Some of the biggest and most recognizable films in the horror genre have gotten the remake treatment, with studios now having to seek lesser-known titles to breathe new life into. One film that has been talked about for a new iteration is Castle Freak, the 1995 film from director Stuart Gordon that was loosely inspired by H.P. Lovecraft‘s “The Outsider.” The film starred Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton, with Crampton being one of the driving forces behind delivering audiences a new version of the film.
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“Castle Freak was one of those movies that came out, and people really liked it,” Crampton recalled to ComicBook.com. “We got pretty good reviews for it, but it was kind of an under-seen movie. So, [producer Dallas Sonnier]’s planning on re-launching some of those films. He asked me to be a part of that.”
The film focuses on a family who inherits a castle after the death of a relative, resulting in the family moving into their acquired property until they can sell it. Unbeknownst to them, a former owner kept a disfigured descendent in the castle’s catacombs, who escapes and seeks blood, with the family’s patriarch ultimately becoming accused of the freak’s crimes.
As the title implies, finding a castle is an important part of developing the film, with Crampton also noting some of the changes this new incarnation will explore.
“I’ve been helping in some of the initial development and the script phase. I’ve been looking at castles, in my travels I’ve looked at some castles. In Vermont of all places, I was in Vermont recently. And, I was looking at some castles [in Europe], a number of days ago,” the actress noted. “We don’t know where we’re going to shoot it yet. But, Castle Freak will have a very different feel to it. A very different flavor than the original, it’s going to favor the freak. And we’ll be able to feel some real sorrow and sympathy for the freak’s plight.”
Despite being “based” on the Lovecraft story, the previous film has very little in common with the source material, something Crampton claims the reboot will address.
The actress admitted, “Our hope and aim is to introduce a lot more Lovecraft-ian elements to our re-launch of that film, and give some of the hardcore Lovecraft fans a little more feeling and texture from that world.”
Castle Freak isn’t the only film from Crampton’s past that could reemerge, with the actress noting that director Jim Wynorski reportedly trying to revive Chopping Mall.
“Jim Wynorski is always talking about … Well, not always, just recently. Talking about, perhaps, trying to get a Chopping Mall: The Series done, so there is that,” Crampton admitted.
Crampton recently starred in Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich after having a brief cameo in the original 1989 film.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.
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