it has some levels where the player will have absolutely no way of defending themselves. The game offers the player versatility in how it's played as it lets the player switch between the third person and first person. This allows for different situations to be handled differently like aiming with a gun in the first person or checking how close an enemy is in the third.
The game also offers a creepy mechanic with most characters where they can see what the possessed-looking ghoulish enemies are seeing. This adds a different form of tension to the game as they need to make sure they don't spot themselves on their other screen.
4 Demon's Souls Remake
Demon's Souls Remake is a very difficult game with horror elements in its design. Some levels include toxic swamps with small enemies that look as though they're decomposing. Other areas contain dark corridors with Mind Flayers that can instantly kill the player if they aren't careful.
The Demon Souls Remake on the PlayStation 5 took a lot of the problems that were in the original game and added some small fixes like the tool belt for items that made a big difference in the enjoyment that the game presents.
3 The Last of Us Part 1
The Last of Us got a remaster on the PS4 and then a while after the PS5 came out it was given another that was also made for the PC. The Last of Us Part 1 of the game is a complete rehaul of the graphics that make the remaster look like it belongs to the PlayStation 2 with how stunning the detail of every location and character is.
The game made sure to include redesigns of characters like Tess to make the story more cohesive but other than that it doesn't really add much in terms of introducing anything new to the game's story.
2 Doom
Doom (2016) works a lot like a soft reboot of the original Doom games. Doom 3 was a lot slower in the way that the combat was delivered and felt more like a horror game than an action game, but the Doom (2016) game went back to the fast-paced action that the original Doom games had been known for.
The demonic tones still remained, but the player has quick platforming options mixed with waves of enemies to kill. The game remains as gory as ever and the combat has to be handled tactically, or the player will be heavily punished. This soft reboot is a good mix of what the original Doom games offered along with a modern coat.
1 Resident Evil 2 Remake
The Resident Evil 2 Remake completely changes the original Resident Evil 2 game in graphical design but uses the original's story as a skeleton to build up a new body of work in the Resident Evil series. It's a short game that offers a lot of really tense moments that will give the player a scratching urge to play more. This is both bad and good as it leaves more to be wanted because of its greatness.
The zombies have great body horror physics as shooting through them will, a lot of the time, show that they are rotting gelatinous sacks of flesh.