Pulse is getting a second Hollywood remake, this time from Smile's producer and an SXSW winner

Time for another trip into the J-horror vault: Pulse is getting yet another English-language incarnation, only this time, there might actually be a reason to pay attention. Dave Boyle is set to direct—a name you might only half-recognise unless you’re deep into indie thrillers with a Japanese flavour. Still, compared to some of the yanks let loose on this genre in the past, he’s an intriguing pick. Here’s why this particular reboot could be a cut above the last American attempt (yes, we’ll get to that).

Parker Finn, best known for the Smile films, is producing alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, the company now making a habit of snapping up classic horror properties for a new spin.

Who’s Behind the Curtain?

The people pulling the strings matter here. The studios involved are Screen Gems and Spyglass, so we’re not talking straight-to-DVD territory. Boyle’s been handed a script currently by Luke Piotrowski (wrote The Night House, Hellraiser—the recent one), but Boyle will also put his own spin on the screenplay. Expect at least a nod to the original’s existential dread, hopefully with less “ghosts are coming through your router” naffness. Adding to the credibility, producer Parker Finn—whose surprisingly effective Smile films did very well with horror fans—has his fingerprints on this through his Bad Feeling banner.

Why Dave Boyle?

Boyle isn’t the typical jump-scare-and-run sort. His previous films—Big Dreams Little Tokyo, Tokyo Cowboy, Netflix’s House of Ninjas—are all threaded with Japanese settings or characters. His upcoming feature, Never After Dark, is straight-up supernatural horror with a Japanese cast and just won the Midnighter Audience Award at this year’s SXSW. The premise there: a psychic medium investigates an evil entity in an abandoned house. Not exactly genre-shattering, but he apparently does it well enough for festival crowds and, presumably, execs on the hunt for the next big horror name. If you want to do your homework, that film’s out in the US with Magnolia Pictures on 25 September.

Never After Dark picked up the audience award in the Midnighter section at SXSW 2026.

So, What’s the Story This Time?

Here’s where it gets murky: nobody’s coughing up details so far. The new Pulse is officially being labelled a ‘reimagining’—so, not a scene-for-scene remake, but not a total departure either. All we know is we’re in the present, not 2001 dial-up land, and there'll be a new set of characters fumbling in the digital dark. Everything else is firmly under wraps for now.

A Very Brief History of Pulse (and Those Remakes…)

The OG Pulse (original title Kairo) came out in 2001, written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It led the charge on technology-gone-wrong horror—disappearing friends, crumbling tech, haunted websites. That film debuted at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section and quickly piled up critical praise as the J-horror era was having its moment.

You might remember that Hollywood’s already had a go at Pulse. The 2006 remake (I refuse to call it a classic) starred Kristen Bell, Ian Somerhalder, and Christina Milian, directed by Jim Sonzero. That one folded in all the buzzy Y2K paranoia and promptly landed in the bargain DVD bin, but not before spawning two equally forgettable sequels in 2008.

• Pulse (USA, 2006) – The first attempt. Jim Sonzero in the director’s chair, co-written with genre heavyweight Wes Craven. Had a cast with actual CVs but still came and went.
• Pulse 2: Afterlife (2008) – Direct-to-video, did not revive interest.
• Pulse 3 (2008) – Even fewer people remember this one.

When Is It Out?

Absolutely no word yet on a release date or who’ll be starring. At this rate, your guess is as good as mine. Boyle has his festival-favourite horror film debuting soon, which makes this project a neat follow-up if he’s looking to ride some momentum into the big leagues.