2013

Unsettling Utopia: A Glimpse into “The Sacrament” “Live as one, die as one,” echoes through the seemingly tranquil community in The Sacrament, where horror unfolds with gut-wrenching inevitability. Directed by Ti West and released in 2013, this chilling film delves into the world of a cult-like commune, drawing viewers into its documentary-style narrative. When a…

A Whisper in the Thistle: Unveiling ‘Lord of Tears’ “Every nightmare has a beginning, but once you wake up, where does it go?” This haunting line from the 2013 Scottish horror movie ‘Lord of Tears’ invites viewers into a world where Celtic mythology meets psychological terror. Directed by Lawrie Brewster, the film spins a chilling…

“The Factory of Fear Awaits” In the shadowy corners of 2013 cinema, there emerged a unique, unsettling piece – Strange Factories. Directed by John Harrigan, this horror film unravels like a fever dream steeped in the tradition of avant-garde storytelling. Without divulging too much, the film follows a writer entangled in the disturbing secret of…

A Walk Through Desolation: “They say the soul can’t be scraped away… but what if they’re wrong?” In the murky realms of the horror genre, where terror and trepidation lie at the core of countless narratives, the 2013 feature “Scrape,” directed by Jason Slade, carves a niche of its own. A spoiler-free synopsis reveals a…

Welcome to the Final Bow: “Theatre of the Dead” “In this theatre, the applause lasts… forever.” Those ominous words set the stage for the 2013 horror flick “Theatre of the Dead,” directed by Patrick J. Gallagher. A seemingly innocuous venue repurposed for a blood-curdling scenario, Gallagher’s film blends the mundanity of a struggling acting troupe’s…

A Dance with Darkness: Unearthing “The Demon’s Rook” “Chaos is the same as it has always been,” declares a somber voice in “The Demon’s Rook,” hinting at the timeless terror that awaits. Delving into the arcane corners of horror, the 2013 film directed by James Sizemore (who also stars in the film) presents an ambitious…

Plunging into the Depths of Despair: “Septic Man” Unveiled “Do you know what fear smells like?” This jarring line encapsulates the grim atmosphere of “Septic Man,” a 2013 horror film directed by Jesse Thomas Cook, a venture into the grotesque and macabre. Starting as a gritty survival thriller, it hauls us down the drain into…

A Portal to Darkness: “Hellmouth” Unveiled As one character grimly states, “We’re all waiting to get sucked into the darkness eventually,” and so begins our descent into the eerie world of “Hellmouth.” Directed by John Geddes and released in 2013, “Hellmouth” tells the tale of a gravekeeper named Charlie Baker, tasked with an unnerving quest…

Devil in the Details: “Where the Devil Hides” Unveiled “The eyes are the window to the soul… and what I see in yours is very dark.” This chilling line from Christian E. Christiansen’s Where the Devil Hides (also known as The Devil’s Hand), released in 2013, encapsulates the film’s haunting endeavor to blend religious fanaticism…

Blood-drenched Bayou: Welcome to Hatchet III “In the swamp, no one can hear you scream… unless it’s too late.” This chilling line could serve as an unofficial tag for “Hatchet III,” a film that drenches its audience in the murky waters of horror. Released in 2013 and helmed by director BJ McDonnell, this installment promises…

An Elegantly Disturbing Waltz: “Stoker” Unraveled “Sometimes you need to do something bad to stop you from doing something worse.” This unsettling line from Park Chan-wook’s 2013 film “Stoker” acts as a sinister whisper, inviting viewers into a web of psychological horror that is as stylish as it is disturbing. A brief spoiler-free synopsis sets…

“Mother Nature is a serial killer.” – A Descent into World War Z’s Apocalyptic Vision As Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) navigates the chaos of a world besieged by a zombie pandemic in Marc Forster’s “World War Z” (2013), viewers are plunged into a relentless struggle for survival. Based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks,…

“Did you remember to lock your door?” – ‘You’re Next’ Unleashes Primal Fears In 2013, director Adam Wingard gave horror enthusiasts a harrowing trip to the countryside with his film “You’re Next.” It’s a story fit for a twisted game of Clue: An affluent family reunites at a secluded vacation home, only to be mercilessly…

A Descent into Blood-Soaked Madness “Evil Dead” – a title that conjures visions of relentless terror, a promise that director Fede Alvarez’s 2013 reimagining of Sam Raimi’s seminal horror classic not only meets but coats in layers of visceral dread. Gone are the campy undertones of the 1981 original; what emerges is a film steeped…

A Dance of the Living and Undead: “The Battery” In the realms of horror, Jeremy Gardner’s 2013 indie film “The Battery” offers a refreshing divergence from usual tropes, creating an intimate post-apocalyptic tale that redefines the undead narrative. Steering away from the big-budget horror flicks’ well-tread paths, this movie grapples with isolation, survival, and the…

An Affair to Dismember: “Sick Love” Unveiled “We were perfect for each other. Until we met.” This chilling line from Sick Love, a 2013 foray into the madness of love-turned-obsession, sets the tone for what is a grim dance through the corrupted ballroom of affection. Directed by the relatively obscure Gerald Johnson, Sick Love presents…

A Disquieting Descent: ‘Contracted’s’ Portrait of Bodily Horror “Don’t ignore the symptoms.” This terse piece of dialogue from Contracted, a film suffused with a clammy sense of dread, captures the essence of this 2013 horror flick directed by Eric England. As its harrowing tale unfolds, we witness a young woman’s body betray her in the…

“And Then… The Resurrection”: An Ambitious Dive into Cinematic Ridiculousness When “Birdemic 2: The Resurrection” flapped into the horror scene in 2013, few could anticipate the sheer audacity of director James Nguyen’s vision. In a world saturated by high-budget horror flicks, this crowdfunded sequel to the cult classic “Birdemic: Shock and Terror” should be commended…

“Solving the mystery requires understanding of the nature of the unsolvable.” – A Dive into the Mind-Bending ‘John Dies at the End’ In the peculiar world of horror cinema, ‘John Dies at the End’ stands out as an anomaly. A 2013 film directed by Don Coscarelli, famed for the ‘Phantasm’ series, this film is an…

The Ghosts of Truth and Memory: A Look into “My Amityville Horror” In the uncanny realm of haunted house stories, few have permeated the fabric of American horror as deeply as the Amityville saga. “My Amityville Horror,” a 2013 documentary directed by Eric Walter, drags the infamous tale back into the limelight by weaving a…

Death by Alphabet: An Anthology of Terror “The ABCs of Death” lures its audience with a simple yet morbid premise: 26 letters, 26 directors, and 26 ways to face your darkest fears. This ambitious 2013 horror anthology, orchestrated by producers Ant Timpson and Tim League, compiles 26 short films, each helmed by different directors from…

An Ominous Whisper from the Shadows: “Animosity” Uncovered “Beware the dwelling that knows your name…” A line from 2013’s “Animosity” that echoes long after the credits roll, encapsulating the eerie essence of this largely overlooked horror film. Directed by Brendan Steere, this narrative weaves a tale of sacrifice, secrets, and the supernatural. At its core,…

The Voyage into Fear Awaits “Sometimes, the journey can be more terrifying than the destination.” The chilling resonance of this sentiment echoes throughout the claustrophobic confines of [REC] 4: Apocalipsis. Directed by Jaume Balagueró and released in 2013, this Spanish horror film aims to conclude the nightmarish saga that began in an unassuming Barcelona building.…

The Blade Whirls Again in “Machete Kills” “Machete don’t text,” growls the titular hero of Machete Kills, Robert Rodriguez’s sequel to his grindhouse homage, Machete. Released in 2013, Rodriguez serves up another helping of his over-the-top action extravaganza where horror elements are blended with a flair for the absurd. In this wild ride, Machete (Danny…

“Fight or Die: The Grim Dance of ‘Raze'” Imagine being forced into a fight for your very survival, not for glory, not for honor, but for the amusement of others. This is the chilling core of “Raze,” a 2013 horror-thriller directed by Josh C. Waller that pits women against one another in a brutal underground…

“Kill is kiss”: The Infectious Dread of “Pontypool Changes” In the claustrophobic small-town setting of “Pontypool Changes,” director Bruce McDonald crafts a chilling narrative that claws at the mind more than the flesh. Released in 2013, this film takes the zombie genre and morphs it into something unrecognizably terrifying. The plot centers around Grant Mazzy,…

Whispers in the Dark: An Intro to “The Following” (2013) “Every sin is the result of collaboration.” With these chilling words, The Following promptly sets a tone of collaborative dread, paving the way for psychological twists and visceral turns. Released in 2013 and directed by the maestro of the macabre, David Fincher, The Following leads…

An Arachnophobic’s Nightmare: Megaspider Emerges “Sometimes, it’s what you can’t see that scares you the most. But sometimes… it’s exactly what you see.” – a line from ‘Megaspider’ that encapsulates the film’s ability to blend the seen with the unseen to craft its terror. Released in 2013, directed by Mike Mendez, ‘Megaspider,’ also known as…

The World Ends Not with a Bang, but a Whisper Imagine the silence not as a peaceful retreat, but as an omen for mankind’s final days. “Los Últimos Días” (The Last Days), directed by the Spanish duo David and Àlex Pastor and released in 2013, plunges audiences into a quiet apocalypse where agoraphobia becomes humanity’s…

A Grimy Reckoning in Tight Spaces: “Stalled” Unleashes Confined Chaos “They say when you die, you crap yourself…” This offbeat opening to Stalled perfectly encapsulates the film’s blend of horror and cringe humor. Released in 2013 under the direction of Christian James, this British horror-comedy traps viewers within the most unlikely of apocalyptic battlegrounds—a bathroom…

A Cry in the Darkness: “Devil May Call” “I’m at the end of my rope, and you’re the only one who can help me.” This desperate plea sets the stage for Devil May Call, directed by Jason Cuadrado and released in 2013. In this thriller, we follow crisis hotline counselor Sam (played by Corri English),…

Blood-Soaked Romance: “Kiss of the Damned” Unveiled In the sultry shadowed world of “Kiss of the Damned,” where the line between predator and prey blurs, we hear the haunting whisper, “Love is to die for.” Director Xan Cassavetes, embarking on a venture through the 2013 horror sphere, presents a film that harks back to the…

A Symphony of Horror Dressed in Silk “Before we begin, you must all be warned: nothing here is vegetarian.” These chilling words set the stage for a television series that serves up horror with impeccable taste and artistic flair. Hannibal, developed by Bryan Fuller and ripping onto screens in 2013, plunges audiences into the deeply…

Whispers from the Water: “The Bay” Imagine a day that starts with vibrant festival celebrations and ends in a blood-curdling nightmare. This is the unsettling reality of “The Bay,” a 2013 found-footage horror film directed by Barry Levinson. Released into the quieter waters of the horror genre, the film offers a chilling blend of environmental…

A Tapestry of Terror: The Profane Exhibit In the shadows lies a film that whispers the unspeakable, a curated collection of depravity titled The Profane Exhibit (2013). Directed by a smorgasbord of international auteurs, this anthology horrifies and mystifies in equal measure. At its dark heart, The Profane Exhibit is a compendium of short films,…

A Journey Through Madness: ‘Dark Feed’ Lingers in the Psyche “Sometimes the walls can talk, and sometimes, they scream.” ‘Dark Feed,’ directed by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen and released in 2013, pulls the audience into a derelict psychiatric hospital where a film crew experiences terrors beyond the script that they’re shooting. What begins as a…

Whispers of Innocence Turned Sinister In the unsettling corridors of horror cinema, “Come Out and Play” lurks with a deceptive guise of serenity, waiting to unfurl its eerie tale. Directed by Makinov, a director shrouded in his own mystery, the 2013 film intends to subvert the idyllic with the horrific. Adapted from Juan José Plan’s…

Unveiling Demonic Aftermath: “The Last Exorcism Part II” Released in 2013 and directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly, “The Last Exorcism Part II” picks up where its predecessor left off, thrusting us back into the harrowing journey of Nell Sweetzer. Surviving the horrors of the first film, Nell, played by Ashley Bell, attempts to rebuild her life…

A Haunting Citadel of Fear “Our fears have become our worlds.” A line from Citadel, the haunting 2013 horror movie directed by Ciaran Foy, encapsulates the nightmarish landscape the protagonist navigates. At its heart, Citadel is a psychological horror-thriller that challenges both the protagonist and the audience to confront the primal fear of the unknown…

Channeling Witches and Wickedness: An Introduction to “The Lords of Salem” “God doesn’t spare angels when they sin. Welcome to Salem.” With this chilling line, Rob Zombie thrusts viewers into the eerily stylized world of The Lords of Salem (2013), a horror film that marries the historical with the supernatural. Zombie, known for his gritty,…

Unsettling Check-In: An Introduction to Bates Motel Imagine finding solace in the most unexpected place—only to realize the refuge is more haunted than the past you’re fleeing from. This is the groundwork upon which the 2013 series “Bates Motel” builds its tempestuous narrative. A prelude to Alfred Hitchcock’s monumental classic “Psycho,” this reimagined origin story…

Whispers in the Night: An Unseen Terror Invades ‘Dark Skies’ From the chilling silence that blankets a suburban household to the whispered warning, “You cannot escape them,” ‘Dark Skies’ weaves a tale of terror that creeps into the seemingly safe haven of home. Directed by Scott Stewart and released in 2013, this horror film skirts…

A Whisper in the Dark: “Mama” In the chilling world of horror cinema, “Mama” is a 2013 film that enters the scene with an eerie whisper rather than a scream. Directed by Andy Muschietti and produced by Guillermo del Toro, “Mama” presents the haunting tale of two young girls who, after being abandoned in the…

Stranded on Black Rock: Survival Turns Sinister In 2013, director Katie Aselton brought us Black Rock, a genre-blending venture that straddles the lines between horror, thriller, and survival drama. Set on a remote island off the coast of Maine, the film invites viewers into a harrowing narrative that follows three childhood friends—Sarah, Abby, and Lou—played…

Horror on the Highway: “Old 37” Unleashed “No one can hear you scream over the sound of the engine.” Such a chilling line sets the stage for Old 37, a 2013 horror film that delves into the nightmarish possibilities lurking on desolate back roads. Directed by Alan Smithee (a pseudonym commonly used when directors disown…

Revving Up the Chainsaw: “Texas Chainsaw 3D” Unleashed “Do your thing, cuz!” A line that might have been designed to echo through the decades, just as the relentless buzz of a chainsaw has haunted audiences since the 1970s. Director John Luessenhop’s “Texas Chainsaw 3D,” released in 2013, attempts to reignite the gruesome legacy of the…

The Prom From Hell: “Carrie” Unleashed “You will know her name.” A chilling promise sets the stage for Kimberly Peirce’s 2013 rendition of “Carrie,” bringing Stephen King’s horrific tale of teenage turmoil and telekinetic terror back to the silver screen. Within the confines of this spoiler-free summary, we find Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a…

Whispers in the Shadows: The Quiet Terror of “Haunt” “I’ve always heard that the eyes are the windows to the soul. I’m just hoping I can keep mine shut.” With this chilling line, Haunt sets off to a shiver-inducing start. Directed by Mac Carter and released in 2013, Haunt presents an unsettling blend of the…