A look back at 2013 and a big thank you!

Ryan —  January 1, 2014 — 26 Comments

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My second year of blogging is coming to and end, and what a year it was! With 2013 officially coming to an end, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you readers for stopping by everyday and fueling the beast that is Rhino’s Horror. If it weren’t for you guys this whole blogging thing just wouldn’t be the same, and it’s truly because of you folks that it has become such a success. This year was pretty overwhelming for me, to say the least. My blog has reached over a million total views in 2013, and it’s a number that I’m still having a hard time processing. When I originally started Rhino’s Horror I never even imagined getting a thousand views, let alone 1 million. But at the end of the day it’s just a 1 with a bunch of zeros behind it. What really matters is that you, the readers, keeping coming back for more horror, and that’s truly the most rewarding part of this whole thing. So again, thank you!

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With the thank you out of the way, I’d like to take a look back at 2013 and list some of my favorite articles that I’ve had the opportunity to write. Hopefully, if you happened to have missed any of these stories, you’ll take the time now to give them a quick little look. Let’s get this shit started!

Articles

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1. The Conjuring and its True Story In this article I wrote about the “true” events surrounding the inspiration behind one of horror’s biggest films of the year with James Wan’s The Conjuring. This was hands down the most popular article on the site this year and provoked some very interesting stories amongst the commenters.

2. Drown Your Fears - This was a ridiculously creepy commercial for Herbaria calming tea featuring a couple of horror’s most terrifying characters as we saw Pennywise, Leatherface and Death all share the screen. Beautifully shot and terrifying as hell, this was easily one of my favorite videos we saw in 2013.

3. Unused Creature from the Black Lagoon Photos - One of the cooler things we saw this year was a set of LIFE magazine photos for The Creature from the Black Lagoon that were never used. The photos were originally black and white, but after some color correcting was done to them, it brought the creature to life in a way that we’ve never seen before. Very cool!

Short Films

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1. Cargo From directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke comes hands down my favorite short film of the year with Cargo. It’s a brilliant set-up that carries the most precious of cargos as a man is faced with tough decision during a zombie apocalypse. At just 7 minutes, this short film manages to pour more heart and emotion into than most feature films we saw this year.

2. So Pretty - A modern day vampire is featured in Al Loughner’s short film So Pretty in which we see a young woman run into the oldest of monsters on the subway. It’s amazingly well shot and gives us a look at a vampire the horror genre has been missing. The set-up is smart, the acting is solid, and the best part of it all is that it will have you wanting for more.

3. One Last Dive – The scariest short film to grace the horror genre in 2013 belongs to Jason Eisener’s One Last Dive. The best part? It only clocks in at one minute, and it’s sure to scare the shit right out of you. Don’t believe me? Go ahead, see for yourselves!

Artists

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1. Mike Mitchell - My favorite gallery of the year went to Mike Mitchell’s portrait series which featured designs of some of horror’s most iconic characters.

2. Daniel Norris – When I found Norris’ work, I couldn’t have been more surprised at how fresh and unique his take on movie art was. It’s a hell of a style that’s unforgettably cool and definitely one of my favorites of the year.

3. Kyle Lambert - This was certainly one of the more unexpected art galleries we saw this year as Lambert created The Toy Shining in which he took Pixar’s Toy Story characters and coupled them with Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. This was amazing.

Reviews

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1. Open Grave – This was one of my most recent reviews, but it quickly became one of the most popular. A fantastic film with a unique and fresh take on an old genre.

2. Stoker – Recently this one landed as my number 1 horror film of the year, and for good reason. A perfectly told murder mystery that was beautifully shot and wonderfully performed by its cast. A fantastic film, enough said!

3. Jug Face – Here was one of the surprises to hit the indie horror scene this year and became one of the most popular reviews on the site. A solid film with a creepy and mysterious little story.

Trailers

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1. Gray Matter - This was easily one of my favorite trailers of the year, and it’s for a short film no less! The trailer is for Red Clark’s short film Gray Matter and it features some of the coolest uses of practical effects you’ll find these days. It’s a short horror film adaptation of a story from Stephen King’s Night Shift collection and it looks cool as hell. Definitely give this one a watch!

2. Retro Evil Dead trailer – Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead trailers were all very cool, but this fan-made retro style trailer trumps them all! This was brilliantly done and really brought us back to the days of old with its VHS quality and grittiness.

3. The Conjuring - The first teaser for James Wan’s The Conjuring was creepy as hell and worked almost as a short film. It was just a taste of the many terrors to come for Wan’s haunted house chiller, but what a tease it was!

Posters

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1. Big Bad Wolves (Peter Strain) – One of my favorite posters of the year goes to Peter Strain’s amazing art for the upcoming thriller Big Bad Wolves. Truly a one of a kind.

2. Evil Dead (Midnight Marauder) - We saw a lot of Evil Dead posters this year, but one of my favorites went to Midnight Marauder’s old school take on Fede Alvarez’s remake.

3. Willow Creek (Alex Pardee) – One of the most unique posters we saw this year was Alex Pardee’s art for Bobcat Goldthwait’s found-footage horror flick Willow Creek. It doesn’t get much better than this one, folks!

As always, thank you for reading and stay scared!

Ryan

Website Posts

I enjoy life, living comes so naturally to me; its a precious gift like boobs… or rockets. I honestly believe that if you were ever attacked by a gorilla that you should just sit back and relax while you enjoy the once in a life time feeling of having each of your limbs ripped off.

26 responses to A look back at 2013 and a big thank you!

  1. Nick Powell January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    It’s been a solid year for horror and a huge year for you. Congrats, Ryan. You’ve pointed me in many a right direction, made me desperate for certain posters, and it’s been great seeing you evolve with your site, and as a writer. Good job!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Same could be said for you, Nick. Thanks for the support, it means a lot!

      Reply
  2. GaryLee828 January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    This is the blog I came across at this time last year that made me want to create a blog. One of my overall favorite blogs to read, and definitely my favorite horror blog.

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Thanks, Gary! I can always count on you to stop by and leave your 2 cents. It’s very much appreciated and I can’t say thank you enough! Maybe in 2014 we’ll agree on more movies!

      Reply
      • GaryLee828 January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

        I wouldn’t count on it! lol. We actually agreed on a lot of stuff.

        Right now I am watching “The Evil Dead (2013)” special features on the DVD. Jane Levy went thru the wringer during that forest sequence. lol.

      • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

        Jane Levy is a trooper, man!

  3. Randi January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    Congratulations my love! You deserve only the best! Here’s to 2014!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Oh shit, you know it’s going to be a good year when YOU leave a comment! :)

      Reply
  4. penny smith January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    Thanks Ryan! With all your reviews I’ve watched more horror films based on your recommendations. I hate watching a horror film I don’t know anything about and also waisting my time.

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Lol, you’re welcome and thank you! Glad you find my reviews helpful, it’s never fun wasting valuable time on a bad horror flick. That, I know from experience.

      Reply
    • jmount43 January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      If I had read this a year ago I would have been like “I bust my ass in trying to produce the best blog that I possibly can. What is he doing that I’m not?”
      But not now. I have my own viewers, followers, likes and commenters. I have carved out my own little place in the blogging world. Congratulations, Ryan; I will catch up to you in good time. Keep up the good work.

      Reply
      • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

        Thank you Jmount, you’ve been a regular around these parts since I started so that means a lot, man!

  5. rot rotten January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    Happy New Year!
    All the best.
    And congrats!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Thanks for stopping by! Happy New Year!

      Reply
  6. Lindsey January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

    Wow, congrats on a million views! That’s insane! Hope 2014 is just as successful for you. :)

    Reply
    • Ryan January 1, 2014 at 12:05 PMJan

      Thanks, Lindsey! I hope the same for you and thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  7. Beer Movie January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

    Great work man. I really liked a couple of the articles you mentioned as well. Especially the Conjuring and Black Lagoon ones. The kind of pieces that I generally don’t see on blogs. Keep em coming.

    Reply
    • Ryan January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

      Glad you dug those ones, man! It means a lot, and thanks for coming by!

      Reply
  8. Mark Walker January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

    Very impressive numbers there Ryan. Congratulations mate. Onwards and upwards!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

      Thanks, Mark! It’s always nice to see you around these parts!

      Reply
  9. Tim The Film Guy January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

    1,000,000! Holy Shit!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

      Lol, my exact reaction as well!

      Reply
      • Tim The Film Guy January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

        Mine looks like crap in comparison *whimper :(

        Haha half of the views where mine :D

      • Ryan January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

        And I hope you visit just as much this year!

  10. Lauralee January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

    I discovered your blog in May last year, and it is definitely my favorite horror blog BY FAR!! Great job!! I always look forward to reading your stuff!!

    Reply
    • Ryan January 2, 2014 at 12:05 AMJan

      Glad to hear that Lauralee, and thank you so much for continuing to read. It means a lot!

      Reply

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