Last we heard of "Twisted Twins" Jen and Sylvia Soska, they were detouring away from horror for the action project Painkiller Jane. With Jane apparently back-burnered for the time being, however, horror remains on the cards for them. They've now signed up to direct the remake of David Cronenberg's Rabid.
The project comes from Somerville House Releasing, who are also scheming a tie-in Rabid TV series. The source is Cronenberg's second major feature, made in 1977. It starred porn actress Marilyn Chambers, who gets plastic surgery after a road accident and develops a phallic thing under her armpit that turns people into zombies if she stings them with it. It's kind of a continuation of the viral obession of Shivers, taking the outbreak from a contained tower block out onto the streets.
"The work of David Cronenberg is legendary, and Rabid is much more than just a horror movie,” the Soskas said. "The real message of his film is powerful, and even more pivotal as we look at the world around us today. It’s an honour to be involved in this love letter to his original, which we handle with the same respect as Paul Schrader’s Cat People, Alexandre Aja’s The Hills Have Eyes and John Carpenter’s The Thing."
The identical twins from British Columbia made their initial mark in 2009 with the lo-fi Dead Hooker In A Trunk, and went on to American Mary, See No Evil 2 and Vendetta, the latter two both for WWE Studios.
"The addition of Jen and Sylvia Soska to the team is a real coup," says producer Paul Lalonde. "When you’re remaking a classic horror film like Rabid you have to make sure you don’t compromise when it comes to the director. The Soskas are among the hottest young directors in the horror genre and I couldn’t be happier with our choice."
Shooting starts in Canada in the summer.