Next 'Friday The 13th' Might Go Found-Footage Route

Ugh.

Prepare the Dramamine, and expect to wonder whether New Line Cinema hired a cameraman with Parkinson's Disease. If it ever happens, the next "Friday the 13th" might become a "found-footage" flick.

That the 2009 "Friday The 13th" reboot underperformed at the box office (even for a "Friday The 13th" movie, $91 million isn't much, even on a $19-million budget), received an even worse critical drubbing than many franchise entries have previously and was panned by fans, something apparently left doubt in New Line Cinema executives' minds about whether or not that movie in fact sucked.

The studio first announced that it wouldn't produce a sequel, then waffled several times over the next two years between making one and finally just mercy-killing the franchise.

The latest verdict? Shock 'Till You Drop reports that it could go forward made by Platinum Dunes, and be done in the style of "Apollo 18," "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity" and be presented as some authentic, victim-shot footage of the big Sloth-y goalie's killing spree.

Of course, take note of something: people either absolutely love or absolutely hate "Paranormal Activity"; as one of the original found-footage horror flicks, "The Blair Witch Project" hasn't exactly aged well; and so far, positive reviews of "Apollo 18" have been virtually non-existent. Does that scream "questionable precedent" to anybody else?

The studio hasn't yet green-lit the script that writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift submitted, which is rumored to shift the setting to a snowier climate. It's worth noting that the upcoming (and awful-looking) "Hellraiser: Revelations" is incorporating a similar found-footage element.

I'm holding out hope here. For this to go forward, it apparently has to be agreed to by Paramount Pictures, New Line Cinema and most importantly, series originator Sean Cunningham.

Don't put much faith in the Cunningham factor, folks. The horror genre doesn't treat franchise originators kindly when it comes to remakes. Don't forget, Wes Craven was ultimately opposed to remaking "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and wasn't really wild about the "Last House On The Left" remake either. This latest "Hellraiser" was originally supposed to be a remake with using a treatment handed in by none other than creator of the original Clive Barker, who was enthusiastic about helping to write the script.

Dimension ultimately rejected his treatment, cast him aside and went ahead with what's essentially just another sequel/reboot that Barker opposes completely.

With a third "Paranormal Activity" on the way this October, I'll be interested to see if that lives up to the previous two and signals that this found-footage sub-genre might have legs, or if it tanks and proves that audiences are really getting sick of the gimmick.