With the constant outpouring of remakes and reboots it was inevitable, really, that someone would decide Adrian Lyne’s bizarre psychological horror flick, Jacob’s Ladder (1990), needs a retouch.
Yes, LD Entertainment – producer of The Grey (2011), The Collection (2012), and Disconnect (2012) – is making what The Wrap refers to as “a contemporary homage to the original Jacob’s Ladder” and they just may have found the man to do the retouching in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and Perfect Stranger (2007) director, James Foley.
The 1990 Jacob’s Ladder starred Tim Robbins as a Vietnam War veteran who suffers from hellish visions as his mind shifts between the present and his time in combat. Fondly remembered for its freakish special effects and ominous mood, the film is known to have inspired various works of psychological horror including the video game series Silent Hill, and the movie The Sixth Sense.
The psychological is not necessarily new territory for Foley, as Perfect Stranger, along with some of his other works – Fear (1996); episodes of Twin Peaks and Hannibal – fall into the thriller category. It’s also important to note that this new film (a title has not yet been confirmed) is not being sold as an out-and-out retread of the events of the original; instead as more of a re-imagining of its concepts, featuring “new situations and characters.” This might be a good way to go about doing a remake, especially considering one of the latest horror remakes, Carrie, just covered the plot of the original 1976 with very few changes, and underperformed, earning around $54 million against a $30 million budget and middling reviews.