David F. Sandberg Says His AMITYVILLE Movie Will Focus More on Suspense Than Gore
Director David F. Sandberg is ready to return to his supernatural roots. While speaking at Midnight Fest in Boston over the weekend, the Shazam! and Until Dawn filmmaker teased some fresh details about his upcoming Amityville Horror movie, and it sounds like fans can expect a slower, more tension-driven approach to terror this time around.
Sandberg told the audience:
“I’m looking forward to doing a supernatural, classic horror again. Until Dawn was quite different and was more gore and craziness. Really looking forward to doing more of that suspenseful, supernatural horror.”
Sandberg’s Amityville project is being developed at Amazon MGM Studios, with a script from Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing, the duo behind The Conjuring: Last Rites and The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
While details about the plot remain under wraps, Sandberg’s comments suggest the movie will lean into atmosphere and dread rather than blood and shock.
But that’s not all Sandberg had to say. The director also offered an update on Lights Out 2, a sequel fans have been wondering about since his breakout debut back in 2016.
“There’s a chance there could be a sequel. We’ll see. We did have a version of a sequel which it wouldn’t be if we do it now. Well, some of it might be. But that one took place shortly after [the original], but now Martin’s not a kid anymore, so it would have to take place, like, 10 years later.”
He added, “I don’t know how much I should say, ’cause it could still happen!”
Lights Out was based on Sandberg’s viral short film of the same name, with a screenplay by Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Bird Box). The movie followed a young woman who confronts a terrifying entity tied to her family’s dark past, setting the stage for Sandberg’s reputation as a modern horror craftsman.
Beyond his supernatural endeavors, Sandberg also expressed interest in branching into science fiction.
“I would like to do sci-fi, especially more grounded sci-fi, not necessarily space battles and things like that. That’s still a goal. I would love to do something like Event Horizon, where it’s like space horror.”
He even threw in a fun idea for good measure: “Not specific IPs. RoboCop would be cool.”
From haunted houses to space horror, Sandberg’s creative energy doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Stay tuned for more updates on his Amityville project and whatever other nightmares he dreams up next.