Christmas is approaching like a speeding sleigh and that naturally has a lot of people thinking about braving the crowds to get presents for friends and family. But what if the local shopping centre boasted more than just a crush of other bargain hunters? What if the place was patrolled by robots that get a case of Terminator fever and start offing people? That’s the concept behind Chopping Mall, which director Robert Hall wants to remake.
It might not surprise you that the 1986 original was produced by schlock king Roger Corman and features a group of distinctly old looking “teens” raving it up for a party in a closed mall. The trouble begins when the building’s security ‘bots have their electronic brains frazzled by a lightning bolt and decided to Kill All Humans.
But the new film won’t be a straight remake, according to Variety, as Hall and producing partner Kevin Bocarde (who is co-writing the new script) plan to take things in a slightly different direction. “It will retain the basic concept of young people trapped in a mall; however, the story will have a darker, supernatural spin,” says Bocarde. So… Killer robots animated by ghosts? Or killer robots vs. the Winchester brothers*?
It remains to be seen how much of the camp Corman style will remain, but if Piranha 3D is anything to judge by, there’s every chance it’ll be firmly intact.
*Stars of TV show Supernatural. See what we did there?