Sam Rockwell recently left horror fans scratching their heads when he suggested that the remake of 1982's terrifying Poltergeist is actually more of a kids' movie.
In a recent interview, Rockwell, who stars in the film, gave a few hints of what we can expect from the 2015 version of the film, and it's not what horror film fans want to hear.
First, let's talk about the lead of the film. In the original, Heather O'Rourke played a little, and creepy, blonde girl named Carol Anne. And the scene where Carol Ann puts her hands on the television set, which is showing static, and says "they're here" is one of the most iconic scenes in modern horror entertainment.
In the remake, it seems that the Carol Ann character is now a 10-year-old boy. And although that's not a major change, being that female roles in Hollywood are still few and far between, that might leave some feminists confused.
However, as if that weren't enough, the point of view of the film switches from Carol Anne's mother (JoBeth Williams) in the original film to that of this little boy in the remake.
"The 10-year-old boy is really the protagonist this time," says Rockwell. "JoBeth Williams was the protagonist for the most part in the first one and now the kid, it's really through his point-of-view."
Of course, that changes the entire tone of the movie, meaning that it's probably not going to be as scary. Rockwell, unfortunately confirmed that.
"So it's more of a kids' movie, so I don't know if it's gonna be like rated-R scary," he says. "It's not like Conjuring type of scary. You know, it's a different kind of movie. It's more of an adventure."
Not much else is known about the Poltergeist remake, but going on what Rockwell said means that a classic and terrifying horror film that once scared the bejeesus out of us is now a kids' adventure tale, which we can watch in 3D.
However, we also know that the film scored a PG-13 rating for "intense frightening sequences, brief suggestive material, and some language." Considering the original movie held a PG rating, perhaps there's still hope.
There's also one important question lingering about the remake: will Tangina make an appearance? And if so, who will play her? It's doubtful anyone could top Zelda Rubinstein's performance as the memorable character, and as that actress passed away in 2010, it's probably for the best if that character remains in the 1980s.
[Photo Credit: MGM]
