Creepy First Look at the Poltergeist Reboot!

20th Century Fox and MGM (vis USA Today) have provided us with a first scarifying look at the Poltergeist reboot, produced by genre legend Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) and directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House). Go into the light by checking out the pics in our gallery below!

“Whenever someone approaches material that’s so beloved, there’s a reflexive reaction to be worried,” says Kenan. “It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. We’re working to make a Poltergeist film that lives up to the original’s legacy.”

The film boasts an impressive cast, including Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris, Rosemarie DeWitt, Saxon Sharbino, and Jane Adams, along with 8-year-old Kennedi Clements as Madison, a play on the iconic Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke) from the original.

“Unlike the traditional horror film, I wanted to put together a cast to give weight and reality to these characters. It’s the way to anchor the family,” says Kenan. “It’s such an emotional story at the core. Parents fighting to get their child back from the beyond.”

Like Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper’s 1982 classic, this Poltergeist involves a family, the Bowens, that move into a house with bad spiritual juju (some involving television sets), eventually leading them to call upon a respected supernatural researcher and clairvoyant (Harris).

“The original film commented on how we’ve let television get out of control, babysitting our kids,” says Raimi. “It’s only gotten worse with the handheld portable devices. Screens are everywhere.”

“The thing that keeps them a family is what they have to draw on, to stay sane, and also to win Madison back,” says Kenan. “The film is super-scary. And it’s scary on its own terms. I am excited to finally be able to share that with the world.”

Meanwhile, Fox has posted a tease on Twitter for the trailer, which is set to debut tomorrow!

Poltergeist is set to open in theaters in 3D on July 24.

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