RKO Horror Classics Set For Remakes

By Rich Drees

     June 19, 2007- Twisted Pictures, the company behind the popular Saw horror franchise, has announced a deal to remake four classic 1940s RKO Pictures horror classics.

     Included in the deal are The Body Snatcher (1945), which teamed Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff under the direction of Robert Wise, director Jacques Tourneur’s I Walked With A Zombie (1946) and another Karloff vehicle, Bedlam (1946). The fourth title in the deal has yet to be finalized and will be announced at a later date.

     Plans call for both companies to co-finance the development and production of the films, which will have projected budgets of $10 to 20 million each. The producers are currently looking for writers and directors for each of the projects.

     Twisted Pictures is a division of Evolution Entertainment.

     "These guys are very good at making scary pictures, and partnering like this is a great way for us to maximize the use of the RKO library and grow our company," RKO Pictures chairman and CEO Ted Hartley said in a Variety news item announcing the deal.

     Previously, Hartley has licensed out the remake rights for the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, which became Are We Done Yet? (2007), a sequel to the Ice Cube comedy Are We There Yet? (2005).