A New Fantasy Island Trailer Uncovers More Terror

Fans who watched the original Fantasy Island series may have wondered what would happen if a [...]

Fans who watched the original Fantasy Island series may have wondered what would happen if a guest's fantasy was macabre in nature, even if they knew the series wouldn't explore such premises, though the upcoming horror adaptation of the concept is fully embracing the more sadistic nature of potential guests, which you can get a taste of in the new trailer below. This is far from the first attempt by a studio to breathe life into a familiar property, but rarely do we see a relatively wholesome concept given such a sadistic spin for a new generation. Fantasy Island lands in theaters on February 14th.

In the film, the enigmatic Mr. Roarke (played by Michael Peña) makes the secret dreams of his lucky guests come true at a luxurious but remote tropical resort. But when the fantasies turn into nightmares, the guests have to solve the island's mystery in order to escape with their lives.

The original series ran for seven seasons, debuting with two made-for-TV films, depicting an island which guests could only visit for $50,000, though they were all promised that their wildest fantasies would be fulfilled. With each episode, Mr. Roarke would find a way to offer the guest a moral lesson. In 1998, a revival of the series was attempted, but it only lasted a single season.

Despite audiences not immediately realizing the horror potential of the series, Blumhouse Productions has regularly proven themselves as a source for unconventional horrors.

The studio got its start with straightforward horror affairs, thanks to films like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister. In 2014, the studio began to expand their horizons with the tension-filled Whiplash, which went on to become a major force at various awards events. The following year, the studio delivered another unexpected film with Jem, an adaptation of an animated series from the '80s. Unfortunately, this film wasn't as much of a success, though the studio continues to take risks with its stories.

As their offerings continue to expand, founder Jason Blum has even considered potentially uniting some of their films into one shared cinematic universe.

"I did. We would like to do that, we're thinking about it," Blum revealed at CinePOP last year when asked about franchising. "I probably should have — it would have been easier to do what I thought of it earlier, but we're thinking about doing it, with some of them, anyway. And it's something that I'd really like to do."

Fantasy Island lands in theaters on February 14th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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