13 Sins

Hollywood’s cannibalistic cycle of consumption and regurgitation continues unabated, as yet another super Asian horror is chewed up, sucked of its creativity and spat out. Adapted from Thai horror comedy 13 Beloved, 13 Sins centres on down-on-his luck Elliot (a highly emotive Mark Webber), an expectant father who loses his job and faces bankruptcy. Desperate, Elliot hastily acquiesces when he receives a strange phone call offering him a thousand dollars to swat a fly.

Much like Stamm’s previous supernatural chiller The Last Exorcism, 13 Sins’ horror relies on a largely unexplained conspiracy, only instead of satanic cults has a dark history stretching back to medieval Rome. Flimsy plot withstanding, 13 Sins is an enjoyable watch and fits neatly into the ever expanding genre of film as theme park ride: thrilling, shocking, forgettable. [Rachel Bowles]