It seems like an odd move, for a genre picturehouse like GHOST HOUSE to need another genre picturehouse underneath, but then again… I’m not Sam Raimi. I’m sure the dude has a perfectly good reason for it.
First up for Spooky Pictures is going to be a remake of the Danish thriller THE SUBSTITUTE, brought to the big screen by director Scott Derrickson (THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE). Derrickson will also be writing the script with writing partner Paul Harris Boardman, who also had a hand in co-writing EMILY ROSE… as well as Derrickson’s other directorial work, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL.
THE SUBSTITUTE goes a bit something like this: a terrified sixth-grade class try to reveal to their parents that their new substitute teacher is an evil alien being.
Since the new Spooky Pictures is geared towards family, I’d say we can expect more MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN and less THE FACULTY. Of course, the original SUBSTITUTE came out last year, so it’s a ridiculous movie to remake anyway (people can read subtitles–I promise!), but that’s besides the point, I guess.
So then what is the point? We have a new genre label on our hands with Spooky Pictures, so it should be interesting to see if it’s one to keep an eye on with THE SUBSTITUTE, or if it’ll be too family friendly to really care about.