Favorite Horror Films of 2013

Hello everyone I am back from an extended exile in solitary confinement, but I am hoping the peace and quite of a small dark room will be good for my soul....if I had one. With my entry into the general population again Dr. Lector still feels that opening up is still the best therapy he can offer right now. So, on that note I figured with the end of an old year and the dawn of a new one I would start off on a positive note and share my favorite horror of 2013.

American Mary - Mary (Katherine Isabelle) is an intelligent and beautiful girl who's dream is to be a surgeon, but when an event occurs Mary decides that maybe being a surgeon isn't in her future, but when she gets lured into the world of body modification the sky is the limit and the stakes are high. Directed by The Soska Sisters this a stylish view of the world of body modification and the extremes that some people will go through to achieve perfection. On face value this looks like a straight forward torture film, which this is not. This a good example of a strong female lead in a horror film that takes charge and doesn't let it go. It has blood and beauty throughout with really interesting characters that keep the story going. You will want to set an appointment with American Mary.

Evil Dead (remake) - When a group of friends decide to take their friend, Mia up to a cabin to help her go cold turkey on her drug addiction everything seems to be going according to plan until they discover the book of the dead in the basement and one of them decides to read from it causing all hell to break loose....literally. I know when they announced this was going to be remade there was a lot of grumbling about remaking a classic, but I think they did a really good job. The movie still pays homage to the original, but with it's own little spin on the story. I think it also helped that the director, Fede Alvarez was a huge fan of Evil Dead to begin with and Bruce Campbell was involved. The story is fast pace and the gore is there in a big bloody way. This is a fun gory romp of a movie that still keeps to the original.

The Conjuring -  I want to start off by saying I am a huge fan of James Wan. I have said it once and I will say it again the man knows how to do horror right, regardless of the rating,which is priceless in this genre. Having tackled Jigsaw in Saw, creepy puppets in Dead Silence and astro-projection in Insidious Wan takes on the Warrens, one of the leaders in paranormal investigation. The Conjuring centers around one of their cases that has never been discussed until now. When the Perron family moves into an old farmhouse they soon encounter one of the most malevolent spirits the Warrens have ever encountered which not only effects the Perron family living in the house, but the Warrens as well.

To simply put it this is a solidly good horror film. Wan knows how to tap into the human psyche in a new way and leaves the tired and worn out horror cliques at the door. This film starts off solid and just builds from there, unlike Insidious which relied on music to build the suspense, Wan uses good old fashion sounds to help shape the intensity and fear throughout the film. The cast gave a great performance from Lili Taylor as the mother, Carolyne Perron to Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren and to the always spot on Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren. This movie proves that you don't need over blown budgets, crappy CGI and misleading trailers to sell horror movies. Horror movies already sell due to its own built in audience and Wan knows how to give the fans what they want.

Insidious Chapter 2 -Insidious Chapter 2 continues the story of the Lambert family and the entity that continues to terrorize them. This sequel deleves further into the mystery of Dalton and his fatherJosh and their supernatural abilities and unlocks the mystery behind the woman in the black dress.

Sequels are always a tricky subject to tackle considering most of the time they are not warranted or just become a mirror image of the original with just a different cast. Insidious Chapter 2  does return with the same cast from the first film with once again James Wan at the helm. I had high expectation when going into this film and thankfully it didn't disappoint. I have always enjoyed sequels that continue where the last movie left off instead of taking the film in a different direction. Wan still uses the same elements of sound and music to give layers to the suspense, which doesn't let up throughout the film. Not only does this film continue the story, but it also explains events that were contained in the first film. Overall this is a solid sequel and if you enjoyed the first Insidious you will enjoy Chapter 2.

You're Next -  History has taught us family reunions don't always end well. They certainly don't end well when the guests are being picked off one by one by masked assailants  So, marks the story for You're Next. When a family comes together to celebrate their parents wedding anniversary it's all fun and games until someone shots their eye out or in this case takes an arrow to the head.

Directed by Adam Wingard this film harkens back to the great slasher style films of the 70's and 80's in terms of overall tone and filming. Even though it took almost 2 years to reach theaters in most aspects it was worth the wait. This film has those elements that make horror good with annoying characters you can't wait to die, unexpected and at times fun kills, plot twists and turns and of course blood and more blood. I will admit that at times it does play off like a sequel to The Strangers, which by no means is a negative considering how great The Strangers was. The music that was infused into the story added another enjoyable layer to the film. This was a fun and bloody movie from start to finish with homages to slasher films thrown in for good measure. By the end this film teaches us that at times family means nothing and survival is everything when You're Next.