Thir13en Ghosts

Director - Steve Beck (Ghost Ship)
Starring - Tony Shalhoub (Galaxy Quest, The X-Files), Embeth Davidtz (Army of Darkness, Matilda), and Matthew Lillard (Ghoulies go to College, Serial Mom)
Release Date - 2001
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "This Halloween evil has multiplied"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in middle school the horror bug had already taken over.  I was constantly renting horror tapes from my local video store and making the hour plus drive to the nearest shopping center to pick up some new releases.  This is the years that Dark Castle Entertainment started remaking several William Castle films.  House on Haunted Hill was a fantastic remake and one I will get around to reviewing soon and in 2001 they tackled 13 Ghosts.  Released stylized as Thir13een Ghosts, this was one of the movies I wanted to watch in theaters so fucking bad.     I wasn't able to get it then but I rushed out the day the DVD was released and picked it up.  I was fascinated with film especially the special features detailing the different ghosts.  I played the DVD so much that it stopped working.  Recenty, Scream Factory put the film out on blu and was kind enough to send it to me for review.  It had been sometime since my last viewing and I was excited to revisit it.  Thanks Scream for sending it my way.

     The film follows the Kriticos family that is struggling after suffering a house fire that killed their mother.  However, things look up when a lawyer representing their wealthy but estranged uncle informing them of his death.  They travel out into the country to expect the house.  When it starts to look like their prayers have been answered they uncover a sinister plot from their not so deceased uncle and the ghosts he has trapped in the house.  

     It had been a solid 10 years since I last spun this movie.  I want to say the last time I watched it was when I was in college.  I was curious to see how this film would hold up after all these years and I have to admit that I am rather impressed.  The goth rock soundtrack didn't hold up but the story itself still pulled me in.  The acting in this one is great.  Tony Shalhoub has always shown talent on screen but seeing him in a horror flick really catches you off guard.  Many of you may associate him with Monk which makes him feel like a bad choice in the role but he does a great job.  I've always liked Matthew Lillard and this is one of my favorite roles of his.  He delivers a fantastic performance and his character is a fan favorite.  The supporting cast is great as well.  I love seeing Shannon Elizabeth in a horror film and she is great.  The story for this one is very rich.  We get so much thrown at us at once but the film doesn't feel overwhelming.  We don't get a lot of backstory on the ghosts but they all get their own screen time.  However, the way they are handled on screen is fantastic.  Fans will feel themselves get pulled into the story and not let go.  There is always something exciting taking place with plenty of action.  Finally, this film has some memorable kills early on but the real focus is how amazing the ghosts look.  The kills make great use of practical effects and gags but the make-up effects on the ghosts are iconic by this point.  With that being said, there is several instances of visual effects that did not age well.  In fact, they are painfully laughable.  Overall, Thir13en Ghosts is a movie that does get hate among horror fans but I don't see why.  The movie is so entertaining and the blu from Scream Factory is super crisp.  It looked fantastic and leagues better than my blu.  Check it out if you havent already.