My Top 10 Horror Films of 2013

Disclaimer: I would like to add that I didn't get to see every horror film that was released this year. So if you don't see something on this list, it might be because I didn't see it. This list is my opinion and my opinion only. If you do not agree with my list then that is your problem. Feel free to post your list in the comments, but do not start a flame war over this. It is just a list.

That being said, here is my list...

10. The Purge

The Purge just barely made my list. I really had big hopes for this film, but it kind of fell a little flat for me. With a concept of all crime is legal for 12 hours, all they could come up with is a home invasion film? I don’t know, I think I just expected more, but I enjoyed it for what it was. Although I thought the ending was a little unrealistic.

9. Curse of Chucky

This movie had everything going against it. First, it was the 6th movie in a dying franchise. Second, it’s following the worst movie in the series which was no more than a shitty comedy. Third, it was the first Chucky movie to be released straight to DVD. I expected the worst, however I must say it was a pretty damn good movie. Some of the most fun I had with a straight to DVD movie. And that’s saying a lot for a Chucky film.

8. World War Z

With all the things I heard online about the train wreck the production of World War Z was, I was not expecting much. Therefore, I was surprised to see a pretty decent new-age zombie flick in the end. It probably will not become any type of Zombie cult classic film, but it was good enough for me to add it to the list.

7. Dark Skies

For a movie about aliens I thought this one was pretty decent for a PG-13 rating. It had some good creeps and scares to set it apart from the others.

6. Texas Chainsaw 3D

I know some people like to bash this film, but I had a lot of fun with this. The opening scene picking up right where the original left off was great and well done. Yeah the timeline might be a little messed up for it to make perfect sense, but who cares? As along as Leatherface has a chainsaw, I’m happy.

5. Insidious Chapter 2

Although I didn’t think Insidious Chapter 2 was as good as the first, it was still pretty damn good. I was able to see this in a double feature show with the first and it was amazing. I hope I'm not giving away too much, but my favorite part of Chapter 2 is where a scene from the first film intertwines with a scene in the second. Very creative in my book.

4. I Spit On Your Grave 2

Would you look at that, a straight to DVD film gracing the top five of my list. One thing I hate is how people think if a movie doesn’t come to theaters, well then it must suck. That is not the case and I Spit on Your Grave 2 is no exception. This movie blew me away. With enough twists, turns and gore to keep any horror freak satisfied. Best of all it has no relation to the first film, so you can check it out without watching the first.

3. You're Next

Essentially this is another home invasion film. I know what you are thinking, another home invasion movie? Don’t worry, this one tops them all. To me this felt like watching an old school slasher from the 80’s, but filled with enough twists to keep things fresh. The three antagonists of the film each wear a mask. A fox, a tiger, and a lamb, which just adds to the creepy factor. An instant classic!

2. The Conjuring

This movie gave me chills. That is saying a lot coming from me. I’ve seen a lot of horror films in my day and for me to admit something gave me chills then it must have been good. This movie is rated R strictly based on scare factor alone. So that is really saying a lot. I had a hard time placing this film on my list, it was going to be number one for awhile, but after seeing the film for a second time the fun factor died down for me and dropped down to number two. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great horror film. A must see.

1. Evil Dead (2013)

I love movies that are bat shit crazy, and the 2013 remake of Evil Dead was bat shit crazy and then some. Yeah, I know it has it’s flaws, but all movies do. This movie pushed the boundaries of what you can get away with in a rated R horror film these days. I applaud the director for using more practical effects in the film rather then using CGI effects. Every time this movie ends, I just want to throw my arms up and cheer.

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So there is, my Top 10 Horror Films of 2013. If you haven’t seen or even heard of any of these films, then I suggest you really look into them. If you’re into horror, then you should at least give them a rental.

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Check out last years list, Top 10 Horror Films of 2012.

Check out the rest of my lists on my page A List of Lists.

2013 Summer Update

I thought I'd write an update about the state of things.

RedFall... The movie is on hold as of right now. We ran into some problems that I won't discuss on here. Things need to be worked out before we move back into filming. As of right now I will say that RedFall will happen. I just honestly don't know when.

New Project... I have been working on a new project of my own. No one else is involved. I will reveal more information when the time comes. What I will say now is that it's not a film. If you follow me on twitter you might be able to figure it out. It's something I've always thought about doing and I think now is the right time. Everything is moving along nicely and I'm very proud of how it's turning out.

I'm going to try to make more guides and lists, since I like doing them. If you all have any ideas I'm open to suggestions.

RedFall Filming: Day 5

Well Day 5 of filming came this past weekend. We tried to get 2 scenes knocked out, but only finished one. Hey, it's still a step forward. The footage we captured looks great. I can't wait to see what others think of it. We filmed in a small little basement most of the night and we kept hitting our heads on the ceiling and pipes. It was fun though! Below is the diary video we shot, but keep in mind we are all tired. Enjoy!

RedFall on Facebook.

RedFall Filming: Day 4

Day 4 is done! It was actually a quick night, but we managed to get another scene and a half filmed for the movie. We are moving along rather nicely. I wish we were moving faster, but at least it is something, right? Anyways, enjoy our Day 4 diary below.

RedFall on Facebook.

RedFall Filming: Day 3

I realize we are moving along very slow, but that's how it goes sometimes. Day 1 of filming was back in October and Day 2 was in November. Day 3 was supposed to be knocked out back in December, but things with Christmas came up so we decided to take a short break for the holidays to pass.

Now that it's 2013, we are going to be filming a lot more. My goal is to be done filming by the end of May. Which would give us five good months to get everything filmed. We are also working on editing the film as we finish filming days. This way post-production will go by very smooth.

Anyway, that is all I can say for now. Enjoy the Day 3 video diary below.

RedFall on Facebook.

My Top 10 Horror Films of 2012

Disclaimer: I would like to add that I didn't get to see every horror film that was released this year. So if you don't see something on this list, it might be because I didn't see it. This list is my opinion and my opinion only. If you do not agree with my list then that is your problem. Feel free to post your list in the comments, but do not start a flame war over this. It is just a list.

That being said, here is my list...

10. V/H/S

I was looking forward to seeing V/H/S all year and when I finally got to see it, I’ll admit I was expecting more. However, it was better than most of the horror films released this year. It was a good anthology film. My favorite segments were the couple on vacation and the Halloween party at the end.

9. Chernobyl Diaries

Chernobyl Diaries is also in the same boat. It wasn’t the best horror film released this year, but it was defiantly better than most of them. Most people passed this one off as just another crap movie, but it’s actually not as bad as people say it is. To me it’s The Hills Have Eyes only in Chernobyl. (Hands up is you recognize the areas from Call of Duty 4.)

8. The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black is to me a decent horror film. Some would argue it’s more a thriller than a horror, but to me they are the same thing. I mean it’s a ghost film. I thought it wasn’t going to be anything to talk about, but after I watched it I was very surprised by how good it was for being a mainstream PG-13 horror film staring the Harry Potter guy.

7. The Possession

I tend to dislike exorcism/possession type films, but The Possession was the first one in a long time to actually entertain me and have me enjoy it. Yeah, another PG-13 horror flick, but it was better than half the exorcism/possession R rated flicks I have seen over the last decade or so.

6. Prometheus

Again, some would say that this isn’t a horror film. Well to me sci-fi horror is horror no matter how you look at it. Prometheus is a quasi-prequel to Alien. It has a slow build, but it pays off at the end. Although I was expecting a little more from it, I still enjoyed it a lot. I’m not given anything away, but the abortion scene is so awesome.

5. The Divide

Yes, I consider this a horror type film as well. Perhaps this is the one movie on the list that could possibly be placed in a different genre, but oh well. A post-apocalyptic movie where people turn on one another and then rape and kill sounds like a horror movie to me. The music during the very end scene is beautifully done; it almost makes me cry how awesome it is.

4. Mother’s Day (2012)

I’m a huge fan of director Darren Lynn Bousman. I loved his entries in the Saw series (which they need to make another), so I was really looking forward to Mother’s Day. I’d like to add that I have never seen the original Troma film, but at least I know it’s a remake and I’m not some mindless drone. This movie is brutal from start to finish, it’s a shame it didn’t get a big theater release. It did get a limited release, but it deserved more. Pure awesomeness.

3. Grave Encounters 2

This movie and it’s predecessor is proof that some straight-to-DVD films can be good. Grave Encounters 2 blew me away. They really pushed the bar on ghostly found-footage movies. The people behind Paranormal Activity really need to take some notes, because this is how it is done. (And when I say take notes, I don’t mean ripping it off. PA4’s end scene with Katie completely ripped off Grave Encounters 1. Sorry, I had to say it.)

2. Sinister

Sinister follows a crime author that finds a box of super 8 home movies in the attic after moving into a new house. Upon viewing the films, he discovers that they are the grizzly recordings of families being murdered. There is much more to it, but I don’t want to sit here any explain everything. Sinister is a great horror movie. The deaths on the super 8 films are some of the most f-ed up onscreen killings I’ve seen in years. I also really enjoy the music in Sinister, it just always felt so unsettling, which made the movie even more strange than it already is. The only thing I did not like about the movie (spoiler) is the jump scare just before the end credits, I think it could have benefited by not including that at all. Other than that though, I think this movie is amazing.

1. Cabin in the Woods

I heard about this movie way back in 2009 or 2010, but it took forever to finally get released. Apparently, they were going to convert it to 3D. I’m glad they didn’t, because it might have sucked. (3D sucks) Anyway, there isn’t much I can say without giving too much away. What I will say is that it’s a beautiful blend of horror and comedy that is done just right to make it an awesomely brutal horror movie. And the cameo at the end is out of left field.

So there is my Top 10 Horror Films of 2012. If you haven’t seen or even heard of any of these films, then I suggest you really look into them. If you’re into horror, then you should at least rent them or something.

Update Aug 2017: The movie Sinister was not originally part of this list. (the original list) This list was posted in December of 2012 and I didn’t have the chance to watch Sinister until a few months into 2013, when it was released on Bluray. Over the years, I always felt it deserved to be in the top 10 and it bugged me that I never added it. So I added it.

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Check out the rest of my lists on my page A List of Lists.

RedFall Filming: Day 2

 Day 2 is down. Enjoy.

RedFall Filming: Day 1

RedFall is finally happening. Day 1 of filming is in the can. We will be filming video diary's after every shoot so please enjoy the Day 1 diary below. Trust me, they will get more entertaining as the shoot goes on. Stay tuned for more RedFall news and videos.

RedFall: The Hunt for a Retractable Knife

I have been searching online for a retractable knife to be used in the film for about a month now. I began searching for a company that already has retractable knives made that I could buy or possible even rent. I found some websites that rent or sell retractable knifes. However they charge you about $2,000 for them and some also require you to have insurance. That’s just something I really couldn’t afford.

After that failed, I tried searching for special effects companies, in hopes of getting a retractable knife created. I did find some big time special effects companies and some small time companies. Some had no clue of what I was asking. You’re a special effects company for films, how do you not know what I’m talking about? Others said they could make one for me; however they were all charging considerably more than what I could afford. Prices ranged as low as $450 to over $1,000. I know that doesn’t seem like too much, but keep in mind that we are making this film independently. If we had a studio backing us, then this hunt would have ended weeks ago.

The hunt continued and I kept searching. After sending out 40 plus emails, I finally found a guy at a special effects company that will make us the retractable knife for $250. That’s a great price for an independent filmmaker to afford. Thus the hunt was over. The retractable knife is being made as I write this and should be ready in time for the scenes it will be used for.

As I was searching, I found a lot of people online that were also searching for retractable knives for their projects. Some seemed to always be talked out of it by someone telling them to film the scene in a way so a retractable knife isn’t needed. I myself even had a special effects artist tell me to film around the actual knife stabbing someone. This really pisses me off. I feel that the scene that I wrote only works if you see the knife stabbing the person. If you didn’t see it then the whole scene isn’t as effective. I would rather re-write the scene completely then film around it. Which I’ll admit I was about to do as I felt that finding a retractable knife was like finding the Holy Grail.

I want to end by saying that even though it was hard to find someone to make us a retractable knife, I still did it. I searched, and searched, and searched. And that searching finally paid off. If you’re an independent filmmaker and you really want to use one for your film then you need to get out there and search. Don’t change your scenes or film around it.

RedFall Update: 2012!

2012 is now upon us, so I thought I'd bring you all up to speed on what's going on with RedFall. Production was set to begin last October, but we due to some unforeseen circumstances we had to set it back. We are a very small crew, so things are taking a little longer than anticipated. Thanksgiving and the Christmas season set us back even more as people involved with the film were busy with family plans and work. However, now that the new year is here, we are set to go full swing into RedFall, starting now.

There are a few small things we need to tweak before filming begins. I will keep you posted on when filming starts and how things progress. I've been thinking about starting a YouTube account so I can post videos from the set to keep you all up-to-date faster. Stay tuned for that! 2012 is going to be a huge year for RedFall, so stay tuned to my blog and DeepDarkThoughts.com for updates.

Also be sure to like us on Facebook if you haven't already.