The CW has announced it's ordered 13, a new reality competition series/horror movie hybrid that is scheduled to debut this summer.

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"This series is the first to take the horror movie into the reality world," said The CW president Dawn Ostroff.  "The action takes contestants on a journey with challenges and games designed to frighten them along the way.  Similar to horror films, the challenges will play into our deepest fears and anxieties and will reveal things the contestants never knew about themselves."

The Evil Dead writer and director Sam Raimi will serve as executive producer for the tentatively-titled series, along with Jay Bienstock and Robert Tapert.

13 "has been in the works for some time," Daily Variety reported Thursday, adding the show was originally conceived by Gunnar Witterberg in October 2006.   CBS alternative programming executive Ghen Maynard -- who also oversees The CW's reality projects -- then tapped Bienstock to work on the project, according to Variety.

"It sounded like a lot of fun," Bienstock told Variety, adding Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street served as inspiration for the project. "The idea of doing a horror/scary/reality show with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert -- there's nothing better."

Originally titled House of Horrors, Variety reported 13 has been "tweaked" from its initial format but will still use "horror-themed challenges" to eliminate contestants one at a time until a winner is left standing.  In addition, 13's setting is also still up in the air, with several classic horror movie settings being considered.

Casting for the show's 13 contestants is also currently underway.

"We want to cast it like a horror movie," Bienstock told Variety. "And shoot it a little differently as well. Think about those old movies -- we want to put people in a place like that, where they have to deal with their fears and anxieties. They'll end up surprising one another."

13 is being produced Magic Molehill Productions, Jay Bienstock Productions and Raimi's Ghost House Productions.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
Christopher Rocchio is an entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and has covered the reality TV genre for several years.