The Poltergeist reboot is actually…a sequel?

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

More details have surfaced regarding director Gil Kenan's remake of the 1981 classic POLTERGEIST, which we just told you about on Monday (you can peep that story HERE). Seems that the MONSTER HOUSE director is going for the ‘completely new story and characters, but same title’ approach, which worked out pretty damn nicely for EVIL DEAD earlier this year, but MovieHole has revealed that the Gil Kenan-directed Sam Raimi-produced reboot exists in the same world as the previous POLTERGEIST films, so while it is a ‘reboot’ of the franchise, it will also be somewhat of a sequel, taking place years after the Freeling’s were ran out of town.

The new POLTERGEIST goes something like this:

The new version follows Eric Bowen and his family who, after he loses his job, relocate to a new town to start anew. His daughter, Madison, is abducted, making him truly understand what’s important in life: family. In the new version, Eric’s wife, Amy, can communicate with the dead.
Another interesting new character is Carrigan Burke, a television personality who hosts “Haunted House Cleaners.”” The supernatural doesn’t scare this guy. Dr. Brooke Powell is Carrigan’s ex-wife who is a parapsychologist at a local university. Her team investigates the supernatural events surrounding the disappearance of the Bowen girl.

MovieHole had a little bit more to add, sharing…

In one scene in the new film, the kids’ find some things behind the sliding panel in the attic. Yep, you guessed it – they find some of the Freeling’s possessions, intentionally left behind. There’s the Star Wars bed sheets (from Robbie’s room), a black-and-white TV set (why, of course!), and some Christmas decorations.

Although the new film may possess new characters and somewhat of a different storyline, all the 'familiar beats' from the original "Poltergeist" films are in it. There's the scary tree that proves a looming threat to our youngster (and gets pulled underground), the freaky 'clown' that sits upon a rocking chair in the bedroom (in this case, the clown sits in younger brother Griffin's room), and of course there's 'phone' trouble (in this case, older sister Kendra's iPhone gets damaged by unseen forces), and of course the little girl – Madison – who makes friends with 'The Lost People' that nobody can see (but who don't mind 'showing off' – making Madison's hair stand up like she's just been struck by electricity, being just one of their 'tricks').

They should go ahead and give the mighty Craig T. Nelson a cameo while they're at it!

Casting has begun, and shooting is scheduled to commence as early as September in Toronto, Canada. Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Roy Lee will produce. David Lindsay-Abaire is listed as the main screenwriter although Juliet Snowden and Stiles White had previously worked on the script.

We'll keep you posted on news regarding POLTERGEIST as it rolls in.