A new year is upon us, but our love for these remakes, remixes, and covers will never die. From reinterpretations of classic literature to instrumental covers of rock hits, these are the movie and song remakes from 2024 that stood out — and just might stand the test of time.
1. Mean Girls
A Mean Girls movie in 2024? More like 2004! I remember the original Mean Girls coming out like it was yesterday, and this film adaptation of the musical version of the teen comedy classic married the old with the new in a delightfully fun romp. While it won’t surpass the original in millennial hearts like mine, it’ll surely stick with Gen Z for years to come.
2. BLACKBIIRD by Beyonce
Beyonce’s latest installment in her musical trilogy, Cowboy Carter, defied genre in a quintessentially modern way. Slipping hip hop and 60s samples into cowboy shoe-thumping country beats made the album dominate March’s airwaves.
Her rendition of the Beatle’s BLACKBIIRD was particularly poignant and powerful — the song having stemmed and been steeped in the racial turmoil that was bubbling in the 1960s. It’s the kind of cover that makes me cry and had to make our list.
3. Twisters
Twisters was cleverly marketed as a sequel to avoid the movie-going public’s growing distaste for the (many) recent poorly executed remakes that have come to the big screen. The IMAX phenomenon really captured that summer blockbuster magic that's been missing.
It may not be groundbreaking cinema, but it’s buckets and buckets of fun, despite being less of a remake and more of a reinvention of the beloved 90s original.
4. Guess by Charli xcx ft. Billie Eilish
There was no escaping Charli xcx’s album brat this past summer. From TikTok dances to interesting political intersections, this album skyrocketed to the top of the stratosphere. However, the album received new life like a vicious pulse from a defibrillator with its remix version, brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.
The Guess remix, featuring Billie Eilish’s sultry tones, is a crowd pleaser that picks you up and never puts you down.
5. Nosferatu
For a 102-year-old IP, Nosferatu feels as fresh and new as it ever did. A reinterpretation by acclaimed director Robert Eggers, this shadowy horror tale captures the sinister and bated-breath quality of the 1922 silent film. Released on Christmas Day, 2024, this is the frightfully fun film that will set just the right tone to send us into 2025.
6. abcdefu by Vitula
Bridgerton fans will recognize this deep cut off of the latest season's soundtrack that accompanied Colin Bridgerton & Penelope Featherington’s love story. Sure, we could have included the stringed rendition of Pitbull from that carriage scene, but the unexpected power of Vitula’s acbdefu cover eeks out just ahead of Mr. Worldwide.
This ensemble piece translates the rockin’ rampage of Gayle’s single into an equally powerful classical number. This year has been full of ups and downs, and this cover is one of those cherished, unexpected delights.
7. Speak No Evil
The horror genre didn’t come to play in 2024. Speak No Evil is a remake of a recent Dutch film that goes by the same name. While this English-language interpretation of the atmospheric traveling thriller loses a few things in translation, it hits the ground running in enough areas to make our list.
8. JOLENE by Beyonce
Beyonce covering Dolly Parton wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card, but I wouldn’t want to have missed out on this confrontational version of perhaps Dolly’s most well-known song, Jolene. Beyonce doesn’t wait by the sidelines in her JOLENE. No, she lays her song at Jolene’s feet like a gauntlet. Another track on her 2024 album, Cowboy Carter, JOLENE proves that Beyonce really can do anything.
9. Lisa Frankenstein
Diablo Cody — the screenwriter behind cult hits like Juno & Jennifer’s Body — dropped another teen classic in her Shelley-inspired 80s flick Lisa Frankenstein. It has the distinct style and touch of camp that transforms modest movies into cult classics. Elvira meets Heathers meets the Brat Pack in this silly 2024 staple.
10. Season of the Witch by Farmer's Wife
Rounding out this list of our favorite 2024 remakes and covers is the one you’re probably the least familiar with. Farmer's Wife — an Austin, Texas band with distinctive historical rock influence — sent their cover of Donovan’s iconic 60s anthem Season of the Witch straight to our eardrums. It’s a haunting and nearly unrecognizable version of an oft-covered song, and one that we’ll be listening to well into 2025.
These Movies & Songs Have a New Lease on Life
Whether you love or hate our picks, you can’t deny that thanks to them, tons of iconic movies and songs got a new lease on life this year. While 2024 is winding to a close, our love for these remakes and covers continues to grow.
