Veteran director John Carpenter has defended the glut of movie remakes in Hollywood, insisting rebooting films familiar to fans guarantees success.
Studio bosses have commissioned dozens of remakes of classic movies in recent years, sparking claims from critics that screenwriters have run out of ideas.
But Carpenter is adamant directors prefer to re-shoot old titles because it's an easy way of luring film fans away from the internet and into cinemas.
He tells The New Review, "Hollywood hasn't run out of ideas. The problem is that all this cable TV, iPad use and social networking has taken attention away from movies, and it's hard to punch through all that clutter.
"So studios bring back titles that people recognise, because it's such a big risk these days doing something new."