Geez! There goes the neighborhood.
Thom Eberhardt’s 1984 doomsday cult movie told the story of two sisters, played by Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart, who battled cannibal zombies after an exctinction event. “A huge comet passes near the earth, vaporising nearly the whole planet,” reads the official 1984 Night of the Comet synopsis. “Only a few teenagers, who were inside a steel movie projection booth, survive – all those outside were turned to dust. But a few partially exposed people are now hideous, blood-thirsty zombies – and they begin a deadly hunt for the last remaining humans.”
Now the cult classic is heading for a remake, with Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound) writing a screenplay for Orion Pictures, according to Deadline.
The film, which was originally called Teenage Comet Zombies, inspired a slew of horror movies with strong female protagonists, with Joss Whedon citing it as a big influence on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The film was made for about $700,000 and earned $14 million at the box office.
Benjamin is best known for the V/H/S franchise and the horror movies The Devil’s Candy, Southbound, and a segment in the horror anthology XX. She is currently in postproduction on the upcoming thriller Body At Brighton Rock. Orion will also remake Child’s Play, as well as the upcoming The Prodigy, Gretel and Hansel, and the Bill And Ted reboot, so the pedigree seems fairly good.
There’s no word yet on when the Night Of The Comet remake will begin production, and no release date has been set. Watch the skies.