Poltergeist, a remake of the 1982 horror classic, hits theaters on July 24th, 2015. In anticipation, the first trailer has premiered online. Watch it below.
The film is directed by Gil Kenan (City of Ember and Monster House), with a script from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole). Several big names in the horror genre serve as executive producers, including Sam Raimi and Roy Lee (The Grudge and The Ring). The cast includes Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, Kyle Catlett, Kennedi Clements, and Nicholas Braun.
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The film maintains the same basic storyline as the original, a family terrorized by malicious supernatural entities, but executives have made a few noticeable updates. “No parents in their right minds would buy their kids a clown doll today,” Kenan told USA Today, referring to the original’s childhood-destroying plaything. “It would be completely disingenuous.” So, the reboot now involves the youngest son (Catlett) discovering a box of old dolls that eventually haunt the Bowen family.
“Whenever someone approaches material that’s so beloved, there’s a reflexive reaction to be worried,” Kenan explained. “It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. We’re working to make a Poltergeist film that lives up to the original’s legacy. I wanted to put together a cast to give weight and reality to these characters. It’s the way to anchor the family. It’s such an emotional story at the core. Parents fighting to get their child back from the beyond.”
