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WIRE Buzz: Osbournes getting paranormal convincing; Sam Raimi going back to horror; more
At this point, hasn’t Ozzy pretty much seen it all? When your parents are Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, convincing the ‘rents that the paranormal might seem like an easier task than barking at the moon. But thanks to a new series coming to the Travel Channel, we’ll soon get to eavesdrop firsthand on son Jack’s best efforts to put that theory to the test, as he tries to convert his famous family into rockin’ supernatural believers.
That’s the setup for The Osbournes Want To Believe, a new reality series that puts Jack in the enviable position of hanging out with his parents as they check out creepy scenes where optimal opportunity abounds to catch the Other Side in the act. Dead set on turning Ozzy and Sharon into “full-fledged paranormal believers,” the series will “share the craziest, most jaw-dropping videos of supernatural activity ever caught on camera” as Jack makes his case for the defense that, yes, these things are real.
That means loads of videos of everything from UFOs to poltergeists to possessed talking dolls, with the Osbournes getting into good natured squabbles about the authenticity of it all. Each hour-long episode will feature Ozzy and Sharon patiently wading through Jack’s curated stack of creepy clips, whether it’s legendary species like Bigfoot or ghostly unexplained encounters.
Jack’s paranormal judgment is as much on trial as the mysterious phenomena are: Mom and Dad "will review — and critique — each caught-on-camera moment, a compilation of Jack’s favorite pieces of evidence," the network teases. "But the question still remains if the Prince and Princess of Darkness will see the light when it comes to the paranormal, or if they think it’s just another ride on the crazy train."
Mark your calendars and get ready to crank the creep factor to 11: The Osbournes Want To Believe hits the Travel Channel starting Aug. 2 at 10 p.m. ET.
Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) is reportedly getting set to get gory again, this time with a new supernatural horror movie that he’ll produce.
Deadline reports that Raimi has boarded the unnamed project, which will be directed by Rob Savage — the one-man mastermind behind critically-loved 2012 indie hit Strings, and director of the 2016 zombie horror short film Dawn of the Deaf. Savage, a longtime Raimi fan (as the tweet below indicates), confirmed the partnership on social media, adding that he’ll be making the movie with Dawn of the Deaf writer Jed Shepherd.
Shepherd offered even more details, tweeting that the film will be written by Micah Ranum (The Silencing) from a story created by himself and Savage, with Raimi Productions' Zainab Azizi co-producing the project. Savage and Shepherd will also serve as executive producers. There’s no early info about story, characters, or a release date, so stay tuned — and maybe keep a close eye on Savage’s Twitter feed.
Savage and Shepherd are also set to unleash new horror movie Host, which lands at Shudder on July 30. Created from start to finish during the coronavirus pandemic and inspired by Zoom-style videoconference calls, Host will follow an online seance among a group of friends who watch each other tackle terror through their computer screens.
Finally, who’s up for some silly scares on the small screen? Deadline also is reporting that Sony Pictures Television has picked up the TV rights for Ravenswood Manor, “a camp-horror soap opera” set in the New England hamlet of Ravenswood on the eve of the United States’ 1976 Bicentennial celebration.
Just as the national party’s about to get started, movie star and home-grown hero Bettina Doors returns to Ravenswood Manor after mysteriously departing Hollywood “under cover of night and a veil,” according to the report. She’s a descendant of “the famous Ravenswood sisters, the last women in America to be charged with the crime of witchcraft,” setting the scene for an episodic series that promises to bring to light deep-hidden family secrets amid a new string of “ridiculous murders” that throw the town into chaos.
Ravenswood Manor started life as a live weekly theater production from writer/comedian Justin Sayre, who pledged to bring the same “camp” spirit of the stage show along for the TV version. “It was like living a dream directed by John Waters,” said Sayre of the original, via the report. There’s no word on where the series might land, nor on a premiere date, but we’re definitely down for any zany witchcraft that comes with a Waters-style twist.