The Twilight Saga may have been a shamefully terrible chapter in teen-targeted cinema, but the series did act as a launch-pad for multiple actors and actresses, most notably Ashley Greene and Nikki Reed. Greene has demonstrated considerable acting talent in projects like CBGB and ABC’s short-lived Pan Am, while Reed was one of the best parts of recent action fare like Catch .44 and Empire State. Greene already made her bid to become a Hollywood scream queen with 2012 flop The Apparition, and now, it’s Reed’s chance. The actress has just signed on to topline a Singapore-set horror film called Email, which will start shooting on location in Singapore this May.
Singaporean director Kelvin Tong will helm the flick for SPJ Enterprises, a production company also based out of Singapore. Tong previously directed The Maid, which was widely considered to be one of the country’s first horror films upon its release in 2005.
Reed will play a young journalist in the film who travels to Singapore after learning of her sister’s suspicious death. Snooping around in hopes of finding out what happened, she uncovers a series of killings related to a supposedly cursed email. A technology reporter named Ted (still uncast) joins her as she encounters a conspiracy far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
The film’s influences seem pretty clear, as The Ring and The Grudge similarly dealt with beautiful women coming up against cursed objects. I’m not holding my breath for Email, particularly because of how silly its central concept sounds, but there’s always a chance, however slim, that Tong will be able to craft something spooky and original out of that generic premise.
The Messengers producer Jason Shuman and Lauren Selig will executive-produce the film and SPJ Enterprises’ Peter Poon, Zachary Green, Leon Tong and Kat Goh will all produce.
With its likely small budget and straightforward plot, Email should come together pretty quickly, and with Reed involved, there’s a considerable chance that American audiences will be able to check the film out on VOD before 2014 is out. The question is, will they?
Does Email sound interesting enough for you to give it a chance? Or is Reed’s presence not enough to redeem this horror flick’s inauspicious story? Let us know in the comments.
