With the horror genre in full bloom it seems inevitable that Steven Spielberg’s (co-writer and producer) and director Tobe Hooper’s 1982 haunted house classic Poltergeist would be re-made. Gil Kenan, best known for his animated spook film Monster House, will direct from an updated script by David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole).
From what we know, the basic plot points will remain the same: A family moves into a new house where one of their young children is abducted and psychic powers are used to retrieve her. The psychic Tangina, played by the late Zelda Rubenstein in the original, won’t return in the remake, keeping with the project’s habit of changing many of the minor details in the story (perhaps learning from less-than-inspiring 49% rating last year’s Carrie remake is currently pulling in on Rotten Tomatoes). Rather than call in a psychic, the new film will position the abducted child’s mother as familiar with the supernatural, and the father’s ex-wife will play a parapsychologist at the local university who brings in a team of researchers to investigate the house.
The remake of Poltergeist is boasting a powerful cast including Kyle Catlett (The Following), Jared Harris (Mad Men, The Mortal Instruments:City Of Bones), Jane Adams (Hung), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2, Moon) and Rosemarie DeWitt (Promised Land, Touchy-Feely).
Sam Raimi, who had great success producing the recent remake of his own ’80s horror flick Evil Dead, and Rob Tapert of Ghost House Pictures will produce with Roy Lee (The Ring, The Grudge), while 20th Century Fox will distribute.
Poltergeist has a February 13, 2015 theatrical release date.
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