Toronto: Danish Filmmaker Rie Rasmussen Remaking David Cronenberg’s ‘Shivers’

TORONTO — Danish filmmaker Rie Rasmussen is remaking David Cronenberg‘s first feature film Shivers for producers Jeff Sackman and Michael Baker.

Shivers, made nearly 40 years ago and known in some countries as They Came From Within, tells the story of a genetically engineered strain of parasites that turns people into violent, sex addicts. When the parasites are released into a luxury apartment complex, the resident doctor tries to find a cure before the nymphomaniac inhabitants spread the virus.

The new Shivers — set to start shooting in February — will be updated to mirror today’s realities and is set in a post-HIV world, where people interact through screens rather than skin. Quentin Tarantino, Rasmussen’s mentor, says the director is the “perfect choice” to direct the remake.

PHOTOS: Toronto 2013 Films

Sackman and Baker will produce through their respective companies, TAJJ Media and Bunk 11 Pictures. André Link will executive produce. Casting is underway.

“I’m Scandinavian and am very comfortable with sexual expression as a part of a healthy, modern-day reality, and I’ve always loved the underlying social messages in a well-made horror film,” said Rasmussen. “The opportunity to reinterpret this film from today’s point of view, adding my own female intuition and life experience, was a temptation I couldn’t resist.”

Added Sackman: “This is an opportunity to bring Shivers to audiences in our current era and reminds me of cutting-edge films I’ve had the opportunity to work on previously, including American Psycho and Buffalo 66. We are also in a time of moviegoing that thrives on edgy horror films, and we plan on pushing the boundaries with Shivers.”