With news that Gil Kenan (Monster House) will be directing MGM’s reboot of Poltergeist, you can finally put to rest the rumors of Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) sitting in the captain’s chair.  Raimi will still be behind the scenes as a producer on the remake of Tobe Hooper’s 1982 classic horror film.  Written by committee, the most recent adaptation has seen work by David Lindsay-Abaire (Oz the Great and Powerful), Scott Derrickson (Sinister), Juliet Snowden (The Possession), Stiles White (Boogeyman) and Paul Harris Boardman (The Exorcism of Emily Rose).  That’s quite the mix of horror writers in there, with Lindsay-Abaire holding it down for the familial aspect of the story that centers on a suburban home possessed by spirits.  Hit the jump for more.

For awhile now, Mondo’s been keen to get into the vinyl game.  Over the past year, they released soundtracks for The Beyond and The Deadly Spawn, and last March they announced that a vinyl version of the glorious Drive soundtrack (overseen by Cliff Martinez) was in the cards (we expect that one any minute now).  Well, the time’s come for their latest vinyl release, this time a soundtrack for the classic 80’s haunted-house flick Poltergeist.   Featuring new artwork from the Australian super-duo known as We Buy Your Kids,  you’ll be free to pick up your very own copy tomorrow afternoon.  See pictures and learn more after the jump, folks.

With Rise of the Guardians opening this week, I recently got to see the finished film at DreamWorks Animation and it’s really well done.  Not only is the animation great to look at, it’s got a strong story that’s character driven and it doesn’t rely on stupid jokes.  In addition, unlike most superhero films that spend half the time introducing characters by explaining their origin and showing off their powers, what’s fantastic about Rise of the Guardians is we join almost everyone in the middle of the story.  If you’re not familiar with the story, it  revolves around the rebellious Jack Frost (Chris Pine) teaming up with other mythical figures North aka Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), E. Aster Bunnyman aka Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), Tooth aka The Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the Sandman to battle the evil Pitch (Jude Law).  Here’s my video blog review and all our previous coverage.

To help promote the film, last week I got on the phone with Rise of the Guardians screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire.  We talked about how the film didn’t tell a typical origin story, the tone, whether there were any dramatic changes along the way, and more.  In addition, with Lindsay-Abaire writing the Poltergeist remake, he talked about the status of the script, whether he wrote it for a PG-13 or an R rating, and when it might shoot.  Finally, since he’s also working on Sam Raimi‘s Oz The Great and Powerful and adapting The Family Fang with Nicole Kidman and Good People, he gave me updates on both projects.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Earlier today, Steve spoke with Rise of the Guardians screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire about the upcoming film (you can click here for Steve’s thoughts on the movie).  Lindsay-Abaire is also writing the upcoming remake of Tobe Hooper‘s 1982 classic horror film, Poltergeist, which is being produced by Sam Raimi.  During the interview, Lindsay-Abaire spoke about his progress developing the script, the tone he’s going for, capturing the emotion of the original, and the film’s priority for the studio.

Hit the jump for a transcript of what Lindsay-Abaire had to say.

When it was first announced that director Sam Raimi’s horror classic Evil Dead would be getting the remake treatment, fans were understandably a little apprehensive.  The redo was approached the right way (if there is one), however, as Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Talpert remained integral to the production as producers.  The first incredibly bloody footage from the Fede Alvarez-helmed remake was unveiled last weekend at New York Comic-Con to an overwhelmingly positive response (read Matt’s recap right here), so it looks as though the update might actually be getting some very rare fan-approval.

Raimi is also involved in another curious remake, an update of Poltergeist, but after some initial confusion over his duties on that film it was confirmed in April that he would only be producing.  Now an interesting report has surfaced online that suggests Raimi could actually be directing Poltergeist after all.  Hit the jump for the details. [Update: THR has amended their original story to say that Raimi will not be directing the remake, he's still just producing.]

Based on a true story, the horror thriller The Possession shows what happens to one family who must save their youngest daughter from a malevolent force, known as a Dibbuk, that wants to devour her body. Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie Brenek (Kyra Sedgwick) notice their youngest daughter Em’s (Natasha Calis) erratic behavior, as she becomes increasingly obsessed with an antique wooden box purchased at a yard sale, but initially chalk it up to their difficult divorce. Once they realize what is really going on, they enlist the help of a Hasidic rabbi (Matisyahu) to cast out the evil infecting their daughter’s human soul.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, producer Sam Raimi talked about what drew him to the creepy story, why he wanted to collaborate with director Ole Bornedal, and why he thinks possession is something that’s always been so scary to people. He also said that, having seen almost all of the dailies for The Evil Dead, the film is so bloody it will make your head spin, that it will definitely be R-rated, that there were a lot of ways to improve on the original film, and how exciting it is to see what director Fede Alvarez brought to it. In regard to the Poltergeist remake, he said that David Lindsay-Abaire is currently working on the screenplay, and that he hopes to have a draft by around the first of October. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Earlier today, Collider got the opportunity to chat with horror master Sam Raimi on the phone, to discuss the creepy thriller The Possession, which he is producing.  Based on a true story, the film (starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) shows what happens to one family who must save their youngest daughter from a malevolent force, known as a Dibbuk, that wants to devour her body.

While we will run the full interview closer to the film’s August 31^st theatrical release, we did want to share what Sam Raimi had to say about the upcoming remakes of The Evil Dead and Poltergeist.  Having seen almost all of the dailies for The Evil Dead, he said the film is really bloody and really goes for it, that it will definitely be R and could maybe be worse, that there were a lot of ways to improve on the original film, and how exciting it is to see what director Fede Alvarez brought to it.  He also said that David Lindsay-Abaire is currently working on the screenplay for Poltergeist, and that he hopes to have a draft by around the first of October.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

We’ve got a couple of horror related stories to share with you this afternoon.  Roger Birnbaum, CEO of MGM, recently gave talks at the University of Denver and he dropped some nuggets of info about a few remakes in the MGM pipeline.  Furthest along is the redo of Carrie.  Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) is set to direct and Chloe Moretz is officially onboard in the lead role, first played by Sissy Spacek in the 1976 adaptation of the Stephen King novel.  Moreover, Julianne Moore is reportedly in talks to take on the crazy mother role.  During the talk at the University of Denver, Birnbaum revealed that some of the film may be done in the found footage style.  Hit the jump for more. [Update: Moore has recently been offered the role for Carrie. Sam Raimi will reportedly produce Poltergeist, but won't direct. More after the jump.]

Last month, we reported that the Alamo Drafthouse would be spending this summer honoring the summer of 1982 by holding screenings of Conan the Barbarian, The Road Warrior, Rocky III, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Thing, and TRON, with all the movies being presented in 35mm.  Tomorrow, a limited number of badges—priced at $80—will go on sale here at 11am CST and provide admission to all these movies.  The Drafthouse will also be selling tickets to the first movie in the series, Conan the Barbarian, which will play on May 11th.

In addition to the terrific movies that have already been announced, the Drafthouse has added 11 more movies to the summer series: Vice Squad, Escape 2000, The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Secret of Nimh, Pink Floyd: The Wall, Class of 1984, Friday the 13th: Part 3 in 3D, Halloween 3, Q: The Winged Serpent, The Dark Crystal, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Last Unicorn.  The badges won’t cover these movies, so you’ll have to buy tickets.  Hit the jump for the full press release, which includes info on when you can buy tickets for each movie (and you better come to Rocky III since we’re co-hosting it!).  We’ve also included a look at Dan McCarthy’s gorgeous E.T. posters, which will be sold at the E.T. screening with any leftovers being sold online).

The summer movie season keeps getting bigger but rarely does it get better.  There are always some standouts, but in 30 years time, will we have nine movies that will all be remembered as classics?  I’m not sure, but it’s only been done once before in the last 30 years, and that was in the summer of 1982.  From May through July, the world received (in chronological order) Conan the Barbarian, The Road Warrior, Rocky III, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Thing, Blade Runner, and TRON.  Let that sink in for a moment.

The Alamo Drafthouse is paying tribute to the summer of 1982 by letting audiences relive it in the summer of 2012.  The Alamo will re-release the film on the same day that it was released in 1982, and a geek site will co-host a screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin.  So for example, we’re co-hosting the screening of Rocky III on May 25th.  Select films will have big events with special guests and new Mondo posters.  Hit the jump for all of the release dates along with Alamo’s trailer for the summer of 1982.

While on the set of Takashi Shimizu’s upcoming 7500, I got to sit down with a few other journalists and producer Roy Lee, who almost single-handedly spearheaded the J-Horror craze of the early 00’s, producing remakes of over a dozen foreign language horror films including, The Ring and The Grudge, as well as Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning, The Departed.

We’ll have full coverage of the new, original, aviation-based horror film closer to the release date, but today we have a slew of updates on Lee’s very busy development slate. During the interview, Lee talked about rebooting The Ring and The Grudge, a new ending for Spike Lee‘s English-language Oldboy remake that he promises will be darker than the original, directors he wants to work with, spoofs of his own films, getting beaten to the punch by The Hunger Games, his excitement for remaking Poltergeist, the current state of Japanese horror and more.

Anyone involved in the business of filmmaking would love to be able to cut together a professional reel like three-time Oscar winning editor Michael Kahn. Included in his more than 60 feature film editing credits is a ton of work on Steven Spielberg films such as Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. With this small sample of his body of work in mind, Kahn was recently honored by the American Cinema Editors with a Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the ceremony, the A.C.E. showed this seven-minute cut of the editor’s work during their awards ceremony on Saturday, February 19th. To be brief, it truly is amazing to see this type of influential work condensed into seven minutes.

Hit the jump to check out Kahn’s incredible reel [Warning: You may instantly feel like your own professional output is inferior both during and after viewing].

MGM, the home studio of James Bond, has been in financial limbo for what seems like forever.  After dumping rights to The Hobbit to Warner Brothers, and continuing lengthy discussions on the fate of the Bond franchise, MGM looked to be on its last legs.  But according to Variety, the long-standing studio is finally ready to get moving on no less than five different projects.

In addition to long-rumored reboots of Robocop and Poltergeist, the studio is reportedly financing or co-financing remakes of 1980s classics Mr. Mom and The Idolmaker.  MGM is also looking to produce “A ‘Hercules’ project.”  My fingers are crossed that Kevin Sorbo will be involved.  The studio also just recently joined up with Paramount to co-produce the 3D-shot Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters which stars Oscar-nominee Jeremy Renner and the very attractive Gemma Arterton as the witch killin’ siblings.  The story takes place 15 years after the familiar fairy tale.  Hit the jump for more on MGM and my thoughts on their post-resurrection projects.

Mondo, which is the boutique shop of the Alamo Drafthouse, has six posters going on sale today.  Three of the posters are from artist Olly Moss and were showcased earlier as part of this year’s Fantastic Fest.  Today, you’ll be able to buy his posters for Let Me In and two versions of his poster for Rubber.  Also going on sale is a Poltergeist poster by Ken Taylor, a Metropolis poster by Rich Kelly, and a fantastic Aguirre: The Wrath of God poster by Jay Ryan.

Hit the jump to check out all of the posters along with their size, price, and number of prints.  Follow @MondoNews for the announcement of when these great posters will be available for purchase at Mondo’s official website.

They’re here…It seems there’s some forward momentum on MGM’s remake of Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s 1982 haunting classic, “Poltergeist”. “House of Sand and Fog” director Vadim Perelman is slated to direct a script by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White, which tells the tale of a suburban family beset by ghouls, ghosts, and little-girl-eating-televisions after finding out their home was built over sacred burial lands. The clown scene alone makes me wonder if it’s possible to top the original. Read on for musings on death, the afterlife, and scary-as-hell living dolls after the jump.