Trailers. They’re like buses. You wait for ages for one and then suddenly two arrive at once. This morning saw the first trailer for the Poltergeist remake hit the web and immediately stir up a ton of intrigue surrounding the film. Who is Jared Harris playing, exactly? What’s really going on with the ghosts? And will that track that one of the ghosts whips up on the kiddy keyboard be available on iTunes?
All that, however, was the domestic trailer, which was cultivated for U.S. audiences. Now, we’ve been granted a look (via Digital Spy) at the international version which offers further insight into the family’s unfortunate circumstance.
Based loosely on Tobe Hooper’s 1982 chiller, this rebooted modern-day version is the product of director Gil Kenan and producer Sam Raimi. The story revolves around Rosemary Dewitt and Sam Rockwell, as a happily-married couple who move into their new home only to discover they’re sharing their abode. With poltergeists who steal their daughter. This resurrected take on the ole ‘invisible ghostie’ angle amps up the intentions of those unseen spirits quite a bit in this second trailer.
Establishing the primary characters is an essential task in a horror film. If you intend on inflicting a ton of scares on them, then the audience needs to know – and care – about those people first and foremost. The editing for the overseas crowd hones in on this aspect, and slowly builds up the tension, eventually blossoming into a full-blown poltergeist assault. In case it wasn’t made clear in the earlier version, Jared Harris’ expert spells it out for the family and us; this is a bigger, more powerful type of spirit.
Check it out for yourself above and let us know what you make of it. Poltergeist will arrive in theaters on July 24th.
Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (“Spiderman,” “Evil Dead”, “The Grudge”) and director Gil Kenan (“Monster House”) contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.