Sam Raimi's 'Spooky Haunts'
Phobia Friday: Pedophobia - FEAR of children
Variety is reporting that Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert's genre label Ghost House is set to launch Spooky Pictures, a spin-off label that will produce thrillers for 'family audiences'.
This announcement comes only a few weeks after Disney announced that Guillermo del Toro will be heading a new family friendly horror label with them called Double Dare.
The first film on Spooky Pictures slate is a remake of the Danish flick The Substitute (distributed on DVD by Ghost House Underground) that deals with 'a terrified sixth-grade class as the students race to reveal to their parents that their new substitute teacher is an evil alien being'. Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) is set to write the script. We first told you about Ghost House acquiring the rights to remake The Substitute here.
Personally, I'm all for the family friendly horror. As long as these films are conceived as such, and the filmmakers take these stories to the absolute limits allowed. Some of my fondest memories growing up are of watching PG and PG-13 'horror films' geared towards children (many of which were distributed by Disney: Return to Oz, Watcher in the Woods, Something Wicked this way Comes) and I hope that a whole new generation of kids (and adults) get to experience a horror film that was designed with them in mind to begin with, not just another watered down attempt at a quick cash in.
That being said, with Sam Raimi's involvement I'm hopeful for some good storytelling and solid PG scares...so count me in.
