Those Syfy movies that air on Saturday nights are spreading into theaters. Syfy just partnered with Universal to create Syfy Films, an offshoot that will film and distribute b-grade sci-fi movies. The fledgling company already has two projects lined up. The first is ‘Day 38’, a found-footage film to be produced by McG.
Now Syfy Films has acquired the rights to ‘The Paranormalists’ from Rob Letterman. Letterman is the mind behind Dreamworks’ animated ‘Monsters vs Aliens’ and ‘Shark’s Tale’. He was also on board to direct the live-action ‘Stretch Armstrong’ film for Relativity Media.
The pitch for ‘The Paranormalists’ is a found-footage film about a group of people who go into a haunted house to debunk the presense of ghosts. Of course, it wouldn’t be a movie if things worked out now would it? The paranormal investigators run afoul of something spooky and otherworldly in the house.
Letterman will write and direct ‘The Paranormalists’, putting his trademark quirky humor into the film. Imagine Films’ Brian Grazer, Kim Roth, and Sarah Bowen will serve as producers.
I think the idea behind this is a mixed bag. I love Syfy’s b-movie Saturday nights but I don’t know that any of them can carry the weight of a theatrical release, even with some bigger names in the writer/director chair. Of course, there’s always the home video market where I’m sure many fans will end up watching these things, so it may pay off for Syfy after all.
What do you think? Do you want to watch b-movies in the theater? Are you ready for yet more found-footage horror? Or are you just tired of it all and could care less?
