UK remake of cult classic 'Driller Killer'

The 1979 cult classic is now set for a radical new direction with an impending remake now in the works in the UK, like it or lump it.

I’ll admit it. I’ve never seen “Driller Killer.”

Conflicting reports have informed me that “Driller Killer” is a cult classic, but is also very bad, pretty overrated, and possibly one of the better exploitation films ever made. Confusing, I know. But it kept me from purchasing the DVD.

But what with the brash remakes at our feet, and 2006 being one of the worst years for remakes with ‘The Omen,’ ‘The Wicker Man,’ and ‘Black Christmas,’ to name a few, word has it that ‘Driller Killer’ is in store for a remake.

But the twist is now the Abel Ferrara classic is being remade into a psychological thriller, set to hit UK cinemas next year. UK based production company Masterplan Films Ltd. will join Urban Way Productions to produce a GB 2.5 Million remake of the 1979 film, with a radical departure from the original exploitation frame that spawned the cult praise.

The ‘Driller Killer’ remake will be written and directed by British filmmaker Andrew Jones, whose film “The Feral Generation” hits the cinemas this year in the UK.

Word has it that the story will be re-located to London, and will be very different from the original. Rumors have it that the exploitation will be ignored in favor of a psychological study of the title character as he descends into madness. Casting will begin in February and shooting will commence in April.

More information will come, when available.