The film “Thirteen Ghosts” begins in an auto salvage yard. Cyrus Kriticos, portrayed by Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus), is an eccentric adventurer. His lifelong goal is to capture the twelve ghosts of The Black Zodiac. Aiding Kriticos in his efforts is ghost hunter Dennis Rafkin played by Matthew Lillard (Scream). The particular ghost that Rafkin and his team are hunting, is a serial killer known as the Juggernaut (John DeSantis). Capturing the Juggernaut, and imprisoning him in a special containment cell, is not an easy task. The Juggernaut kills a number of the team members, before he is imprisoned.
Arthur Kriticos, a role acted by four time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub (Monk), is a math teacher. He lives pay check to pay check, and is past due on a number of bills. He and his family, which consists of his daughter Kathy played by Shannon Elizabeth (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) and son Bobby (Alec Roberts), have suffered a tragedy. Jean (Kathryn Anderson) the matriarch of the family died in a fire. The viewer learns that she has only been gone six months. Arthur is doing his best to raise his family. He is helped by Maggie (Rah Digga) the children’s live in nanny. (As an aside: The character of the nanny didn’t make sense to me. The family was having serious financial difficulties. How could Arthur afford to pay Maggie’s salary and still provide for his family’s basic needs?)
As it turns out, the family’s luck might be changing. Benjamin Moss, played by JR Bourne (Teen Wolf), was Cyrus Kriticos’s lawyer. Moss plays for Arthur a pre-recorded message on his laptop. In the video, Cyrus informs Arthur, that if he is watching the video, he has passed on. Arthur, as his nephew and only living relative, has inherited his house. The family can’t believe the news and immediately leaves with Moss to travel to the house.
When the family arrives at the house, Rafkin, dressed in a uniform and pretending to be an electrician, is attempting to get inside. While Moss is insistent that he leave, Rafkin will not take no for an answer. The family discovers that the house is an elaborate structure made of glass and steel. Furthermore, on all of the glass panes throughout the house are etched writings.
Moss intends to leave the house within a few minutes of entering it. He is there, unbeknownst to the family, for one thing only, a briefcase full of money that was promised to him by Cyrus. After Moss picks up the briefcase, it triggers a mechanism which sets the house in motion. The house is no ordinary dwelling. As it turns out, the basement level is where the containment cells of the ghosts are located, some of which are released when the house shifts. When the family attempts to leave, because the house has shifted, there is no longer a front entrance. The possibility of more ghosts being released with the ever changing shifting of the house’s structure is very real. Will anyone survive?
Trivia buffs take note: The original idea was to release the movie in 3-D. “Thirteen Ghosts” is a remake of the 1960 film “13 Ghosts” which was directed by William Castle. He was a director and producer known for making gimmick themed films, however, he did also produce the 1969 film “Rosemary’s Baby,” directed by Oscar winner Roman Polanski (The Pianist). In “13 Ghosts” people in the theater were given special glasses to wear, that would allow them to see the ghosts when they appeared on screen. The film featured, among others, Margaret Hamilton, who is known the world over for playing the dual characters of Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in the iconic, 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz,” directed by Oscar winner Victor Fleming (Gone with the Wind), with a screenplay co-written by Edgar Allan Woolf (The Kid from Texas) and Florence Ryerson (Dangerous Curves). The screenplay was adapted from the book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. The book was published by the George M. Hill Company on May 17, 1900.
“Thirteen Ghosts” was directed by Stephen Beck (Ghost Ship), in his directorial debut. The screenplay was co-written by Neil Marshall Stevens (Monsters), Richard D’Ovido (The Call), and Todd Alcott (Antz). Further uncredited contributions were made to the screenplay by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy). The material for the screenplay was adapted from a story by Robb White (House on Haunted Hill). The film premiered on October 23, 2001 in Westwood, California. Parts fantasy, and horror, it has a runtime of 91 minutes.
Certain scenes in the film will appeal to the gore hounds. The makeup and the designs of the ghosts, in general, are outstanding. While the ghosts appearances are first rate, their backstories, or lack thereof, leave a lot to be desired. Abraham, Lillard, and Shalhoub are good in their respective roles. Overall a decent horror film, that should hold the interest of those who like the genre, and for whom it is a first time viewing.
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