Orion Pictures to remake Icelandic horror film Rift

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

I would guess that many of you reading this article aren't familiar with writer/director Erlingur Thoroddsen's 2017 horror film RIFT (a.k.a. RÖKKUR), but here's a situation where the announcement of a remake is likely to draw more attention to an original. Orion Pictures has acquired the rights to produce an English language remake of RIFT, and now I'm thinking I need to watch the original RIFT as soon as possible.

Described as a gay-themed psychological horror movie, the original RIFT told the story of 

two men whose broken relationship is tested as they are haunted by a supernatural entity awakened by their grief.

Here's another synopsis that offers a little more information: 

Months after they broke up, Gunnar receives a strange phone call from his ex-boyfriend, Einar. He sounds distraught, like he's about to do something terrible to himself. Gunnar drives up to the secluded cabin where Einar is holed up and soon discovers that there's more going on than he imagined. As the two men come to terms with their broken relationship, some other person seems to be lurking outside the cabin, wanting to get in.

Thoroddsen will be writing the script for the remake, telling another version of his story.

The remake is being produced by J. Todd Harris and Marc Marcum of Branded Pictures Entertainment, with Dan Kagan overseeing the project for Orion.

RIFT was Thoroddsen's second horror feature, following 2016's CHILD EATER.