Well 2013 has come and (nearly) gone. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was eagerly and nervously anticipating the release of the new Evil Dead, reserving skepticism for the Carrie reboot and excited for the very much hyped You’re Next. And now we’re here. I feel like this was a year of more misses than hits. I was underwhelmed with the Carrie remake, Insidious: Chapter 2 and V/H/S 2 and didn’t really care one way or the other for Texas Chainsaw 3D and Mama. But the hits. Damn. What hits they were.
Other staff 2013 picks: Top 10 from managing editor Ryan Turek
Ryan Larson's Best of 2013
Shock Till You Drop contributing writer weighs in with his best horror movies of 2013.
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#10
JOHN DIES AT THE END: I said it in my review and I’ll say it again - John Dies At The End is post-modern horror. It’s a fast, bright ride into a world full of zombie skinheads, giant leeches, and interdimensional travel drenched in Cthulu influences and seen through the eyes of someone on LSD. Don’t expect anything game changing or monumentally important to film from John Dies At The End. Just expect to question what the hell is going on but laughing while doing so.
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#9
ANTIVIRAL: A lot of expectations were built on this film purely because of the name attached to direct. Brandon Cronenberg, son of the infamous David Cronenberg, wrote and directed the Canadian horror film with claims that the plot came to him during a fever dream during a battle with illness. The plot is truly original, dark and obviously symbolic of our culture’s obsession with celebrity. It’s a slow burn, but well done, and Caleb Landry Jones is the real star of the show, owning every scene and carrying a film that could have easily gone south if not for powerful acting and good direction.
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#8
RESOLUTION: Speaking of slow burns, Resolution takes a little bit of patience but pays off in the last quarter of the film. Michael (Peter Cilello) receives an email with a video attachment of his best friend Chris (Vinny Curran) whacked out on drugs and tracks him down to a remote abandoned cabin to intervene with a little homemade detox. Over the course of a week a number of very strange things start to happen to Chris and Mike. They have run-ins with an angry Native American land owner, crack heads, and a member of a UFO based religion. The odd occurrences that slowly build are under-your-skin creepy and the conclusion is easily one of the best in the last decade.
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#7
AMERICAN MARY: American Mary, by the Soska Sisters, is a different type of horror movie. It’s more unsettling than anything. It deals with the underground world of body modification in extreme circumstances and amidst the blood and gore it has tell tale signs of the classic revenge tale and introduces a powerful and nuanced female protagonist. As strange as her world is, we are rooting for Mary, played excellently by the beautiful Katharine Isabelle. And by the end of the movie it was safe to say that I was definitely interested in the Soska Sisters future films. (I’m looking at you See No Evil 2.)
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#6
JUG FACE: Jug Face was a triumph in many ways. It was excellent storytelling, great directing and wonderful acting all from a low budget independent group of unknowns. Chad Crawford Kinkle breaks into the scene with this ultimately wonderful addition of horror in 2013. Lauren Ashley Carter and Sean Bridgers manage to take Kinkle’s script and bring about this other-worldy horror without ever seeming outlandish or even supernatural. It’s a scary movie anchored heavily in reality and that just makes it all the more chilling.
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#5
STOKER: I know the American debut from Parker Chan-wook was received with a lot of polarity. For me, this movie was an absolute success. It was subtly twisted, well-acted, and had a beautiful score. Matthew Goode’s Uncle Charlie was so simply Hitchcockian and the movie becomes so much intricate when you really start looking for the symbolism that is littered throughout the film. The entire cast was fantastic, probably Kidman’s best role in years, but what really makes the movie shine is the amount of malevolence hiding behind the sunlit facade of a normal family.
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#4
MANIAC: Alexander Aja rarely disappoints. Say what you want about Piranha, that movie is nothing but summery, gory fun. Maniac does so much right. Aja makes the first person POV not only work but manages to make it so terrifying in the moments that we actually see Elijah Wood. The movie is a perfect mix of '80s slasher and modern-day film making. The soundtrack, almost reminiscent of Drive, is a major factor in the chilling atmosphere but nothing is quite as scary as Elijah Wood looking so lost and desperately scared then changing to murderous on a dime. An overlooked remake that personally exceeded the original.
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#3
YOU'RE NEXT: The amount of positivity from the early screening of You’re Next had me counting down the days until release. Adam Wingard has been on my radar since A Horrible Way to Day and A.J. Bowen is easily becoming one of my favorite actors in the genre. This movie was everything I wanted it to be and more: A home invasion flick, a dark comedy, over-the-top brutal and exquisitely made. I went in with moderately high expectations and came out wishing I could buy the blu ray immediately after. Sharni Vinson is a super badass protagonist that steals the audiences heart with her quiet beauty and her ultimately murderous abilities. You’re Next is a pure fun entry into the genre that is so rewatchable that it’s already in my yearly rotation.
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#2
THE CONJURING: James Wan has a "number of genre flicks" under his belt at this point. Dead Silence was hit or miss for most people (a hit with me) and Insidious gave him true mainstream success, rightfully so. But The Conjuring is his real shining star. Based on the true story, straight from the files of the Warrens, I knew The Conjuring was going to be a great movie as soon as that seventies background music fades in the trailer to Lili Taylor holding a single flame to the now infamous clapping phantom hands behind her. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga nail their performances with solid support from Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston, the backdrop just adds to the entire ambience of the movie, and the stop and shock scenes that are Wan’s trademark hit their mark throughout the course of the film.
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#1
EVIL DEAD: I had a lot of reservations about Evil Dead. The original is such a classic. A number of things were done right with this. First, they don’t try to reinvent Ash. Alvarez and crew knew they just couldn’t replace Ash, he is too beloved by the fanbase. Second, despite that, they don’t stray too far from the original. Alvarez makes it his own but doesn’t alienate the original fans at all. Third, it’s bloody brilliant fun. This is horror reboots at its finest. It’s tongue in cheek, it’s savage, it makes nods to the classic but doesn’t ignore the source material. And now I can say I love Evil Dead. Both of them.
