Robert Wise’s 1977 thriller AUDREY ROSE, in retrospect, looks less like a horror film and more like a serious meditation on the possibility of reincarnation. Wise was no stranger to the supernatural, as his CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE and THE HAUNTING can attest. Like THE HAUNTING, AUDREY ROSE was based upon an already-published novel, which was supposedly based upon a true story, and it concerns a man (Anthony Hopkins in his pre-MAGIC and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS days) who contacts a wealthy couple (John Beck and Marsha Mason) living in New York City and claims that their daughter (Susan Swift) is actually the reincarnation of his daughter, Audrey Rose, who died in a fire. Brooke Shields originally tried out for the role following her turn as Karen Spages in Alfred Sole’s ALICE, SWEET ALICE, and if you look carefully at the AUDREY ROSE movie poster you’ll see that Brooke Shields’ likeness appears on the poster.
And now MGM Home Entertainment, which released the DVD of AUDREY ROSE, is planning a direct-to-DVD remake of the film. No cast has been announced as of yet, but this year is the film’s 30th anniversary, so it will more than likely be out for Halloween. But, don’t quote me on it!
