Not content with scaring the crap out of teenagers and young adults with his Ghost House Pictures label, Sam Raimi has turned his attentions to turning families’ collective hair white, Ash-style, with the launch of a new family-friendly horror film banner, Spooky Pictures.
An offshoot of Ghost House, Spooky will launch its output with the Scott Derrickson-directed The Substitute, a remake of Ole Bornedal’s 2007 Danish film about a class of moppets who become convinced that their sub teacher is actually an evil alien.
Derrickson, whose debut film,** The Exorcism Of Emily Rose**, was a compelling exercise in creepy, will co-write the film with his writing partner, Paul Harris Boardman. Raimi will produce the movie along with his long-time cohort, Rob Tapert. Columbia will stump up half the cash and distribute.
The creation of Spooky – just in time for Halloween, kids! – echoes the announcement, a few weeks ago, of Disney’s new Guillermo del Toro-created label, Disney Double Dare You, which also aims to pitch less gory, but no less intense, horror films at younger audiences. Don’t be hugely surprised to see other studios follow suit in the coming months – if WB does one, we recommend it be called Don’t Say We Didn’t Warner Ya. Ahem…