The Thirteenth (2017) User Reviews

A great story with good directing and cinematography, and an excellent score

[hlc-cicff · 7/10 · 5 August 2017]

"The Thirteenth" is a movie about a young man who comes to a small Island in Greece in order to find out the truth about his heritage and his long, lost family. It's a story of hope, horror, and change. "The Thirteenth" is somewhere in the middle between a hard-horror film and one of underground cult classics.

In its nature, the film is not complex: it has a cast of about four main actors, a simple arc for the viewer to follow, good cinematographic choices and exquisite score. It is an experience like no other: original and unforgettable, yet somewhere close to home. It is a movie that has this effect on an audience that is very relatable. You watch "The Thirteenth" and you can feel the strong influences from modern classics, such as "The Conjuring" or "Insidious", but it is also reminiscent of oldies – "The Exorcist" or even the all-time classic, "Psycho". It is an excellent blend of the horror genre, spiritualism and questions of morality.

The one major setback 'The Thirteenth' has is the performance of its lead actor, Kurtis Stacey. While the young actor definitely tries his best to encapsulate the complicated character of Christopher, he has yet much to learn. Most memorable performance comes from Richard Symms who plays Frank. Other performances also fail to dazzle the screen, with occasional small talent, coming out of the young actors. They definitely have room to grow, but they all seem to appreciate the art.

The one thing that is definitely to be praised in "The Thirteenth" is directing. Chris Hastings evidently has an eye for his shots and a sense of pace that is unlike any other. His approach is unique and very fresh. It was a nice watch.

Overall, "The Thirteenth" it's definitely a great story with good directing and cinematography, some not-too-bad performances and an excellent score.

Rimute Terra Budreviciute/Cult Critic/CICFF

THE 13TH proudly stands next to THE WICKER MAN and KILL LIST as part of an eclectic club of British horror films.

[contact-742-500835 · 10/10 · 15 December 2017]

Christopher Shaw is a schoolteacher who grew up in foster care after his mother committed suicide when he was a child. Christopher is plagued with memories of that day, yet his mind suppresses the exact accounts. Christopher receives news that his father has passed away and that he must travel to a remote Greek island where his father lives his last days. Christopher is reluctant to do so, since he hasn't seen his father since he was a child. Christopher travels to the secluded island and immediately notices that there's something wrong with this place, as a strange plague has befallen the inhabitants of the island, prompting them to commit suicide without explanation. Christopher is approached by Stavroula, a mysterious young woman who helps him understand what his father was doing there. Apparently, Christopher's father was searching for an artifact that may hold the key to stopping the plague, as it turns out, Chris's mother was the very first victim all those years ago. However, what Chris finds is something far more horrifying than he could have ever imagined.

Judas Iscariot has been a figure of contempt in history, regarded as the ultimate traitor as he sold Jesus Christ in exchange for thirty silver coins, an act that has lived in infamy throughout generation and that has become synonymous with the act of selling someone out in exchange for a reward. Guilt-ridden, Judas hung himself but since he was cursed he could not die and was condemned to roam the earth. Centuries later, The National Geographic Society announced with much fanfare that they had found a lost 13th century religious text which they claimed was the gospel of Judas. At first, it was believed that this texts would finally vindicate the figure of Judas from traitor to martyr. Within this gospel it would be found that Judas didn't betray Jesus, but rather that Jesus betrayed Judas, where Jesus supposedly asked Judas to stage his treason and hand him over to the Romans. His reward? Being denied the entrance to heaven. However, according to April D. DeConick, a professor in Biblical Studies at Rice University and author of "The Thirteenth Apostle", the translation by The National Geographic Society was completely rushed and therefore wrong. Not only was Judas not a hero, but rather it was a Demon. One mistake was that Judas was referred to as a "Daimon" which was mistranslated to "spirit" in reality the word for spirit is "pneuma", in gnostic literature, "daimon" has always meant "demon". Specifically, Judas was a Demon known as the "Thirteenth", which in some gnostic traditions is known as "Ialdabaoth", the king of demons. Adding insult to injury, it is revealed within the text that by having Jesus betrayed by a Demon, it negates the purpose and salvation provided by the crucifixion as it was an offering to the Demons and not to God, making a mockery of the passion. THE 13TH plays with these ideas, as Christopher travels to a remote island that according to his father's findings was the place where Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus. However, his curse lives on and its motif repeats with each person that commits suicide in the island, a way of perpetuating the interminable cycle of taking his own life, only this time Judas shares it with others. Christopher's name is the Greek variant of Christóforos, which has its origins in the words "Christ" or "The Anointed". His repressed memories not only cloud the day of his mother's suicide, but also hide a treason that has been committed against him. Like Jesus before him, so has Christopher been sold by a person close to him.

Directed by Chris Hastings and written by Hastings, James Collins and Jack Rousseau, THE 13TH is a throwback to British horror films like THE WICKER MAN (the Robin Hardy original, not the Nic Cage "bee" movie) and in most recent year's films like KILL LIST. In these films, the protagonist is taken away from the chaotic normalcy that the urban sprawl provides and is lured to a remote location where the locals have different ways and customs and who seem to all be in on a massive secret. The protagonist is disoriented, trying to piece together the mystery as the local's behavior grows increasingly bizarre and suspicious, culminating in a revelation with terrible implications for the protagonist. In this regard, THE 13TH lives up to its premise, as we see Christopher Shaw (Played by a fresh-faced Kurtis Stacey) travel to a remote Greek Island plagues a string of suicides that may be connected to his late father's research. The locals seem hostile and hermetic towards the stranger, but he is later guided by Rebecca Grant's Stavroula, playing the part of the mysterious resident that may know more than she lets on with effective eeriness. Wookie Mayer plays Helen, a British psychiatrist that helps Chris dig out his repressed memories with more relatable normalcy, which still hides a deep knowledge of whatever is going on. Since THE 13TH plays very much like a WICKER MAN homage, we have an idea of more or less where it may go, however, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking it, and the road to the inevitable ending is filled with dread, nightmarish imagery and a compelling mystery that keeps us invested in finding the truth just as much as Chris does. While this is a modest production, it is not without quality. The Cinematography work by Felix Schmilinksy is superb, capturing the decay and ominous atmosphere of the Mediterranean island the film is being shot at. Chris Barber's production design helps craft some nightmarish imagery on a budget, creating some unsettling designs. The music score by Michael S. Bishop is as elegant as horror scores come, aided by superb sound design that fills the corners with hellish moaning and whispers that will get to your head. Overall, THE 13TH is a homage that manages to be an original thanks to its premise and its use of Gnostic theology.