13 – Fear Is Real

I suppose 13 – Fear Is Real should be welcomed as evidence of the revival in the horror genre. Somehow I can’t feel that way.

13 Fear Is Real is – of all things – a horror reality show. As such it’s an unholy alliance between one of my favourite genres and one I loathe. I had hoped that the reality TV craze was dying out, however it seems that it’s still staggering on as an undead zombie.

The new show, which debuts tomorrow night on The CW in the US, sounds like a pretty standard reality elimination show. The twist is that instead of eating bugs or pretending to be cats the players have to “face their deepest fears” and “stay alive”. To attract the attention of cynical horror fans like myself the famed Sam Raimi is involved as an executive producer.

The show’s official site lists the contestants as “cast”. I’d like to think this means that the whole “reality TV” thing is a smokescreen for what will turn out to be a proper scripted drama. Unfortunately I suspect it’s more likely to be some union rule or simple network conceit.

Being in the UK I won’t get to watch 13 Fear Is Real tomorrow. I can’t say I’m upset.