Tobe Hooper’s 1982 spook chiller, Poltergeist, was destined to get remade. Possessing all of the necessary traits to warrant a modern-day reinvention, the finished product will soon be upon us. Directed by Gil Keenan and produced by Sam Raimi, the film is being touted as a reboot-sequel which, as confusing as that seem, worked for Raimi’s Evil Dead II.
This time around, Poltergeist will follow Jared Harris’ leading character, Carrigan. Foregoing a life of scholarship to instead become the host of his own TV show, ‘Haunted House Cleaners’, he crosses paths with a young couple (played by Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie Dewitt) and their family. Their haunted abode becomes the focus of his work, and now, thanks to an interview with Collider, Rockwell has let slip a few more details on the concept.
But first, here’s his initial thoughts on the project overall:
“I’ve seen a little in looping. I hope it’s good. I really don’t know. I really wish I could tell you. I’m praying that it’s – I mean, it’s gonna be hard to live up to the first one. The first one’s pretty damn good. This one’s gonna be in 3D though, I can tell you that.”
Where the original traced the disappearance of Carol Ann, who foolishly went into the light, the reboot will hone in on the family’s youngest male:
“The 10-year-old boy is really the protagonist this time. JoBeth Williams was the protagonist for the most part in the first one and now the kid, it’s really through his point-of-view. So it’s more of a kids’ movie so I don’t know if it’s gonna be like rated-R scary.”
It’s unlikely that it’ll be R-rated scares, as the film has already landed a PG-13 rating. Anyone hoping for a dose of major pant soilings offered by the likes of The Conjuring and Insidious shouldn’t be too concerned, as the latter (which in this writer’s opinion was far scarier than the former) garnered the same certification from the MPAA. Rockwell went on to say that regardless, the horror of Poltergeist won’t adopt that same style:
“It’s not like Conjuring type of scary. You know, it’s a different kind of movie. It’s more of an adventure. It’s essentially a child abduction film when you come down to it. I mean, the original Poltergeist is too.”
Before this summer rolls around and the movie hits theaters we can expect to see a trailer for the flick, which may shed more light on the exact tone we will find in the finished product. It can’t come soon enough, either, as these comments from Rockwell suggest that there might be an absence of genuine terror altogether.
We’ll find out for certain when Poltergeist arrives in 3D on July 24th.