Let’s hope that no biologist works with the group of writers and directors who might one day create another remake of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. If that were to happen, a future remake of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse could suffer the weaknesses in a planned remake of Hitchcock’s The Birds.

According to an online blog, the planned remake for that thriller is going to suggest a reason for the birds’ unusual behavior. In the original movie, the viewer did not see or hear any explanation for the birds’ out-of-the-ordinary behavior. The blogger has suggested that the film’s unanswered questions added to the horrid nature of the plot.

In the Testament of Dr. Mabuse, the main character has achieved a type of mind control. The film viewer is not told exactly why the doctor can control the mind of others. That lack of explanation makes the doctor’s control even more frightening.

Suppose that a biologist were to suggest that in a future Testament of Dr.Mabuse that some physician had chosen a baby Dr. Mabuse for an investigation of cloning techniques. The doctor would then pass through life with some strange DNA. That DNA could then be pointed to as the cause for the doctor’s bazaar behavior.

Would that add to the mystery that has since surrounded the original movie? No, it would not. In fact, such material might only serve to confuse those unfamiliar with cloning and its related techniques. A confused movie viewer is seldom a pleased movie viewer.

While working on any remake, Hollywood should consider more carefully the desires of the person most apt to view whatever film has been scheduled for a revision. Viewers of movies with Dr. Mabuse, like the viewers of Hitchcock thrillers, do not want to digest information about a scientific concept. They have no interest in scientific theories.

The viewer of a horror movie is not looking for an intricate and complex plot. The mystery in the horror movie should come from the uncertainty about when the killer (or other menacing villain) will strike. That provides sufficient suspense. The viewer of a suspenseful movie does not expect to see a film with an elaborate plot.

Character choice can also add to or detract from the enjoyment of a movie remake. If the chosen actor or actress closely resembles the actor or actress in the original movie, the audience is apt to anticipate the behavior displayed by that original character. Should the director then alter the character’s behavior, the audience might feel unfairly surprised.

Movie reviewers are already annoyed by the actress chosen to star in the remake of The Birds. They feel that she looks too much like the leading actress in the original movie. In the future, anyone doing another remake of The Testament of Dr. Mabuse should put forth a concerted effort to select actors and actresses who do not resemble the characters in the original and the first remake.

It would be very sad if Hollywood were to one day sit in horror at the public response to some revised and re-issued, horror film.