Top 10

10. Dark Skies
Simple but effective. 'Dark Skies' is a derivative alien invasion film but strong performances and solid effects combine for a decent horror romp.

9. This is the End
A riotous good time with a slew of famous faces keep this apocalyptic comedy generating laughs and fun throughout.

8. The World's End
Wright, Pegg and Frost turn in the third entry of their Cornetto series. A fantastic ride through the small town of Newton Haven with compelling characters, great action, more laughs, and even great drama.

7. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
Bloody, violent, sexy, action packed and full of monsters. 'Hansel & Gretel' is tons of fun and should be the model for action/horror from henceforth. Plus, Edgar the Troll.

6. Pacific Rim
Gigantic mech robots fighting gigantic alien monsters. A major studio budget, direction from Guillermo del Toro, and some fantastic character actors have made 'Pacific Rim' a brand new franchise for fans to grow with.

5. Evil Dead
A brutal reimagining of the classic with a fresh creative team. 'Evil Dead' constantly ups the ante with gore and gross out gags while maintaining scares aplenty.

4. V/H/S 2
If the 'Safe Haven' sequence from this anthology series was feature length, it'd likely be my top film of the year. As a whole 'VHS 2' is still a massive step up from its predecessor with some all time short story additions.

3. Maniac
An exquisite score, inventive use of the first person perspective, and the most viscerally violent movie of the year. Elijah Wood elevates the film ever further with a fantastic performance even when not on screen.

2. You're Next
Criminally under seen, with a simple set up involving a family reunion, 'You're Next' transcends horror, thriller, and revenge genres and creates a new icon of female badasses in Sharni Vinson. Elaborate traps and executions keep the blood flowing and energy swirling.

1. The Conjuring
2013's rock star of the horror genre, 'The Conjuring' is effective, creative, classical and new all in one. Boasting of variety of scares and horror tropes, it excels in its derivative qualities. Outstanding performances from a well rounded cast ground the movie's most supernatural sequences and push the film into modern classic territory for the genre.

Bottom 3

3. Aftershock
Billed as a disaster/survival flick, 'Aftershock' features some of the most intolerable characters put to camera in 2013. And once the disaster unfolds the consequences are childish and boring without any connective tissue to the writing. An overall bad film.

2. Devil's Pass
A premise that's compelling at first evaporated into self seriousness and monotonous exposition. Coupled with terrible writing and awful effects work, 'Devil's Pass' is truly disappointing and bland.

1. The Purge
Hyped to no end this film offers nothing beyond it's interesting premise and the first 20 minutes. Once 'The Purge' begins all logic and sense is thrown out the window and replaced with ridiculous cartoons for characters. A Looney Tunes parody wouldn't look much different.