Filmmaker Steven Spielberg and director Tobe Hooper brought the 1982 hit horror film “Poltergeist” to audiences more than 30 years ago. Director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) and producer Sam Raimi will try to recreate that magic when a contemporary version of the original is set to be released this July in 3D. The first trailer will be released on Thursday.
Kenan had this to say about approaching the material.
“Whenever someone approaches material that’s so beloved, there’s a reflexive reaction to be worried. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. We’re working to make a Poltergeist film that lives up to the original’s legacy.”
Kenan and Raimi’s plan is to honor the first film by mirroring aspects of the original. The screenplay was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist David Lindsay-Abaire. Actors Sam Rockwell (“Moon,” “Iron Man 2”) and Rosemarie DeWitt (“The Odd Life of Timothy Green”) will play the terrified parents.
“Unlike the traditional horror film, I wanted to put together a cast to give weight and reality to these characters. It’s the way to anchor the family,” says Kenan. “It’s such an emotional story at the core. Parents fighting to get their child back from the beyond.”
The Bowen family are visited by ghosts when they move into their suburban fixer-upper, which is desperately in need of spiritual cleansing. As with actress Heather O’Rourke (Carol Anne in the original film,) Kenan says he found his key central girl, Madison, in 8-year-old actress Kennedi Clements. He refers to her as “a force of nature.”
The newest version, like the original, will utilize television as a connection to the other side. With the contemporary version, the screens on the monitors are much larger, emphasizing and packing more menace. Thirty years ago, there were perhaps one or two televisions in a home. Now, screens can be found throughout the household.
“The original film commented on how we’ve let television get out of control, babysitting our kids,” says Raimi. “It’s only gotten worse with the handheld portable devices. Screens are everywhere.”
After the spirits become more aggressive and malevolent, the Bowens seeks the assistance of supernatural researcher and clairvoyant Carrigan Burke (Jared Harris.) As in the original, the family relies on one another, which brings them closer together.
“The thing that keeps them a family is what they have to draw on, to stay sane, and also to win Madison back,” says Kenan. “The film is super-scary. And it’s scary on its own terms. I am excited to finally be able to share that with the world.”
“Poltergeist” will open in theaters on July 24th in 3D. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Nicholas Braun, Jane Adams, Saxon Sharbino, Kennedi Clements, Kyle Catlett, Susan Heyward, Soma Bhatia, Karen Ivany and L.A. Lopes. David Lindsay-Abaire wrote the screenplay, while Gil Kenan directs.
Sources: usatoday, IMDb