Whether you love them or you hate them, movie and TV reboots and sequels currently dominate the entertainment industry. Within the next year, the horror genre will be the target of this revival trend, with remakes that range from fan-favorite slashers to cult classics that feed off the nostalgia of an older generation of viewers and the cinematic fears of newer ones. Here are a few rising from the grave and coming to haunt our dreams between this year and next.
‘GRUDGE’ | Produced by: Sony Screen Gems | Release Date: Jan. 3, 2020
If you couldn’t go into your attic for months after watching the 2002 Japanese classic, you’re not alone. The original American version, which premiered two years later, not only imported the horrifying Japanese story of a vengeful female ghost, but also the unforgettable image of her dead corpse with long black hair slithering across the floor. The entire franchise is crawling over to America with new characters and a new setting — let’s hope that doesn’t mean in your own house. Sam Raimi is producing the remake starring Demian Bichir, Andrea Riseborough, John Cho, and Lin Shaye, while Nicolas Pesce is directing and writing the project.
‘THE WITCHES’ | Produced by: Warner Bros. | Release Date: Oct. 16, 2020
This classic children’s novel by Roald Dahl is making its way back to the big screen next year. This time, it has a new cast, including Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch, and a different setting. Director Robert Zemeckis is bringing the movie to the Gothic South in the 1960s and planning to follow the source material more accurately than the original 1990 film did. It will still follow the story of a boy who discovers a coven of witches who hate children. He tries to expose their evil plans before the witches stop him in his tracks. Additional cast members include Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Rock.
‘ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?’ | Produced by: Nickelodeon/ACE Entertainment | Release Date: Oct. 11, 18, and 25, 2019
True Nickelodeon kids know the fear triggered when the ominous theme song from Are You Afraid of the Dark? begins. It was a test of will to power through an entire 30 minutes of scary campfire stories. In the reboot miniseries, which begins airing on Nickelodeon just in time for Halloween, a new generation of Midnight Society members will tell spooky stories around the campfire in three episodes. Each story is set in the Carnival of Doom during a whopping full hour of terror. The cast includes Sam Ashe Arnold (Gavin), Miya Cech (Akiko), Tamara Smart (Louise), Jeremy Taylor (Graham), and Lyliana Wray (Rachel). Ace Entertainment’s Matt Kaplan and Spencer Berman, along with BenDavid Grabinski and Dean Israelite, are serving as executive producers on the project. Grabinski is also writing the script, and Israelite is directing the series.
‘DOCTOR SLEEP’ | Produced by: Warner Bros. | Release Date: Nov. 8, 2019
The Shining’s little Danny Torrance is all grown up and tormented by the spirits of Overlook Hotel. Torrance (Ewan McGregor) returns 40 years later in this sequel, using his “shining” powers to protect tween Abra Stone (Kyleigh Curran) from a cult called the True Knot, which is hunting her down to feed off her powers to prolong their immortality. As he overcomes his own issues with depression and alcoholism, which he inherited from his infamous father, Jack, Torrance releases the Overlook Hotels’ spirits that continue to haunt him in order to protect Abra. Mike Flanagan wrote and directed the film adaptation of the New York Times best-seller. Jon Berg and Trevor Macy will produce, while Stephen King, Akiva Goldsman, Roy Lee, and D. Scott Lumpkin will serve as executive producers. The movie also stars Rebecca Ferguson (Rose the Hat), Carl Lumbly (Dick Halloran), Zahn McLarnon (Crow Daddy) Emily Alyn Lind (Snakebite Andi), Bruce Greenwood (Dr. John Dalton), Jocelin Donahue (Lucy), Alex Essoe (Wendy Torrance), Cliff Curtis (Billy Freeman), and Jacob Tremblay (young Danny Torrance).
This article was originally published in the Pop Insider’s Fall 2019 Issue No. 5, click here to read more!
