The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Director Raimi's horror banner scares up DVD deal By Thomas K. Arnold
Fri Apr 11, 7:16 AM ET

"Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi is extending his reach into the booming horror DVD genre.

Ghost House Pictures, a movie production company he co-founded, has joined forces with direct-to-video specialist Grindstone to form Ghost House Underground.

The venture will release 12-20 films a year, mostly through indie studio Lionsgate, which has established itself as a force in the horror field through its "Saw" franchise and "After Dark" DVD series.

The brand officially launches in October, with a focus on films by cutting-edge young talent. Among the initial slate of eight films will be "Dark Floors," from Finnish heavy metal band Lordi. Helmed by Pete Riski, the film -- about a father and daughter trapped inside a hospital and fighting evil forces from a dark world -- had its international premiere in February at the European Film Market in Berlin.

"We believe the next great horror film is going to come from fresh, bold voices working outside the system," said Rob Tapert, who runs Ghost House Pictures with Raimi and Nathan Kahane. "We aim to find these films and share them with genre fans everywhere."

Also in the pipeline for the fall are director Martin Barnewitz's "Room 205," director Ole Bornedal's "The Substitute," director Igor Shavlak's "Trackman," writer-director Gabriele Albanesi's "Last House in the Woods," and writer-directors Michael Roesch and Peter Scheerer's "Brotherhood of Blood."

Ghost House Pictures is behind the box office hit "The Grudge," which grossed more than $110 million in 2004, as well as the more-moderate theatrical successes "30 Days of Night," "The Grudge 2," "The Messengers" and "Boogeyman."

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