‘Paranormal Activity’ Director Oren Peli To Direct Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Eliza Graves’
WhenOren Pelishot the firstParanormal Activityin his own house over the course of a week, he never could have imagined how it would totally and utterly change his life. The film came out and was a runaway hit, he immediately signed on toproduce a sequeland then directed his second movie calledArea 51. Now, beforeany word of that film is out, Peli has wisely locked down the follow up. He’s just signed to directEliza Graves, which is loosely based on the short storyThe System of Doctor Tarr and Professor FetherbyEdgar Allen Poe, about a medical student who visits a mental hospital totally unaware that it’s been overtaken by its inmates. Read more about the movie and the original Poe story after the break.
Varietyreports that the project, which will be produced by Sobini Films and Icon Prods from a screenplay byJoe Gangemi,had a few major names interested in it in the past, such as Jodie Foster as a director and stars Natalie Portman and Ian McKellan. There’s no word of who Peli has in mind but just the fact that names like those were interested at one point, certainly hints at the quality of the screenplay.
The original story by Poe, published in November 1845, remains influential and entertaining. Not only was it topical at the time, commenting on how mentally ill people were being treated, the inmates running the asylum story remains a popular one, used in films such asShutter Islandand even inBatman Begins. You can read the whole Poe story byclicking here.
The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Featherwas also the basis for a popular pop song by The Alan Parsons Project called(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether. We’ve embedded that right here.
Though Poe’s story and the song it inspired are both handled with humor, it’s pretty obvious – from the hiring of Peli – that the film will focus more on Poe’s macabre themes. What do you think about the prospect of the film and how it fits into the Poe oeuvre?
