Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures has signed a seven-figure deal with 30-year-old Uruguayan director Fede Alverez to helm a giant robot invasion film based on his short Ataque de Panico (Panic Attack). The short, which had been circulating online, quickly drew the interest of Hollywood studios looking to produce the next low-budget blockbuster (think Paranormal Activity or District 9).

Alverez, a commercials director in his homeland, filmed the four minute 48 second short for a reported $300-to-$500. Raimi will mentor Alverez during the production much like Peter Jackson did with Neill Blomkamp on District 9. Ghost House is now looking for a writer to pen the script.

(UPDATE: Alverez will direct The Evil Dead remake for Ghost House)

Peep it:

The Evil Dead Rise Again!

I was 12-years-old when I first saw Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead on video. It had everything a boy could want: graphic over-the-top gore, scary demons, and a cocksure hero in Ash Williams, played by the very groovy Bruce Campbell. But, what made The Evil Dead the greatest movie ever made in my young, impressionable eyes was what happens to Ash’s sister Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) when she’s lured into the woods by evil forces. In what is known as the “tree rape” scene, Cheryl is stripped, spread, and raped by long and thick tree roots. The sequence is so outrageous and disturbingly erotic (anyone?) that it immediately warped my mind and planted the seed that would lead to my shameful obsession with Japanese tentacle porn.

Now, many years later, it looks like I will finally get a chance to see Ash, Cheryl, and the trees on the big screen. The Evil Dead will soon be playing midnight showings in theaters across the nation. Clatto Verata friend and Grindhouse Releasing’s head of theatrical distribution David Szulkin sends us the following press release:

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Grindhouse Releasing is bringing Sam Raimi’s original horror classic THE EVIL DEAD back to the big screen as a midnight movie.

Raimi and producers Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell gave the go-ahead for a series of EVIL DEAD revival screenings to Grindhouse Releasing partner Bob Murawski, the film editor of Raimi’s SPIDER MAN 1, 2 & 3, DRAG ME TO HELL and the EVIL DEAD sequel ARMY OF DARKNESS.

Stephen King hailed THE EVIL DEAD as “the most ferociously original film of the year” when the movie premiered in 1981.

Shot in Michigan and Tennessee, Raimi’s low-budget directorial debut was released independently with a self-imposed ‘No One Under 17′ rating for its graphic violence and gore.

THE EVIL DEAD launched Raimi and Tapert’s careers and made star Bruce Campbell a cult icon, spawning two hit sequels: EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN and ARMY OF DARKNESS.

The EVIL DEAD trilogy has become a fan phenomenon, ranked among the most popular and acclaimed horror movies of all time.

With a remake reportedly in the works, this theatrical release gives fans a chance to experience the original as it was intended to be seen. A special screening of the EVIL DEAD trilogy sold out L.A.’s New Beverly Cinema this summer.

“Nothing can prepare an audience for what they are about to see, because nothing punishes an audience like EVIL DEAD – especially on the big screen,” says Bruce Campbell. “I’m really glad it’s back. People are gonna be hurt.”

Formed by actor/director Sage Stallone and Murawski, Grindhouse Releasing restores and distributes classic horror and exploitation films. The company teamed with Quentin Tarantino in the ’90s to revive Lucio Fulci’s Italian horror classic THE BEYOND.

A similar theatrical break is planned for THE EVIL DEAD, with midnight screenings in select theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Dates and venues will be announced at GrindhouseReleasing.com.

For bookings, contact David Szulkin at info@grindhousereleasing.com.