Christian Horror Duo Behind 'Sinister,' 'Doctor Strange' Team Up to Remake 1955 Classic
The prominent horror filmmaking duo behind multiple Hollywood hits are teaming up again to bring back a 1955 classic.
The two filmmakers – both of them professing Christians – screenwriter C. Robert Cargill and director Scott Derrickson, previously worked on highly successful projects such as “Sinister,” “The Black Phone” and Disney-Marvel’s “Doctor Strange.”
According to Deadline, now, they’ll be adapting the 1953 book “The Night of the Hunter,” which was previously adapted into the classic 1955 film of the same name starring Robert Mitchum.
The 1955 film was added to the United States National Registry in 1992, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Renowned modern filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro and the Coen brothers have cited the film as an inspiration.
The story centers on a serial killer pretending to be a preacher who marries a widow in order to obtain her hidden fortune.
The killer targets her stepchildren as he searches for the money.
Cargill and Derrickson’s new take on the story won’t be coming out any time soon.
Before moving on to the project, the duo will first have to finish up the sequel to their 2021 film “The Black Phone.”
“The Black Phone 2” currently has a June 27, 2025 release date.
Both filmmakers have had no qualms about sharing their faith over the years.
In an interview with film and television magazine Starburst, Derrickson spoke about how his faith influences his artistry.
“I like the word Christian as a noun, but not really as an adjective. I am a Christian, but I don’t think of myself as a Christian filmmaker anymore than my wife considers herself a Christian nurse,” he said.
“I don’t try to balance or integrate my faith and my work, because they are naturally integrated – every director brings their view of the world into what they do.”
Derrickson then spoke specifically on why, as a Christian, he was attracted to the horror genre.
“For me, horror has always been appealing because it inherently deals with good and evil,” he said.
The filmmaker added: “And I love that you can explore religious ideas within it without the baggage that religion itself brings to those ideas.”
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