Dread Central, a web site specializing in horror-related content, recently reported on a tantalizing prospect: a pitch was made to Sony for a series based on the 2001 horror film Thir13en Ghosts, directed by Steve Beck under the auspices of Dark Castle Entertainment.
Sources report that Patrick Mediate, who works for Primordial Pictures, and Aaron McLane, who is the SFX Supervisor for Fear the Walking Dead, have teamed up with Dark Castle Entertainment to pitch a concept for a new television series.
The show’s concept revolves around a series of 13 episodes, each of which delves into the origin stories of the ghosts from the movie. The concept of the filmmakers is encapsulated in their pitch summary.
Every culture in the world has its ghost stories, and this re-imagining of 13 Ghosts presents an international sampling of these supernatural tales. The ghost stories within each episode will have their own stylistic look and feel that will be explored and influenced by each individual director. This makes our ghost vignettes stand out stylistically as they set the theme for each episode.
Dread Central suggests that the show may incorporate a gimmick. They propose a modernized promotional tactic similar to that of William Castle’s, where viewers would be encouraged to wear a VR headset while watching the show. This would allow the ghost to manifest both on the TV screen and in the virtual environment surrounding the viewer’s physical space.
It is important to note that the project is still in its preliminary stages and has not yet received approval from Sony. Moreover, the ongoing strikes of both writers and actors pose additional obstacles to its development. Given the apparent unlikelihood of Universal’s proposed Dark Universe coming to fruition, this project presents itself as a viable alternative, provided that the aforementioned strike is resolved in the near future.
