‘Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum’ Remake Will Offer A New Take On The South Korean Found Footage Horror Movie
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, a very spooky found footage movie from South Korea, is getting an inevitable American remake. The original film follows a team of ghost hunters filming their overnight stay in a supposedly haunted asylum that turns out to be – you guessed it – really haunted. It’s not the most original of storylines, but it’s pretty damn effective.
According toTHR, Los Angeles-based Black Box Management and Seoul-based BH Entertainment are teaming for an American remake of the 2018 South Korean horror movieGonjiam: Haunted Asylum. InGonjiam, a web-based team of ghost hunters heads into an abandoned asylum overnight with the plan of drumming up a hefty amount of online views. To increase their viewership, some team members secretly stage fake paranormal events that scare the ghost hunters who are out of the loop. This plan ultimately backfires whenrealsupernatural stuff starts happening. Here’s a trailer:
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
And if you need even more convincing, here’s a clip of one of the freakiest scenes in the movie.
Gonjiamis currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., and having watched it, I can confirm it has a fair share of scares (you can hear me talk about the movie on a recent episode of the/Film watercooler). The first half of the movie is a little uneventful and kind of silly, but when the horror ramps up, it never relents. I’m not entirely sure the filmneedsa remake, especially since the Canadian English language movieGrave Encountershas almost the same exact plot. But hey, there were plenty of people who felt that the Japanese horror movieRingudidn’t need a remake, yetThe Ringturned out to be fantastic. Maybe theGonjiamremake will stick the landing as well.
“We are thankful to our friends at Showbox for putting their faith in us to developGonjiamfor U.S. audiences. Korea has become a second home for us, and we are excited to help share the entertainment and culture that has captivated the world’s attention,” said Black Box partners Mike Dill and Lowell Shapiro.
Charles Pak, head of international development at BH Entertainment, added: “AsParasitehas proven, the appetite for Korean content has never been higher. The partnership will further the exchange and development of Korean and U.S. adaptations, remakes and originals for both Korean and U.S. markets.”
