Sam Raimi is set to direct the Poltergeist remake

Sam Raimi has produced a considerable number of horror films and remakes in recent years, and it looks as thought the Evil Dead and Drag Me To Hell director will be returning to the genre with the Poltergeist remake.

Raimi has been attached as a producer on the horror remake for some months now, although a recent THR article suggested that writer David Lindsay-Abaire ( Rabbit Hole , Oz: The Great And Powerful ) had confirmed that Raimi would be adding directing to his producing duties.

In a Rise Of The Guardians interview, Lindsay-Abaire confirmed that Raimi was directing Poltergeist . Raimi must be a fan of the Pulitzer Prize winning writer, as the article also reveals that Raimi came close to directing Rabbit Hole .

While we'll wait for official confirmation, either from Raimi or MGM, this is certainly pleasing news.

Admittedly, it’s extremely rare that we’ll get excited about a horror remake, but the involvement of Raimi as director completely changes the game.

It’s hard to image that an auteur with Raimi’s horror heritage would sign on for a bog-standard, join-the-dots retelling of the original film. Surely he’d only get involved if he could make it his own.

And presumably Lindsay-Abaire must have come up with an intriguing take on the script. Our optimism levels are rising rapidly on this one.

Raimi and Lindsay-Abaire next collaboration, Oz: The Great And Powerful , opens in the UK on 8 March 2013.

Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at 12DOVE, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.

Latest in Movies
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Cyborg and Batman together
Justice League stars Ray Fisher and Ben Affleck are teaming up for new thriller Animals
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
Keanu Reeves and Brzrkr
Justin Lin to helm Keanu Reeves' comic book movie adaptation BRZRKR for Netflix
Train to Busan passengers
Train to Busan director is returning to the horror sub-genre with a new movie described as the culmination of his zombie universe
Thomas Shelby on a horse
Although Netflix is making the Peaky Blinders movie, fans need not to worry as it will be released in theaters too
Latest in News
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
A misty, forested mountainside in Prologue: Go Wayback!
PUBG creator's wilderness survival game actually draws inspiration from an unexpected place - a whole raft of zombie games like DayZ, Project Zomboid, and Left 4 Dead
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil fans are wondering if Born Again season 2 will set up a darker comic book arc for Matt Murdock
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Balatro screenshot showing an assortment of card packs
Balatro creator initially considered a Steam release in part to help "get a game developer job somewhere," and after 5 million sales I'd say he found one