Horror Films of 2013 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Evil Dead

"Evil Dead" is, of course, based off of Sam Raimi's original cult classic "The Evil Dead", which was released in 1981 and starred Bruce Campbell. While reports of a new film in said series ("Army of Darkness 2") had been circulating for years, the remake finally broke ground and was released in 2013. Directed by Uruguayan Fede Alvarez, it ended up earning nearly $100,000,000 in the box office by pitting five new hapless cabin-dwellers against possessions and fiendish devils from Hell. Unsurprisingly, it was exceedingly gory (just like the original) and was better-received by critics than most movies of a similar ilk.

Answer: The Purge

Starring Ethan Hawke (who was in "Sinister" the year before) and Lena Headey (of "Game of Thrones" fame), this movie set in the future hypothesized that we would all live in an idyllic society in which crime would never exist because on one night of the year a 'purge' would occur in which everyone would be allowed to kill anyone else without repercussion.

When one family sealed themselves off they got more than they bargained for. The movie, directed by James DeMonaco, earned nearly $90,000,000 in the box office and earned a fair bit of attention with summer audiences.

Answer: Dark Skies

This movie, despite little advertisement in February 2013, ended up earning over $25,000,000 in the box office in a time of year not normally featuring horror offerings. "Dark Skies" pitted the Barrett Family against several odd occurrences all leading them to believe that they were being stalked by alien forces. Sure enough, after speaking with a crazy, old man who confirmed their beliefs, they banded together to prevent their youngest son from getting abducted.

Much of the film based its scares on odd, paranormal frights instead of gore and graphic horror. Director Scott Stewart also filmed "Legion" (2010) and "Priest" (2011) if that's any gauge.

Answer: Mama

With Del Toro's strong track record of horror productions (he previously released "The Orphanage" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"), "Mama" was highly-anticipated by viewers looking for dark atmosphere and almost-gothic visuals. Released in January, early on in the year, the movie ended up earning nearly $150,000,000 in the box office while retaining a good rapport with critics. Due to its success it was later parodied by soon-to-be-released films like "Scary Movie 5", which actually added "Mama" into the script midway through filming to capitalize on the success. "Mama" starred Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as two parents looking after a pair of feral girls found in the woods. Little did they know, their 'Mama', a supernatural entity, was already looking after them.

Answer: You're Next

Although this movie showed up on the radar in 2011 as a Midnight Madness release during TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) it took two years to finally appear in wide release in theaters. By that point it had accumulated a fair share of buzz and, after releasing in August 2013, it earned over $25,000,000 -- twenty-five times its original budget.

The movie, about a trio of murderers running rampant around a family house, was not unlike "The Strangers" released a few years earlier. Director Adam Wingard also directed "A Horrible Way to Die" in 2011 and was featured in "V/H/S" and "V/H/S 2".

Answer: The Conjuring

Highly praised by critics and audiences alike for maintaining James Wan's track record of atmospheric style and clever scares, "The Conjuring" nearly made the most profit of any horror release in 2013 -- over $300,000,000 in the box office. Following a paranormal investigation conducted by the Warrens in 1971, the movie tracks the attempt to save a family from an evil spirit, mainly through the Warrens' particular techniques and, go figure, exorcism.

It is, of course, based on the true stories of Ed and Lorraine Warren, the former a demonologist and the latter a psychic medium.

Answer: Warm Bodies

Director Jonathan Levine also filmed the famous horror no-show "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane", originally screened in 2008 and held back from release for half a decade. "Warm Bodies", however, went straight to the theater to earn a respectable $116,000,000 in the box office, all for combining the genre staple of zombies with aspects of romantic comedy.

In this movie, a zombie, falling in love with a normal human, decided to keep her safe, possibly reigniting the sparks of humanity he once had. Yes, the term is 'Zom-Com'.

Answer: World War Z

Directed by Oscar nominee Marc Forster, "World War Z" was heavily backed by Brad Pitt leading up to its high-profile 2013 release and, unsurprisingly, it was a hit with movie-goers, becoming one of the highest-earning films of the summer. The movie, an action-packed tale about a man's travels around the world to prevent a zombie pandemic from killing everyone, combined the realism of AMC's "The Walking Dead" with the intensity of Brooks' original novel.

The movie was delayed for several years -- it took six to reach the screen in 2013 -- and it was originally conceived as a trilogy.

Answer: Insidious

The original "Insidious" was a surprise success in the box office in 2011. Taking in nearly $100,000,000, the movie centered around a family's interactions with an otherworldly dimension known as 'The Further' and the purgatory-like Hell it contained; the youngest son was possessed by a demon and they had to stop it.

The sequel came out in 2013, continuing the story elsewhere but with the same foreboding terror and dread as the first. Directed by James Wan (previously known for "Saw"), the sequel earned over $130,000,000 after its September release, making Wan one of the highest-earning horror directors of the year.

Answer: Carrie

"Carrie" was originally filmed in 1976 by Brian De Palma and became a horror classic in its own right. Starring Sissy Spacek, it featured several key moments which would be iconic in the genre. In 2013, the movie was remade by "Boys Don't Cry" director Kimberly Peirce.

Originally planned to be released in March of 2013, it was pushed ahead six months; this may have had an effect on the movie which, although created to better reflect King's original novel, ended up flopping with critics simply because it didn't.

It recouped its budget in a few weeks, but failed to impress King fans.