Thirteen Ghosts
by Steve Beck
List Price:
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $4.99 (33%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $1.57 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alec Roberts, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Tony ShalhoubDirector: Steve Beck
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of Thirteen Ghosts
Movie Review: Steve Beck Remakes another movie, leaving out the good parts
Summary: 3 Stars
So he already destroyed one of the greatest haunted house movies of all time "House on Haunted Hill". I was already upset that once again Steve Beck (The Director) was remaking another movie. How about we come up with something new here. Well needless to say I went into this film with no expectations what so ever, which turned out to be a good thing.
The best scene of the film comes right at the beginning (So wait to get your popcorn until later into the film, just don't miss the opening) We begin in a Junkyard full of dangerous looking metal and sharply twisted vehicles. Here we meet Matthew Lillard as Rafkin (I know most of you hate him but I find him quite funny) a pill popping psychic who is one step from losing his last grasp of reality. He steps is in this god forsaken junkyard with F. Murray Abraham (Uncle Cyrus) an instantly dislikable character (Which means he's the bad guy) and about 50 other random people in bio suits. After the opening scene (which ii quite bloody and rather interesting) We discover that they are a bunch of Ghost Trappers and this is the 12th ghost they have trapped in one of these lovely glass boxes with writing all over it.
End of really cool beginning (Go get popcorn now)
Now we segue into a family scene, Tony Shalhaub plays Arthur the loving father of two, Shannon Elizabeth as Kathy, and Alec Roberts as Bobby. They are a poor family that has lost their mother. They have creditors calling but amazingly can afford to pay Maggie (Rah Digga the token ethnic woman in the movie) to be the nanny that doesn't seem to do anything.
Well to sum up and not give too much away, they suddenly find out that they have inherited this huge house made entirely of glass (covered in the same writings as the ghost catcher in the first scene). Once the go in, surprise surprise they get locked in along with Lillard who posed as an electrician and Kalina (the token exposition character "Oh your confused, let me pull out my handy book that explains the whole movie and sum up a few passages for you")
That's all of the story I'll go into. Now for my opinion of the movie:
This is a tough one, the acting was flat, especially on the part of the family. Lillard gave his best "I'm losing it" attempt but the whole cast seemed to walk tiredly through the script. No one except Lillard seemed overly concerned with the fact that they could all be killed at any moment, and even he gave in at the promise of money.
I have to admit, that this movie did entertain me... I was refreshed at the fact that the ghosts were made with makeup and not computer generated. The sets were brilliant and actually seemed to be the star of the film. The make up crew did go a little overboard with the ghost costumes, the one which is supposed to be a naked woman looked less real than a blow up doll. There was just way too much overzealousness to create "Scary" that made it look more campy than frightening.
The storyline was filled with glaring plot holes and the infamous "this is supposed to shock you" plot twist that you will see coming from the first scene. The tension is built around the fact that the ghosts can only be seen through these special glasses that for some reason there is only enough for one person in the group to ever see the ghosts.
Why is the movie a full 2 hours if these people are so outmatched by these terrifyingly evil ghosts? Because apparently you can see a ghost and if you slowly back away they will leave you alone. Also unless you trip you can out run them.
Another disappointing part of the movie is the misuse of several of the ghosts who end up becoming random set pieces.
So with the bad acting, campy looking ghosts, and typical holey script, is this movie worth watching? My answer is a big fat maybe. If you are in the mood for a campy horror flick that won't scare you too bad, then rent this on video, otherwise wait until it's on TV, watch the opening scene and leave it at that.
Recommended:
No
Summary of Thirteen Ghosts
Cool sets, gory make-up, and frantic energy are given high priority in this glossy remake of William Castle's 1960 haunted-house chiller. The original boasted its "Illusion-O" ghost-viewing gimmick, so this remake's producers--as they did with 1999's The House on Haunted Hill--up the ante on Castle's showmanship by spilling ample amounts of blood, guts, and ghoulish glory. The plot's essentially the same: An impoverished family inherits a luxurious haunted mansion, only this time it's an elaborate, maze-like mechanism of glass, gears, and Latin incantations--"designed by the devil and powered by the dead"--with a cellar full of tormented, undead souls. As the family (including Tony Shalhoub and American Pie's Shannon Elizabeth) enlists the aid of a psychic (Scream alumnus Matthew Lillard) and a ghostbusting paranormal (Embeth Davidtz), this updated 13 Ghosts grows loud and ludicrous, trading shocks for yuks and nuance for nonsense. It's fun, to a point, after which it's just exhausting. --Jeff ShannonA family inherits an elegant steel-and-glass mansion from a deceased relative. The catch is that along with the house comes a slew of ghosts that can be seen only through special goggles.
Horror DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Movies I seen in the theaters (2001)
The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2002-08-06; DVD
Best price: $2.95
Price in other shops:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-12-11; DVD
Best price: $6.59
Price in other shops:
Thirteen GhostsRelease date: 2002-04-02; DVD
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
Jeepers CreepersRelease date: 2002-01-08; DVD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Ghosts of Mars (Special Edition)Release date: 2001-12-04; DVD
Best price: $4.44
Price in other shops:
The Others (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)Release date: 2002-05-14; DVD
Best price: $4.73
Price in other shops:
![Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Planet-of-the-Apes-Blu-ray-B000K7VHHS-X.jpg)
Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray]TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-02-13; DVD
Best price: $16.94
Price in other shops:
Jurassic Park III (Widescreen Collector's Edition)Release date: 2001-12-11; DVD
Best price: $4.69
Price in other shops:
Cats & Dogs (Widescreen Version)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-15; DVD
Best price: $5.73
Price in other shops:
![Lara Croft - Tomb Raider [Blu-ray] Image](/images/Lara-Croft-Tomb-Raider-Blu-ray-B000I0QLZU-X.jpg)
Lara Croft - Tomb Raider [Blu-ray]Paramount; Release date: 2008-06-03; DVD
Best price: $13.93
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
Dreamcatcher (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $1.25
Price in other shops:
Darkness Falls (Special Edition)Sony; Release date: 2003-09-02; DVD
Best price: $3.22
Price in other shops:
Gothika (Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2004-03-23; DVD
Best price: $2.25
Price in other shops:
The Texas Chainsaw MassacreRelease date: 2004-03-30; DVD
Best price: $1.16
Price in other shops:
Jeepers Creepers 2 (Special Edition)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2003-12-23; DVD
Best price: $4.96
Price in other shops:
The Ring (Widescreen Edition)Release date: 2003-03-04; DVD
Best price: $3.45
Price in other shops:
The HauntingRelease date: 1999-11-23; DVD
Best price: $4.58
Price in other shops:
Jeepers CreepersRelease date: 2002-01-08; DVD
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
House on Haunted HillRelease date: 2000-04-18; DVD
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops:
Ghost Ship (Widescreen Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-03-28; DVD
Best price: $3.64
Price in other shops: