While currently known for their production of horror films, among them the Paranormal Activity, Insidious and Purge franchises, it looks like Blumhouse Productions will be taking its first step into the world of animation, Deadline reports. Founder Jason Blum will be working together with DreamWorks Animation to create Spooky Jack, an upcoming dark comedy with a unique take on things that go ‘bump’ in the night. Based on an original screenplay by Robert Ben Garant, the film will center around three siblings who move into a new house, only to accidentally discover monsters living there. These creatures that parents brushed off as part of their child’s imagination are indeed real, and they are just as scared of humans as the children are of them.
Spooky Jack began as a live-action script for Blumhouse Productions, but soon found its way to DreamWorks Animation CEO Chris DeFaria, who had been looking to make a family-oriented horror-based film since working on 2005’s Corpse Bride. DeFaria has called the project “a touching and funny story that allows us to take audiences deep into folklore from around the globe and create several truly memorable animated characters in addition to a visually unique world inside our own. We here at DreamWorks are extremely proud we were able to lure Jason over to the light side for this film.”
Blum also made a statement about working with DreamWorks on the upcoming film. “We’ve worked with Ben before and when he brought us this idea, we all realized it would make a great animated feature. It’s a testament to the remarkably collaborative environment that Universal fosters among its creative family that we’re now jumping into animation in the very capable hands of Chris DeFaria and the talented DreamWorks team. We are having a ton of fun with this original, funny and totally relatable take on what happens when kids join forces with the monsters and ghouls who live among us.”