When 17-year-old Colton is left at home to babysit his little sister for the summer, he develops a crush on Heather, the beautiful girl who just moved into a mysterious old house across the street. He falls in love with her from afar — but also witnesses her foster father grow increasingly threatening towards her. When Colton suspects the man belongs to a Satanic cult, and is preparing to ritually murder her, he resorts to desperate measures to intervene. Once he learns the real truth, it is more horrifying than anything he had ever imagined.
Take a little Disturbia, add a bit of Fright Night, and a pinch of Rosemary’s Baby and you’ve got yourself Day 13. The slow burn mystery feels a bit predictable about halfway through. Then 45 minutes in, “Oh, hello. That’s new!” You are, without a doubt, rooting for Colton. He’s a genuinely nice guy, even if he mysteriously has a ton of cash for a high school kid. Also, his mother is a terrible person (who leaves their two kids alone for 16 days?!) and his sister acts like an 8-year-old even though I’m sure she’s meant to be at least 13. That’s A LOT for a kid to deal with. Oh, and besides the fact that his new love interest seems to be held captive by her adoptive father who definitely deals in some dark arts shadiness.
Alex MacNicoll as our leading man is charming and down to Earth. He’s totally believable as a brave and gentlemanly boy next door. The mystery girl next door is played by Genevieve Hannelius. She has an authentic Taissa Farmiga vibe ala American Horror Story, season 1. One of the most entertaining parts of the film is J.T. Palmer as Colton’s best friend, Michael. He is the audience. I loved his commentary.
That climactic twist. Sure, I’ve seen enough horror films to know when something seems “too easy”. I’ve learned two things from Day 13; first, maybe don’t leave a teenager home alone to take care of his younger sister, and second, no good deed goes unpunished. If only Colton could have been bored for 3 more days. The film is definitely entertaining. I have to admit I was fully into Colton’s ambitious plan to solve the mystery. I was certainly on the edge of my couch when he attempts to rescue Heather. You’ll need to get to the bottom of what’s really plaguing this girl… and Colton. Day 13 is now available on VOD. Check out the trailer below.
Writer: Dan Gannon | Walter Goldwalter
Producer: Richard C. Brooks
You must be logged in to post a comment.