I actually just saw the original couple of days ago. Altho not very scary and veeery 70s, I liked it. Especially some shots were really awesome.
About this, I don't think it's really necessary. But like others have said, it's not really a remake, is it? Since it's based on the book they can make it quite different from the original. About the girl, I like her but not sure she'd fit in this role. Then again, she's good so maybe she can pull it off