Best horror of 2013 [Archive] - Horror.com Forums

Ferox13

11-12-2013, 08:38 AM

(some of these may have been 2012 but they were only released here this year):

I really liked Byzantium - but I think I am in the minority.
The Purge was predictably disappointing - as was World War Z.
Lords of Salem was (sadly) very weak.
I Spit on your Grave 2 was silly but entertaining.
Missed You're Next - it ran for only a week here.
Curse of Chucky was pretty good fun. Weak ending though.
American Mary was worth checking out.
Frankensteins Army was of course a letdown after the whole long drawn out making but it still had some redeeming features.

Hate Crime is the worse film of 2013 I have seen, by far.

ChronoGrl

11-12-2013, 10:45 AM

Good topic - Was just recently thinking about this myself...

The Awesome

Stoker - Hands down brilliant
You're Next - Thoroughly enjoyed this one but need to see it again; had a distracting audience experience
The World's End - Loved it

The OK

The Conjuring - Didn't love this as much as everyone else seems to
American Mary - I was hoping that it would push the envelop more than it did. Ending was a HUGE disappointment especially
Evil Dead - Enjoyed this one; thought the gore was especially great
Dark Skies - Not bad. I can see why people liked this one.

The Bad

Mama - Hugely disappointing, especially the awful terrible gag-worthy end
The Purge - Too bad; really liked the concept. Could have said a lot of interesting things about socioeconomic divides.
World War Z - Bleah.
Warm Bodies - Rob Cordray was the best part of this movie. The rest I found pretty Meh.

Haven't Seen

Byzantium - Pretty psyched to see this actually
Lords of Salem - I know it's getting terrible feedback but I am still unavoidably curious
Insidious 2 - While I thought that the first movie was uneven and weak toward the end, there was enough that I did like about it (or at least I found interesting) that makes me want to see this
Maniac - Not sure if it's my sub-genre, but I am very curious about this one
Escape from Tomorrow - Really intrigued by this one

realdealblues

11-12-2013, 11:37 AM

I haven't seen many this year.

Texas Chainsaw 3D - If I completely ignore all the other sequels and a few small plot holes relating to the original and watch it as a totally separate entity, then I actually think it's pretty enjoyable.

World War Z - I thought it was really pretty enjoyable. The almost continuous action kept it pretty tense and never really gave you much of a chance to relax.

Evil Dead - Some things were ok, but overall it didn't do much for me.

Curse Of Chucky - A bit convoluted in spots but actually pretty enjoyable if you are a fan of the franchise.

The Lords Of Salem - My biggest regret of 2013 was watching this piece of crap. I would like that 90 minutes of my life back.

roshiq

11-14-2013, 12:45 AM

Best:
The Conjuring
Maniac
Harold's Going Stiff
John Dies at the End
The Seasoning House
The Bay

Good/decent:
Dark Skies
The Pact
Sightseers
Cockneys vs Zombies
Grabbers
Stitches
The Haunting of Helena aka Fairytale

Flawed but worth seeing:
Curse Of Chucky
American Mary
Mama
Painless
Dark Circles
Would you rather
No one lives
V/H/S 2

Disappointed:
Evil Dead
The Lords Of Salem
The Purge
ABC's of Death
Antiviral
Hatchet 3

Worst:
Texas Chainsaw 3D

Haven't seen yet/looking forward to check them out:
Byzantium
World War Z
You're Next
Insidious 2
The World's End
Warm Bodies
Frankenstein's Army
I Spit on your Grave 2 (:D)
Carrie (2013)

hammerfan

11-14-2013, 04:17 AM

OK, I lied. I've seen two: The Bay and V/H/S 2

Ferox13

11-14-2013, 05:05 AM

Texas Chainsaw 3D - If I completely ignore all the other sequels and a few small plot holes relating to the original and watch it as a totally separate entity, then I actually think it's pretty enjoyable..

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bP6k59dMHBI/UnQmzKaljjI/AAAAAAAAZUA/3ZDsMcXw4d0/s400/grumpy-cat-8141_preview_zps9177ab07.png

hammerfan

11-14-2013, 05:55 AM

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bP6k59dMHBI/UnQmzKaljjI/AAAAAAAAZUA/3ZDsMcXw4d0/s400/grumpy-cat-8141_preview_zps9177ab07.png

You get an A+ for the use of Grumpy Cat! :D

ferretchucker

11-15-2013, 05:13 PM

I hate to admit this, but I don't think I've seen any 2013 horror films. :eek:

I have to agree! I spent most of the year on a pretty isolated campus and now I'm in London where cinemas are dreadfully overpriced.

Actually, come to think of it I DID see Evil Dead and was pleasantly surprised. Is it as good as the original? Hard to say. I don't enjoy it as much as the original, and many of the original's flaws are charming, not to mention its better characters. Okay...it's definitely not as good as the original :D
But it IS very good. Less of a waste of time than other horror remakes, and I'm interested to see how/if they truly do link the series together.

Giganticface

11-15-2013, 10:09 PM

I have to agree! I spent most of the year on a pretty isolated campus and now I'm in London where cinemas are dreadfully overpriced.

Actually, come to think of it I DID see Evil Dead and was pleasantly surprised. Is it as good as the original? Hard to say. I don't enjoy it as much as the original, and many of the original's flaws are charming, not to mention its better characters. Okay...it's definitely not as good as the original :D
But it IS very good. Less of a waste of time than other horror remakes, and I'm interested to see how/if they truly do link the series together.

I quite agree. A lot of horror fans are pretty tough on that film. I've seen it four times. :)

Another film that gets a lot of grief is Lords of Salem. I thought it was easily Zombie's most mature effort, and some of the imagery is stuff you just don't see these days. Not the strongest writing, but great atmosphere, lasting visuals, and it never resorts to jump scares. IMO, refreshing.

Giganticface

11-16-2013, 10:08 AM

I think a few of the films that have been posted came out in 2012, so I'll just list all the 2012/2013 films I've seen, from most enjoyed to least enjoyed. I didn't hate any of these, even the ones on the bottom of the list.

Evil Dead (2013)
Maniac (2012)
Prometheus (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Django Unchained (2012)
The Lords of Salem (2012)
Les Misérables (2012)
Chronicle (2012)
Ted (2012)
Resolution (2012)
The Human Centipede II (full sequence) (2012)
V/H/S (2012)
[REC]3: Genesis (2012)
The Bay (2012)
Sinister (2012)
The Cheshire Murders (2013)
The Pact (2012)
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Chained (2012)
The Possession (2012)
Piranha 3DD (2012)
The Devil Inside (2012)
Compliance (2012)
Juan of the Dead (2013)
The Collection (2012)
The Mooring (2012)
The Woman in Black (2012)
The Raven (2012)
Dark Shadows (2012)
The Hunger Games (2012)
John Carter (2012)
Aftershock (2012)
The Girl (2012)
Bad Ass (2012)
Sharknado (2013)

Kandarian Demon

11-16-2013, 11:12 AM

I have to agree! I spent most of the year on a pretty isolated campus and now I'm in London where cinemas are dreadfully overpriced.

Actually, come to think of it I DID see Evil Dead and was pleasantly surprised. Is it as good as the original? Hard to say. I don't enjoy it as much as the original, and many of the original's flaws are charming, not to mention its better characters. Okay...it's definitely not as good as the original :D
But it IS very good. Less of a waste of time than other horror remakes, and I'm interested to see how/if they truly do link the series together.

That's pretty much how I see it too. I'm fine with it not being as good as the original, it's a pretty good movie if you don't compare too much... and in a way, you CAN see it as another chapter in the story, which is kind of how I think about it.

Like you, I am also curious to see what the future brings.

zombiegummiebear

11-26-2013, 04:00 PM

I haven't got to watch many horror movies this year but, from what I have The Conjuring was the best in my opinion. It really took me by surprise I expected another shitty movie about well, you know. Don't want to spoil too much.

If you take away the fact that Evil Dead was a remake of a cult classic the movie was beautifully done. It had all the right elements that were true to the original in a more modern setting. I mean, take a look at what happened to Friday the 13th and Child's Play, yikes. I personally loved this remake.

Carrie has the perfect cast but, I've sadly yet to see this remake.

The Purge pretty much blew. It was my second disappointment next to Lords of Salem which I still can't wrap my head around.

Wow I'm really behind this year.

fortunato

11-27-2013, 08:02 PM

The Villain

11-28-2013, 07:45 AM

I've been way behind this year, too. Didn't care for Evil Dead, ABCs of Death, or We Are What We Are (did anyone else see this?). Hated World War Z. American Mary and The World's End were pretty good. Missed everything else.

Been meaning to see We Are What We Are and American Mary. I liked World War Z. The World's End was awesome but personally i don't really consider that horror

Khaleesi

12-18-2013, 06:56 AM

After reading through the replies to this thread, I have to agree that, overall, 2013 was a weak year for the genre. However, there were definitely some movies I did enjoy and would recommend to other horror fans. My faves were, in no particular order…

The Bay
American Mary
Maniac
V/H/S 2
John Dies at the End
The ABCs of Death
Antiviral
The Conjuring

World War Z was a little above average for me, only because it started to drag near the end and I couldn’t really connect with Brad Pitt’s character. I did like the mass zombie assault on Jerusalem, though and the female Israeli solider was totally bad-ass.

The Lords of Salem was disappointing, as much as I hate to admit it. I’m actually reading (or trying to read) the novelization right now, although the book only makes the characters seem more one-dimensional than they are in the film.

So yes, for me, 2013 was mostly a mixed bag with one exception…Stoker.

I usually don’t buy DVDs of films, or even download them off of iTunes, since I rarely watch most films twice, but Stoker is an exception. For me, it’s one of those movies that you can’t walk away from. It creeps up on (I had a similar experience with Martyrs) only after you have watched it. It’s also an insanely ascetically pleasing film, which makes it all the more mesmerizing and just as seductive as Charlie appears to India’s mother and then to India herself. On the other hand, I suppose one could argue that it isn’t technically a horror film, but I have to admit, the piano duet scene left me more tense than most of the horror films I’ve seen lately.

urgeok2

12-18-2013, 07:11 AM

I haven't seen that many horror in 2013 ...

saw and really liked World War Z

pretty much everything else I saw was older ..

still trying to get caught up

hammerfan

12-18-2013, 07:20 AM

From Khaleesi's list, I've only seen two: The Bay, which I really liked; and V/H/S 2, which was so-so. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one.

urgeok2

12-18-2013, 07:26 AM

John Dies in the End was awesome but for some reason I thought it was 2012

hammerfan

12-18-2013, 07:28 AM

John Dies in the End was awesome but for some reason I thought it was 2012

I have it in the queue, just haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

hammerfan

12-18-2013, 07:40 AM

According to Netflix, these are the 2013 horror movies:

Absence
Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse
The Conjuring
Curse of Chucky
Dark Circles
Dead Before Dawn
The Demented
Embrace of the Vampire
Evil Dead
The Frankenstein Theory
Frankenstein's Army
Fright Night 2
Gallowwalkers
Hansel & Gretel
Hatchet III
Heebie Jeebies
Home Sweet Home
I Spit on Your Grave 2
Insidious Chapter 2
Jug Face
The Last Exorcism Part II
Mama
Nothing Left to Fear
State of Emergency
Stranded
Summoned
Texas Chainsaw
V/H/S 2
The Wicked
World War Z
Would You Rather

Elvis_Christ

12-18-2013, 07:46 AM

Anyone catch Odd Thomas? I really dug it.

John Dies in the End was awesome but for some reason I thought it was 2012

Because it is from 2012. DVD release was this year tho? Great flick anyways.

Ferox13

12-18-2013, 08:10 AM

Anyone catch Odd Thomas? I really dug it.

Didn't realise they even made a film o it - cheers for the heads up..

Baron Von Marlon

12-18-2013, 08:21 AM

-Bad Milo
-This Is The End
-Hatchet 3

Elvis_Christ

12-18-2013, 08:38 AM

Didn't realise they even made a film o it - cheers for the heads up..

I've never read the books but a few people I've talked to reckoned they did an alright job with the film. I thought it was a blast anyways.

Khaleesi

12-18-2013, 09:18 AM

Oh, I forgot about Jug Face! I actually liked that one a lot, but I have a soft-spot for movies with rural settings and weird cult-ish religions.

And you're probably right about John Dies being from 2012. I know it took me a while to watch it, so I must have assumed it came out later than it did.

fortunato

12-18-2013, 02:02 PM

Oh, I forgot about Jug Face! I actually liked that one a lot, but I have a soft-spot for movies with rural settings and weird cult-ish religions.

Been wanting to see this one. If you're into rural settings and weird cultish religions, you might want to check out We Are What We Are. I didn't care much for it myself, but it has those two things in spades.

Khaleesi

12-18-2013, 04:09 PM

Thanks! I actually just rented We Are What We Are and I'm hoping to watch it tomorrow. Is the remake very different from the original Mexican version? I saw that one a few months ago.

fortunato

12-18-2013, 09:04 PM

Thanks! I actually just rented We Are What We Are and I'm hoping to watch it tomorrow. Is the remake very different from the original Mexican version? I saw that one a few months ago.

It's different enough. It has a distinctly American deep south feel to it.

dblockdedicated

12-28-2013, 08:25 AM

Was Stoker really that good? Haven't seen it yet.

Jokuc

12-28-2013, 02:59 PM

As many of you people have mentioned I would like to agree that The Conjuring was really good.

I think that the Evil Dead remake was decent, it wasn't all bad actually.

The most disappointing film for me was without a doubt World War Z

Khaleesi

12-28-2013, 03:20 PM

Was Stoker really that good? Haven't seen it yet.

For me, yes. The film is very aesthetically pleasing and also has solid acting/rich character development. But be forewarned, it’s definitely a “slow-burner.”

adamhenderson

12-28-2013, 04:38 PM

I actually didn't really watch too many horror movies in 2013. Here's the list:

THE GOOD:

Evil Dead- Was never genuinely frightened, but I appreciated what they were trying to do (liked that the twenty-somethings were in the cabin because they were trying to aid the drug-addict detox). Some cool and violent gags throughout.

This Is The End- Really enjoyed this-- it's my type of humour. Stellar cast getting up to crazy hijinks in a post-apocalyptic world.

THE OKAY:

The Conjuring- I'm afraid that the hype killed this one for me. It wasn't terrible, but I was expecting to shit my pants and I didn't. Enjoyable throughout, and some particularly spooky scenes.

THE BAD:

World War Z- Pretty generic fair, which I guess I should have expected considering the budget of the thing. I actually didn't mind it until the end, the ending felt silly and contrived, and the setup for the sequel didn't make me want to see the sequel.

The World's End- Seriously don't get how this is as loved as it is. It was my worst film of 2013. So many criticisms: How come they know how to fight when they are clearly just average joes? Which one is supposed to be the funny guy? Maybe I'm missing something, but I spent my time waiting for it to end.

Anyway that's about it from me this year. I'll have to watch more horror movies in 2014.

NightOfTheLiving_Sam

12-28-2013, 08:36 PM

~The Conjuring
~Insidious 2
~Dark Skies

Haven't seen this one yet but I really want to see:

You're Next ::cool::

I've heard a lot of great things about it.

ChronoGrl

12-29-2013, 04:43 PM

Was Stoker really that good? Haven't seen it yet.

Loved it. One of the best of the year.

...

Thanks for the reminder on Jug Face. Really curious about that one, as with We Are What We Are.

MichaelMyers

12-30-2013, 12:11 PM

Could 2013's best horror film have been a documentary about a horror film?

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/pick_of_the_week_lost_in_stanley_kubricks_labyrint h/

ChronoGrl

12-31-2013, 07:24 AM

That one was actually a huge disappointment to me. I was looking forward to it, but found the people that they interviewed just to be annoying.

hammerfan

12-31-2013, 07:39 AM

That one was actually a huge disappointment to me. I was looking forward to it, but found the people that they interviewed just to be annoying.

Oh good, it wasn't just me. I turned it off after 30 minutes.

Khaleesi

12-31-2013, 12:41 PM

Oh good, it wasn't just me. I turned it off after 30 minutes.

Same here. I made it through the entire film, but I couldn't even begin to explain half the theories the interviewees were talking about.

Tahrgat

12-31-2013, 01:23 PM

Evil Dead remake. One hell of a fun ride. Well shot, great practical gore effects, passable characters, awesome black humor and minimal, but well placed cg. The character switch-up threw me for a loop and I left feeling satisfied. It was both wonderfully cringe worthy and a great date film just like the original. It was awesome to see so many gals grabbing onto their guys during the film, followed by a chorus of shrieks, then laughing and smiling after the viewing. It really brought me back to my younger years when R meant something more.

rayzor

01-12-2014, 08:51 AM

I was impressed with The Evil Dead remake. Well done IMO

Fearonsarms

02-05-2014, 01:26 PM

Seconding Ferox's rec of A Field In England I think that was the best I've seen. I did also enjoy Curse Of Chucky, The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2 worth watching.

Yogobro298

02-05-2014, 04:24 PM

Seconding Ferox's rec of A Field In England I think that was the best I've seen. I did also enjoy Curse Of Chucky, The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2 worth watching.
Im surprised at how good Curse of Chucky was,I watched it expecting it to be horrible and full of cliche's but it was actually pretty good,and Insidious Chapter 2 was abit of a let down.The First one actually scared me to death,but all I got from this was a few jumps nothing else..atleast the story is still contact.

Fearonsarms

02-05-2014, 05:17 PM

Im surprised at how good Curse of Chucky was,I watched it expecting it to be horrible and full of cliche's but it was actually pretty good,and Insidious Chapter 2 was abit of a let down.The First one actually scared me to death,but all I got from this was a few jumps nothing else..atleast the story is still contact.

Yeah Curse Of Chucky was a surprise a vast improvement after the series went too far into comedy with Bride of Chucky and Seed Of Chucky. I understand why you don't like Insidious 2 compared to the first it wasn't anywhere near as good but I did still find myself enjoying it.

Crude

02-09-2014, 10:33 PM

Just watched 'You're next' on saturday night and I must say it was rather entertaining I actually found myself laughing at one of the end scenes.... Oh and big ups to the Aussie actor too yay!! ::wink::

Fearonsarms

02-19-2014, 12:27 PM

Forgot to include Mama in my initial choices for some reason I thought it came out in 2012 but I checked and it's 2013 on IMDB.

JohnyHorror

03-14-2014, 09:05 AM

This is my best of 2013 list. Didn't read through carefully, so I guess most of these people already have mentioned in previous posts

Mama
Evil Dead
Dark Skies
The Conjuring
Sinister
Insidious Chapter 2

Regarding the upcoming movies this is my 'ToWatch' list :

evil within
dreadout
daylight

I've written few words about these (http://www.darkhorrorgames.com/page/upcoming-horror-games-for-2014/), although the movie has to be watched first before judged. For example The Conjuring wasn't scary to me at all. It was predictable as any other movie about exorcism.

Ice Pik

04-01-2014, 04:21 PM

Mama
Dark Skies
Insidious 2
The Conjuring
Would you Rather (idk if it's 2013 but eh)
The Curse of Chucky ( I watched a interview on it and he said he went regular horror in the first films then went humors but in this film he wanted to go with more of a dark serious gothic feeling film)

totem

04-01-2014, 04:39 PM

The Conjuring.

(That may be my most favorite opening sequence in a horror film - gotta think about it. ::roll eyes::)

ChronoGrl

04-02-2014, 10:33 PM

LOVED Byzantium.

The Medeiros Girl

04-16-2014, 12:09 PM

Mama. I think that was from 2013...? It was a really scary movie with a good ending.

mrscarygamesnow

02-19-2015, 04:14 AM

I would say :The Lords of Salem,Resolution,Black Rock,Dark Touch and Contracted , my top 5.::devil::

Amalthea_unicorn

02-25-2015, 01:36 AM

Insidious 2 too.

Damn Heathen

02-25-2015, 10:19 PM

Wolf Creek 2
Oculus
Curse of Chucky
Evil Dead
TC3D (I'm prob the only one who liked it)

There's a '13 short called THE LAST HALLOWEEN that was memorable.

Could 2013's best horror film have been a documentary about a horror film?

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/29/pick_of_the_week_lost_in_stanley_kubricks_labyrint h/No. ::big grin::