Unbeknownst to most people in the US, the Philippines have a thriving horror movie industry. Although the genre has existed in the country for decades, in the past few years, the Philippines have joined the overall wave of 21st century Asian horror -- typically ghost and "curse" movies -- contributing well-regarded films like Sukob, Feng Shui, Pa-Siyam, White Lady and Sigaw. The latter, also known as The Echo, is the first to be tapped for an American remake, with Vertigo Entertainment (the company that brought us remakes like The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye and Shutter) handling production.

Shooting has been completed on the film, which, unlike most American remakes, was helmed by the original director, Yam Laranas. Having seen the original, I can tell you that it's a solidly entertaining story that eschews shock value for old-fashioned haunted house scares. The remake, which has a promising early trailer featured on Twitch, stars Jesse Bradford (Swimfan, Bring It On, Flags of Our Fathers) as a man recently released from prison who moves into his deceased mother's apartment and finds otherworldly goings-on. The filmmakers are still trying to secure US distribution, so a release date is uncertain; it's possible we'll see it by the end of the year, but at the rate things move in Hollywood, it might not arrive until 2009. Until then, the next showing is at Fantasia Film Fest in July.