Sam Raimi is set to direct his first horror movie in ten years. Known to many for helming the 2000s' Spider-Man movie trilogy starring Tobey Maguire (which are still regarded by some as the best live-action Spider-Man adaptations ever), Raimi is still perhaps better remembered for his horror roots. Now, the acclaimed director is revisiting the genre that helped him rise to prominence.
Raimi’s career behind the camera began when he was still in college. In 1978, he released Within the Woods. A horror movie, which ran for just over thirty minutes, the film focused on demonic possession and has since come to be regarded as something of a precursor to the highly successful Evil Dead franchise. Premiering in 1981, the first installment in the series starred Raimi’s friend and collaborator Bruce Campbell as a college student forced to battle a horde of malevolent spirits. The success and influence of Evil Dead has led to sequels, comic books, a reboot, and a TV series titled Ash vs. Evil Dead. The success also led to other projects for Raimi, giving him the chance to work on a variety of genre films (superhero movies, westerns, crime thrillers, and so on). But for fans who have been waiting to see Raimi take on another scary story, they won’t have to wait much longer.
According to THR, Raimi will be calling the shots on a horror movie for the first time since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell. Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, the duo behind the reboot of Friday the 13th , will write the script. The project is described as being a blend of Misery and Cast Away. Made into a film led by Kathy Bates, Misery is the Stephen King novel which focused on an obsessive fan who abducts her favorite author. Cast Away starred Tom Hanks as a man stranded on an island after his plane crashes.
In recent years, Raimi has been more involved as a producer. The last movie he directed, Oz the Great and Powerful, hit theaters in 2013. But he’s since produced notable titles like Don’t Breathe and Crawl, which was a surprise hit this past summer. He is also producing The Grudge reboot, which will open in theaters in early 2020.
Details about Raimi’s latest directing gig are so far in short supply. But looking at his history, and considering the description, audiences might expect a gross and weirdly funny tale of an abduction that takes place on an island. Whatever the film’s final form, most will be happy to see Raimi return to the horror genre. Given his track record, and the enduring popularity of many of his works, moviegoers should be in for a treat.
Source: THR