Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

Director:

Steve Beck

Writers:

Robb White (story)
Benjamin Carr (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror has multiplied.

Plot:

When Cyrus Kriticos, a very rich collector of unique things dies, he leaves it all to his nephew and his family. All including his house, his fortune, and his malicious collection of ghosts!

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Glass House | Machine | Ghost Hunter | Magic

Awards:

2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 12	11:00 PM	MTV
Sun. Dec. 13	3:00 AM	MTV

Cast

Tony Shalhoub	...	Arthur Kriticos
Embeth Davidtz	...	Kalina Oretzia
Matthew Lillard	...	Dennis Rafkin
Shannon Elizabeth	...	Kathy Kriticos
Alec Roberts	...	Robert 'Bobby' Kriticos
JR Bourne	...	Benjamin Moss
Rah Digga	...	Maggie Bess
F. Murray Abraham	...	Cyrus Kriticos
Matthew Harrison	...	Damon
Jacob Rupp	...	Cyrus' Assistant
Mike Crestejo	...	Team Member
Aubrey Culp	...	Team Member (as Aubrey Lee Culp)
Charles Andre	...	Team Member
Mikhael Speidel	...	Billy Michaels, The First Born Son
Daniel Wesley	...	Jimmy 'The Gambler' Gambino, The Torso

Also Known As:

13 Ghosts (USA) (alternative spelling)
13 fantômes (Canada: French title)
Thirteen Ghosts (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence/gore, nudity and some language.

Runtime:

91 min | France:87 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Denmark:15 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Ontario) (video rating) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #37748)

Filming Locations:

Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The budget, opening weekend box office gross, and box office gross overall of this film are all virtually identical (within one million dollars) to that of House on Haunted Hill (1999), which opened almost exactly two years earlier. Both films were adapted from stories written by Robb White.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the jackal is attacking Arthur, his left hand disappears and reappears between shots.

Quotes:

[seeing their new glass house]
Kathy Kriticos: I sure hope the bathroom's in the basement...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Mirror Mirror

Please lighten up, folks!

As I've said so many times before...people, this is just a movie. It is not intended to make deep social comment; it is not meant to reflect reality; the characters are not obligated to exercise good judgment; the fact that this movie is supposed to be "based on" the earlier version is not really relevant; and it ought to be possible to be entertained by a movie without necessarily feeling genuinely scared.

I find this to be a very entertaining movie. Good special effects, decent acting, lots of action, neat props and mechanicals, and some unique ghosts make this a lot of fun. Was I scared? No. I was startled sometimes, but not scared.

So what IS wrong with this movie? Well, I'm back to my usual gripe about action movies. There's a point in the film where one character says to three other characters, "Stay right here until I get back. Don't touch anything." Without going into detail, let me simply state the obvious: the other characters don't obey him and the results are not good. This is always a big turn-off to me, because the people who disobey almost always end up getting out safely, while other people die for their mistakes. In another film, for example, a family in the Federal witness protection program is told not to contact their old friends. The daughter, however, can't live without calling her boyfriend at least once. The bad guys intercept the phone call, show up at the "safe house," and end up killing several US Marshals. Of course, the daughter is oblivious to the damage she has caused and goes on to live happily ever after. Just once I'd like to see the survivors turn to the person who was reckless and say, "That was all your fault!" and blow the person away in a hail of lead.

Now, back to THIS film. I recommend it if you enjoy over-the-top horror/action films, but not if you are looking for some sort of psychological thriller or a moody mystery. If you liked "Dog Soldiers" and "An American Werewolf in London," then you should like this movie.

*** out of ****