Sam Raimi To Produce Remake Of “Poltergeist” For MGM

MGM has hired Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogy helmer Sam Raimi to produce the remake of the classic Steven Spielberg/Tobe Hooper 80’s horror film Poltergeist according to the Hollywood Reporter, along with producing partners Nathan Kahane, Roy Lee, and Robert Tapert. Raimi won’t direct for certain, as he is knee deep in post production for Oz, the Great and Powerful for Disney,but will be the deciding hand on who takes the reins. This news comes quickly on the heels of MGM announcing Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore as the leads in the remake of Carrie.

Ya know, I used to get pissed off every time one of my favorite horror films from the 70’s and 80’s got remade. Over the past decade I’ve seen Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Amityville, you name it, all get remade in shitty overly glossy studio films that frighten no one except a whole generation of kids who don’t know the difference between being startled and being genuinely frightened.  And just a few years later, no one is talking about the remakes. They came and went, and the classic films remain. It is the classic films that get marathons on AMC and the like in October, while the new versions end up in the discount bin at Wal Mart. So go ahead MGM, remake Poltergeist, remake Carrie. They’ll either turn out interesting or future landfill fodder that no one talks about.