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A review by justinkhchen
Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
3.0
Filled with cliché found-footage tropes, but still offers some easy fun, Episode Thirteen feels familiar, because it religiously follows the template of a 'Blair Witch' clone: a production crew consisted of horror character archetypes (the supernatural believer, the scientific nonbeliever, the 'paid to be here' actor, the one with a shady past, etc.) venturing into a location with haunted history, and being deeply affected by its omnipresent force. The epistolary structure keeps the narrative exciting, and I particularly enjoy the commentary regarding the business side of production (rating, and the worst kept secret of scripting in ‘reality’ shows), in an otherwise completely predictable tale of exploration gone wrong (with all the expected arcs: nonbeliever becomes a crazed convert, the dark past materializes to torment, etc.).
I partially read Episode Thirteen through its audiobook, which is an impressive full-cast production with music and sound effect. While it definitely enhances the immersion, and fits the multimedia format perfectly, some acting choices are a little questionable, making the already canned dialog even more contrived (the ones that are meant to be romantic and loving are particularly cheesy). Still, I would say this is the preferred way to dive into this title.
Episode Thirteen was a good time, but not a long time. as it's already blending together with many other 'group exploring a haunted location' horror stories I've consumed in the past (Thirteen Ghosts comes to mind), and I don't particularly connect or grow to care about any of its characters; but it did deliver the 'turn my brain off' entertainment I needed.
I partially read Episode Thirteen through its audiobook, which is an impressive full-cast production with music and sound effect. While it definitely enhances the immersion, and fits the multimedia format perfectly, some acting choices are a little questionable, making the already canned dialog even more contrived (the ones that are meant to be romantic and loving are particularly cheesy). Still, I would say this is the preferred way to dive into this title.
Episode Thirteen was a good time, but not a long time. as it's already blending together with many other 'group exploring a haunted location' horror stories I've consumed in the past (Thirteen Ghosts comes to mind), and I don't particularly connect or grow to care about any of its characters; but it did deliver the 'turn my brain off' entertainment I needed.