POLTERGEIST Remake Gets A Kid-Friendly Director

Deadline reports that MGM has found a director for their remake of Tobe Spielberg's Poltergeist. His name is Gil Kenan, director of Monster House, a kind of CG, family-friendly prequel to Monster's Ball. He also directed City of Ember, I live-action movie I never saw despite having both Tim Robbins and Bill Murray in it.

What do both these films have in common? They were made for children. While it could be argued that the original Poltergeist wasn't necessarily an adults-only affair, such an argument would have to ignore the entire pussification of what we refer to as a kid's film in a day and age when every potential cathartic moment is laced with emotional Nerf.

In other words, I don't have much faith in the idea of a good Poltergeist remake regardless of who directs it (excluding the project's producer, Sam Raimi, of course), but Gil Kenan's track record offers even less excitement. As always, I'll happily eat these words, but unless this goes all gore like Evil Dead or somehow achieves an almost Avengers-level blast of fun, I doubt this will be one of those remakes we talk about for years to come as an example of unoriginality done right.