From the producer of Dog Soldiers, 13 Hrs stars some of the hottest young British talent in one of the horror hits of the year. Starring Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Gemma Atkinson (Hollyoaks), Isabella Calthorpe (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) and Joshua Bowman (Holby City). A full moon hangs in the night sky and lightning streaks across dark storm clouds. Sarah Tyler (Isabella Calthorpe) returns to her troubled family home in the isolated countryside, for a much put-off visit. As the storm rages on, Sarah, along with her family and friends shore up for the night, cut off from the outside world. But something emerges from the driving rain and darkness. Something that holds a dark secret so devastating that, in one night, it could wipe out the entire family. Trapped, Sarah, along with her brothers and friends must use their heads as well as their physical strength to survive not only the thing that is hunting them down one by one – but their own entrapment as the besieged group turns in on itself. Can they survive the horror which is stalking them? Can they survive for 13 hours? Or is their enemy already amongst them and always has been? Starring: Tom Felton, Isabella Calthorpe, Gemma Atkinson
Directed by: Jonathan Glendening
Runtime: 90 minutes
Studio: High Fliers
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: 13hrs
It’s not the happiest homecoming for Sarah (Isabella Calthorpe), who returns to England to visit family from her home and work in Los Angeles. She finds her stepfather Duncan (Simon MacCorkindale) alone in his study and exhausted. She then heads out to the barn where her brothers – Stephen (Peter Gadiot), Charlie (Gabriel Thomson) and Luke (Antony Di Liseo) – are partying with friends – Gary (Tom Felton) and Doug (Joshua Bowman). Also there is Sarah’s best friend, Emily (Gemma Atkinson), who is dating Stephen and doesn’t have the warmest of welcomes for a friend she believes abandoned her. From her young brother Luke, Sarah learns of trouble in the family with the suspicion that their mother (Sue Scadding) is having an affair. Before they can worry further the group find blood in the house and discover Duncan has been devoured in a brutal attack.
It soon becomes apparent that something dangerous is on the property and kills anything that gets in its way. The group seek refuge in the loft of the house but manage to ring the emergency services. While they hideout, a police officer May (Cornelius Clarke) and trained dog catcher McRae (John Lynch) head for the isolated residence in response to a call about a wild animal attack. Can they get there in time or will the family and friends be wiped out? What is attacking them and where has it come from? The group must endure 13 long hours before they can find the answers.
13hrs is an okay horror film let down by a limited budget. Sightings of the monster are few and far between and you are left to view the dead victims rather than seeing them being attacked. The characters are quite well developed despite the film’s limited run-time but despite the interesting twist at the very end the film is distinctly lacking overall.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 802 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
