Sam Raimi Is Producing Supernatural Rom-Com, You're Dead Helene
As much as we love it when Sam Raimi hops in the director's chair, the man also knows how to produce a movie. From the grimy Florida-based horror flick "Crawl" to the frenetic, punch to the gut, break-in movie that was "Don't Breathe," Raimi has had his hands on all sorts of stellar projects. And he's definitely keeping busy. His next producing project is another horror remix, but instead of taking the genre and injecting it with gators or veterans who are obsessed with revenge, he's working on a movie that mixes it with love.
Delightfully titled "You're Dead Helene" and described as a supernatural romantic comedy, the project sounds like it's right up Raimi's alley. It's weird, dark, and a smidge unexpected. Don't get me wrong, Raimi is the king of mixing gore and guffaws (I'm so sorry), but it's been a minute since we've seen him revisit the horror-comedy subgenre. It's nice to have him back, even if this isn't solely his project. In fact, it's important to mention that Raimi will be working with writer-director Michiel Blanchart, who also directed a short film with the same name.
Horror and Hilarity
Raimi seems especially excited to work with Blanchart, who has won many awards including an Oscar-qualifying Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival for his "You're Dead Helene" short. As Raimi said to Deadline, "The film is touching and terrifying. Michiel is one of the few modern directors that can balance humor and terror, and he does it in an exciting new way." A high compliment coming from one of the other modern directors who can balance humor and terror. I can't imagine how Blanchart felt when he heard Raimi say that, but I know I would be thrilled.
On the production side, Raimi will be joined by Rob Tapert from his very own Ghost House Pictures production company, which has put out some killer films including "The Grudge" and the 2013 "Evil Dead" remake. The pair will also be joined by Michaël Goldberg and Boris Van Gils at Playbox Pictures. To top it all off, TriStar Pictures has acquired the film and will have Caellum Allan oversee the project on their end.
Unless you've already caught the short at a film festival, you'll have to wait until it hits theaters before you can soak up that heady combination of horror, comedy, and romance. If you're desperate to sink your teeth into something similar, I'd definitely recommend "Nina Forever," which combines love and horror in an unusual, but inventive way. We clearly need more horror rom-coms, and it's exciting that Raimi and Blanchart are stepping in to fill that gap.