Sam Raimi To Produce Supernatural Horror Film Refuge

Sam Raimi (Evil Dead series, Drag Me To Hell) has signed on to produce a supernatural horror film titled Refuge. British screenwriter Tom De Ville will write the script based on a pitch from up-and-coming British director Corin Hardy. At the very least, Hardy's stop-animation work, is impressive. Very stylized, and likely to draw comparisons to Tim Burton. Check out some of Hardy's music videos in our commercial director spotlight. More details on the project follow after the jump.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the story "centers on a remote town terrorized by a Yeti, the mythological creature native to the mountains of the Himalayas." The concept of the Yeti has never really interested me, but any horror film storyline featuring a mysterious creature in the wild has potential to be scary.

But before Hardy and De Ville tackle the feature, they will first produce a short film with the same premise. The hope is that the short film will help Hardy refine his vision as the script is being developed. It seems to me that, while not stated, the short film test might also act as a proving ground for the yet-unproven young director.