It’s been a while since I’ve seen the classic 1990 psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder, partially because I’m not a huge fan of Tim Robbins’ acting. Also, there’s a lotta movies out there, ya know? But hey, I respect it as a greatly made film, a comment on the toll the Vietnam War took on its participants, and the fragility of the human condition. So, it was inevitable that it would be remade by the hungry producers of today’s cynical media landscape and now, we have the first trailer for it.
The plot, this time around, has Jacob Singer (Michael Ealy), now an Afghanistan veteran, experiencing hallucinations. He’s not alone though, as his brother Issac (Jesse Williams), who appeared to die on the operating table in the Middle East, turns back up on the family’s doorstep, unharmed but unhinged. But is this really Jacob’s brother? And how many jump scares will there be? The possibilities are endless!
The new writers, Jeff Buhler and Sarah Thorpe, have said to expect a fresh twist on the original’s story, while the director, David M. Rosenthal, has made a series of low-budget, mostly direct-to-video/streaming indie thrillers. The trailer itself, seen above, is, uh, something, I guess. Sure looks like a movie, with actors reading their lines and such.
With such heavy alterations to the source material, though, why bother calling this Jacob’s Ladder? Why not Steve’s Mountain or Daniel’s Staircase, or some other guy’s name with something to climb.
Since this is getting shat out at the tail end of August by some no-name distributors, it doesn’t seem like any of them have any faith in this turd, either. Just see for yourself over on YouTube, where the dislikes are racking up as we speak.
If one thing’s for certain, it’s that this remake of Jacob’s Ladder is going to most certainly stay on the bottom rung of the box office. That’s a ladder joke! I did it.
