Lucio Fulci's The Beyond is the first announced remake from a new strategic partnership between Hangtime International Pictures and Severin Films.
Per Variety, who reported the news exclusively earlier today, the 1981 supernatural horror reimagining will be eying a theatrical, streaming and physical media release. No news yet on who will direct or star.
Frank Murray, the co-CEO of Hangtime, explains the reasoning behind remaking the Italian horror classic, as well as hinting that the other two films in Fulci's ‘Gates of Hell' trilogy (that being 1980's City of the Living Dead and 1981's The House by the Cemetery) could be up next for a reboot:
“The impetus for this partnership was our shared commitment to fans of the genre and our desire to deliver for new horror audiences […] This is a rare opportunity for an established director to reimagine ‘The Beyond,’ contemporize it as a classic of experiential horror and further the ever-growing cultural significance of Fulci’s work. We also love the built-in sequel opportunity afforded us by Fulci’s Gates of Hell universe.”
David Gregory, co-founder, president and CEO of Severin Films, adds:
“Severin Films has devoted two decades to restoring and releasing genre films with the utmost respect for their originality and ongoing legacy […] Reimagining these classic titles for a new generation presents a unique opportunity for the genre community, and we look forward to what this partnership will bring forth.”
Frida Torresblanco, Co-CEO at Hangtime also calls Severin “the ideal partner”, expressing Hangtime's appreciation for the genre giant “not just [in] helping us navigate the rights process but as a uniquely knowledgeable creative sounding board.”
Regarded by many as one of the Italian horror greats (everyone from Joe Bob Briggs to Guillermo del Toro is a fan), The Beyond stars Catriona MacColl as the heir of a haunted hotel in Louisiana that may or may not be a portal to Hell.
Despite the recent success of original horror movies like Obsession, The Beyond news is just another in a series of recently announced upcoming remakes of horror classics, with contemporary takes on Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Pulse and Andrzej Żuławski's Possession currently in development.
Stay tuned for more on The Beyond, as well as Hangtime and Severin's other remakes, as we get it.
