In this episode, I am taking a look at a Blumhouse-produced effort from the company’s hot streak in the 2010s. Back when the production house seemed more prone to take risks. I’m specifically talking about Daniel Stamm’s (The Last Exorcism) 13 Sins. The flick is an English language remake of the Thai horror film 13: Game of Death. Stamm’s reimagining maintains the darkly comedic tone of its predecessor, filling the lead roles with a cast of key players who will surely be familiar to genre film enthusiasts.
Read the article: https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/the-overlook-motel/522302/13-sins-is-a-devastating-meditation-on-greed-the-overlooked-motel/
Check Out Our Podcast Network- https://www.dreadcentral.com/dread-podcast-network/
Grab your Dread merchandise, movies, and more- https://store.dreadcentral.com/
Follow Dread Central on social media:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DreadCentral
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/dreadcentral/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/DreadCentral
TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@dreadcentral
Read the article: https://www.dreadcentral.com/editorials/the-overlook-motel/522302/13-sins-is-a-devastating-meditation-on-greed-the-overlooked-motel/
Check Out Our Podcast Network- https://www.dreadcentral.com/dread-podcast-network/
Grab your Dread merchandise, movies, and more- https://store.dreadcentral.com/
Follow Dread Central on social media:
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/DreadCentral
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/dreadcentral/
Twitter- https://twitter.com/DreadCentral
TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@dreadcentral
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Welcome to the Overlook Motel, a place where underseen and unappreciated media gets its moment in the spotlight.
00:06I took a break from the expected for the previous installment of the Overlook Motel,
00:11and I shared a television series recommendation instead of a feature film.
00:15I'm radically unpredictable, I know.
00:17For this edition, I'm reining in my wild ways and championing a motion picture as I normally would.
00:23Too much deviation from the norm has the very real tendency to overwhelm.
00:27Today's pick is a Blumhouse-produced effort from the company's hot streak in the 2010s,
00:32back when the production house seemed more prone to take risks.
00:36More specifically, I'm talking about Daniel Stamm's 13 Sins.
00:40The flick is an English-language remake of the Thai horror film 13 Game of Death.
00:45Stamm's reimagining maintains the darkly comedic tone of its predecessor,
00:49filling the lead roles with a cast of characters who will surely be familiar to genre film enthusiasts.
00:55The picture follows Elliot, played by Mark Webber of Green Room.
00:58We catch up with Elliot shortly after he finds out that his fiancée,
01:01who is played by True Blood's Rutina Wesley, is with child,
01:05but shortly before he loses his job and insurance benefits.
01:08At that pivotal moment, Elliot fields a call promising a unique opportunity to participate in a game.
01:15The so-called game is a series of escalating challenges that start small and end with a devastating dilemma.
01:22Elliot gleefully accepts, only to later question what he's gotten himself into.
01:26I mentioned previously that the film features a cast of characters that genre fans will likely recognize,
01:31and I was dead serious.
01:33In addition to Webber and Wesley, the cast includes Devin Gray,
01:36who plays the teenage version of the titular character on the original incarnation of Dexter,
01:42Richard Berge of Hostel 2,
01:44Ron Perlman from Hellboy,
01:46the late Tom Bauer of Die Hard 2 fame,
01:49and George Ko from The Stepford Wives 1975.
01:52The entire cast does a fine job.
01:54Rutina Wesley is underutilized, yet she still makes for a welcome presence in the scenes she appears.
02:00Webber is the real star of the show, though.
02:02He turns in a nuanced performance that sees him transform from mouse to monster in record time.
02:08He is just as convincing as a meek, timid salesperson,
02:12as he is playing a much more emboldened version of himself that begins to emerge once the game is afoot.
02:18The other standout from the cast is the late George Ko as the disembodied voice on the other end of the line.
02:23His endless enthusiasm is at odds with the menacing nature of what he's actually saying,
02:28suggesting he's taking sadistic pleasure in ruining lives and causing various forms of malady.
02:33Ko's delivery fits well with the picture's bleak tone.
02:36The film juxtaposes moments of pitch-black comedy against various forms of malady.
02:41The humor is so dark that it almost feels inappropriate to laugh.
02:45There were a couple of times where I chuckled and then had to stop myself because I felt like a complete monster.
02:50One perfect example of that is presented in the sequence where the disembodied voice on the other end of the telephone
02:56tasks Elliot with making a child cry.
02:59This sequence would be horrifying to witness in real life.
03:01However, seeing it unfold within the confines of a fictional narrative
03:05had me desperately attempting to stifle laughter with little success.
03:09The downbeat narrative and bleak tone underscore the film's core messaging
03:12about what money, or the want for money, does to people.
03:16Greed has the very real potential to turn the well-meaning into monsters.
03:20That point is humorously and not-so-humorously illustrated throughout the duration of 13 Sins.
03:25The film playfully comments on the insular nature of wealth
03:29and explores the darkest corners of the human condition with a maniacal zest for mayhem.
03:34The picture concludes in a manner befitting to the rest of the film,
03:37which is to say it's bleak and hard to watch.
03:40If you're invested in the characters, the decidedly unsettling conclusion is likely to leave you distraught.
03:45The day now made did a number on me the first time I watched 13 Sins and,
03:49even knowing what was coming upon a repeat visit, I still came away with a heavy heart.
03:53With that said, I think the conclusion is true to form and further drives home the picture's message.
03:58As for why 13 Sins remains under-seen more than 10 years on from release,
04:02that likely has much to do with the lack of promotion from Dimension, the picture's now-defunct distributor.
04:08The flick premiered at South by Southwest, which undoubtedly generated some buzz.
04:12However, things get a little weird from there.
04:15Following South by Southwest, the flick went straight to VOD.
04:18Then a month after its VOD release, 13 Sins played in a handful of theaters.
04:23Not what I'd call a particularly effective release strategy,
04:26although that's certainly no reflection on the quality of the film.
04:29On the whole, 13 Sins is a bleak meditation on greed that delivers a relatable lead,
04:34a killer cast, a couple of devastating twists, and a hefty serving of pitch-black comedy.
04:39If you haven't yet experienced 13 Sins and would like to do so,
04:42you can find this unsettling effort streaming for free with ads on Tubi as of the publication of this post.
04:48It's also available on both DVD and Blu-ray, so if you check the flick out and dig it,
04:53I suggest picking up a copy on physical media.
04:56I know I probably sound like a broken record by now,
04:58but that's the only way to guarantee the films you enjoy will be available to watch when the mood to do so strikes.
05:04That's all for this installment of the Overlook Motel.
05:07If you'd like to chat more about underseen and underrated films,
05:10feel free to hit me up with your thoughts on Twitter threads or Instagram,
05:13at funwithhorror.