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Thirteen Ghosts

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This article is about the 2001 remake. For the 1960 film, see 13 Ghosts.
Thirteen Ghosts
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteve Beck
Screenplay byNeal Marshall Stevens
Richard D'Ovidio
Story byRobb White
Based on13 Ghosts
by Robb White
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGale Tattersall
Edited by
  • Derek G. Brechin
  • Edward A. Warschilka
Music byJohn Frizzell
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • October 26, 2001 (2001-10-26) (U.S.)
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$42 million[1]
Box office$68.5 million[1]

Thirteen Ghosts (also known as 13 Ghosts and stylized as THIR13EN Ghosts) is a 2001 supernatural horror film directed by Steve Beck in his directorial debut. A remake of the 1960 film 13 Ghosts by William Castle,[2] the film stars Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, Rah Digga, and F. Murray Abraham.[2]

Released theatrically on October 26, 2001, the film grossed $68 million at the box office on a budget of $42 million and received generally negative reviews upon release.[3]

Plot

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Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos and his psychic assistant Dennis Rafkin lead a team on a mission to capture a spirit called the Juggernaut. Several men, including Cyrus, are killed while the team can catch the ghost. Cyrus's nephew Arthur, a widower, is informed by Cyrus's estate lawyer, Ben Moss, that he has inherited Cyrus' mansion. Financially insecure, Arthur decides to move there with his two children, Kathy and Bobby, and their nanny, Maggie.

Dennis meets the family as they tour the mansion. The residence is made entirely of glass sheets inscribed with Latin phrases, which Dennis recognizes as barrier spells. He discovers that the 12 angry ghosts he and Cyrus captured are imprisoned in the house, held captive by the spells. As he warns Arthur, Moss unwittingly triggers a mechanism that seals the house and releases the ghosts. Moss dies when a set of sliding doors cut him in half. Bobby sees several of the ghosts, including the Withered Lover – his mother, Jean, who had died of injuries sustained in a house fire. He is knocked unconscious and dragged away.

Dennis uses a pair of spectral glasses that allow the wearer to see the supernatural realm to avoid the ghosts. The Jackal, one of the most dangerous ghosts, attacks Kathy and Arthur, but they are saved by Kalina Oretzia, a spirit liberator attempting to free the ghosts. Kathy disappears. The four adults gather in the library, where Arthur learns that Jean's ghost is also in the house. Kalina explains that the house is a machine powered by captive ghosts, allowing its users to see the past, present, and future. The only way to shut it down is by creating a 13th ghost from a sacrifice of love. Arthur realizes that he must become that ghost to save his children.

Armed with the spectral glasses, Arthur and Dennis enter the basement to find the children. Dennis barricades Arthur behind a glass sheet for his protection. Dennis is beaten to death by the Hammer and the Juggernaut, two other dangerous ghosts. It is revealed that Cyrus faked his death to lure Arthur to the house; Kalina is his partner and lover, revealed when she knocks Maggie unconscious with a large book and promptly kisses Cyrus upon his arrival. Cyrus has orchestrated the abduction of Kathy and Bobby so that Arthur will become the 13th ghost, which will not stop the machine as Kalina had claimed but trigger its activation. Cyrus kills Kalina, who objected to Cyrus putting the children in danger and summons the ghosts to activate the machine.

Arthur witnesses all 12 ghosts in the main hall orbiting a clockwork device of rotating metal rings, with his children at the center. He fights Cyrus while Maggie disrupts the machine's controls, releasing the ghosts from its power and causing the machine to go haywire. The ghosts hurl Cyrus into the moving rings, slicing him to pieces. With the encouragement of Dennis' ghost, Arthur jumps through the machine safely to protect his children. The house's walls shatter as the malfunctioning machine rips itself apart, freeing the ghosts. Jean's ghost tells them she loves them before she disappears.

As the family departs, Maggie angrily declares she is quitting as their nanny.

Cast

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Development

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James Gunn performed rewrites to the script, but was uncredited.[4] There were some reshoots that were filmed during September 11, 2001.[5]

Release

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Home media

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The film was released on VHS and DVD on April 2, 2002.[6] The film initially debuted on the Blu-ray format on October 19, 2010 in a double feature with House of Wax (2005).[7]

A special collector's edition Blu-ray was released by Shout Factory under their Scream Factory label on July 28, 2020. This new release features brand new interviews with the cast and crew, plus a brand new audio commentary with director Steve Beck.[8]

Reception

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Box office

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In the US, the film opened ranking 2nd behind K-PAX, making $15,165,355.[9][10] It spent 10 weeks in the US box office, eventually making $41,867,960 domestically, and $68,467,960 worldwide.[10][11]

Critical reception

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Reviews for Thirteen Ghosts were mostly negative. Praise was directed toward the production design but the film was criticized for its lack of scares and a number of strobe effects throughout that could induce seizures. It holds an approval rating of 19% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 96 reviews with an average rating of 3.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The production design is first rate, but 13 Ghosts is distinctly lacking in scares."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[13]

Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine rated the film two out of four stars, panning the film's lack of scares, and predictable plot twists. However, Gonzalez commended the art direction, while also stating it was underutilized.[14] Roger Ebert praised the production values saying, "The production is first-rate...The physical look of the picture is splendid." However, he criticized the story, lack of interesting characters, loud soundtrack, and poor editing.[15] In 2005 Ebert included it on his list of "Most Hated" films.[16] In the years since its release and disappointing box office performance, the film has gathered a prominent cult following, finding further success and more positive reception. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times said of the film "what we're left with after the scares is just plain dumb."[17]

Future

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In August 2023, Dark Castle Entertainment announced that they're planning to make a Thirteen Ghosts series.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Thir13en Ghosts (2001)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Donato, Matt (July 1, 2021). "The 'Thir13en Ghosts' Remake Ushered new-School Horror Into a New Millennium [Revenge of the Remakes]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Thirteen Ghosts at Rotten Tomatoes
  4. ^ Dee, Jake (August 20, 2021). "9 Movies You Didn't Know Were Written By James Gunn". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. ^ {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRoi1btxgc}
  6. ^ Godinez, Victor (March 8, 2002). "Heroes of the past are resurrected". The Dallas Good Morning News. Sun Herald. p. 98. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Thir13en Ghosts / House of Wax Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Miska, Brad (June 16, 2020). "'Thirteen Ghosts' Gets a Blu-ray Collector's Edition Release from Scream Factory". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Aliens, ghosts dominate box office". Daily Press. October 29, 2001. p. 2. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ^ a b "Thirteen Ghosts". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  11. ^ Wee, Valerie (2013). Japanese Horror Films and Their American Remakes. Routledge. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-134-10962-3.
  12. ^ "Thirteen Ghosts Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "Thirteen Ghosts". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Gonzalez, Ed (October 25, 2001). "Review: Thir13en Ghosts". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  15. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 26, 2001). "13 Ghosts". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  16. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 11, 2005). "Ebert's Most Hated". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  17. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (October 26, 2001). "FILM REVIEW; People Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn't Stow Ghosts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Dick, Jeremy (August 13, 2023). "Thirteen Ghosts Series Adaptation in Development". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
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