Review: ‘Day 13’ offers up slickly sweet mood

Crafting a compelling modern day thriller wholly reliant on a complex and rich configuration of sub-genres is one tall order. Jax Medel’s Day 13 peels back layers of mystery, haunted house chiller, satanism, and demonic possession through an alluring visual banquet. A strong lead performance from Alex MacNicoll (The Society, Transparent), who plays the well-intentioned, self-described peeping tom Colton Fremont, grounds the story and sucks the viewer in.

With a script from Dan Gannon and Walter Goldwalter, Day 13 follows Colton and his younger sister Rachel (Meyrick Murphy) as they are left home alone for 16 days while their mother (Darlene Vogel) galavants off to Barcelona for vacation. The seemingly abandoned house across the street naturally supplies the story’s entire propulsive motion. Colton first spots a sinister, unexplainable light, and later expresses concerns to his buddy Michael (JT Palmer), who’s role mostly functions as comic relief and to become the eyes and ears to a break-in operation later in the film (his performance is fascinatingly similar to Lil Rel Howery in 2017’s Get Out). When an older gentlemen named Magnus Torvald (Martin Kove) and his adopted daughter Heather (Genevieve Hannelius) move into the residence in the middle of the night, Colton immediately suspects something much darker at play.

Over the next 90 minutes, Colton keeps a hawk-eye watch over the home with newly-installed security cameras, all pointed in one direction, and eventually witnesses what he believes to be satanic ritual abuse and sacrifices. His attempts to rescue Heather from such potential depravity is a well-trodden road, and plans are continuously foiled at almost every turn. Day 13 never mines new territory (often feeling tedious or lukewarm), but Medel’s keen eye for spacial relationships, nail-biting framework, and vibrant, moody color palettes are exemplary.

A few scare gags clumsily land, but MacNicoll always commands the scene. He possesses such an easy charisma that you can look past some of the messier story beats and simply be entranced in what could unfold next. When they’re onscreen together, MacNicoll and Murphy bandy witty repartee as all good siblings do; their chemistry is undeniable, another high point to an otherwise just fine film. Hannelius, who gives an intentionally weird performance, doesn’t quite connect as effectively with MacNicoll, despite their burgeoning onscreen romance.

Day 13 is ambitious on paper. As the third act boils over, what is meant to be the ultimate climax between Colton and Magnus, as they go hand-to-hand with various weapons, is deflating and lackluster. There are still a good six minutes left of the film, so you know a big twist is likely to pop out of the sky. When the revelation, a bit predictable perhaps, does come, it’s not a terrible reveal.

All things considered, Day 13 is a fun little chiller and solid performance piece for MacNicoll, Murphy, and Palmer ⏤ who deserve their own post-apocalyptic spin-off. Oh, and the last few moments do hit a very cool and very ghoulish note.

Day 13 hits VOD tomorrow (August 4) via Breaking Glass Pictures.

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