Hey folks, Valkor here. First off, Happy Halloween to everyone out there on the interwebz, hope you're having a blast of a day. And for number 13 in TOV's 15 films of Horror, we head across the pond for another brit film that stars (very briefly) one of the casts from Harry Potter. It's awesome to see the Potter films come to completion and it should be interesting to see what happens to the actors post the series. For now Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy is kickin it off right in a hot werewolf film titled "13hrs".
In 13hrs, Sarah (Isabelle Calthorpe) has returned home from the U.S. and life in her home is a bit rocky; her stepdad is troubled with the remodeling of the home, her brothers are slackers, and her mom… well it's revealed that the mom has taken a lover. After visiting with the stepdad, she heads for the barn to do it up with her bros – Stephen (Peter Gadiot), Charlie (Gabriel Thomson), little brother Luke (Anthony Di Liseo), and their friends Gary (Tom Felton), Doug (Joshua Bowman), and Stephen's girlfriend Emily (Gemma Atkinson). A storm hits and suddenly the lights go out. The group heads back to the house and while searching for a source of light, they notice a trail of blood that leads into the room of the stepdad Duncan (Simon MacCorkindale), where he's lying on the bed… dead, guts splayed out. The dude was attacked; by who or what? No one knows. But the next person who immediately buys it is friend Gary who stayed on the lower level looking for candles. And now the group must try to stay alive from the beast that lurks in the home, as well as deal with their own turmoil within their family and relationships.
And that's what's pretty interesting about 13hrs; the fact that through all this mess, they actually have time to fight it out over personal stuff rather than focus on how the hell are they gonna deal with this beast. Definitely not hatin, I actually enjoy the mix. Regardless…
The Good:
13hrs is one intense ride. I mean when the action and horror kicks in, it pretty much doesn't stop until the end. It's not non-stop; there's enough going on that you don't wanna turn away less you miss something. The acting is the film's strongest point and everyone brings their A game. What's key about the acting is that it all feels natural, especially the scenes in the barn where the group is just hangin out and BSing. Isabelle Calthorpe just nails it, she's awesome bar none. Tom Felton seems to have waaaaaay too much fun in his role, and considering the dark role he played in the Potter series, this is a nice change. The level of gore isn't heavy, but wow there's enough blood and guts to keep your attention. The end… the ending is where it's at, because it's kinda somber yet a definite closer.
The Bad:
The fact that they keep the beast off camera most of the time. I know, usually, what you don't or can't see, scares you the most. But in this film, and given the graphic detail, it's ok to show a bit more. It's not like the monster was hunting the group – if they so much as step anywhere near the creature, it's pretty much gonna pounce.
The Ugly:
Oh poor Duncan. Damn!
If werewolves are your thing, then definitely add 13hrs to your horror lineup; great story, great acting and loads of action and horror to make your Halloween or hell any night, one helluva scary night. Out of TOV 5 stars, I'm gonna give 13hrs 4.5 and it's been Valkor tested and TOV Approved.
Valkor out!
