Thir13en Ghosts Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Terror has multiplied.
Misery loves company
The Only Thing Worse Than Being Trapped in a House with a Ghost... Is Being Trapped in a House With 13 Ghosts
What's more terrifying than a ghost? Thirteen of them!
There are ghosts around us all the time. Most of them don't want to hurt us. But, there are exceptions...
Terror Wants Company!
Arthur and his two children, Kathy and Bobby, inherit his Uncle Cyrus's estate: a glass house that serves as a prison to 12 ghosts. When the family, accompanied by Bobby's Nanny and an attorney, enter the house they find themselves trapped inside an evil machine "designed by the devil and powered by the dead" to open the Eye of Hell. Aided by Dennis, a ghost hunter, and his rival Kalina, a ghost rights activist out to set the ghosts free, the group must do what they can to get out of the house alive.
| 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 |
| Charles Andre | Team Member |
| Mikhael Speidel | Billy Michaels, The First Born Son |
| Daniel Wesley | Jimmy 'The Gambler' Gambino, The Torso |
| Steve Beck |
4.90 out of 10 (13008 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good Special effect and Excellent Sound - Pity about the Movie!
posted on 21 Aug 2009I too have just come back from seeing this movie, of the 10 people in the theatre (Wednesday Lunch time is not very busy!) 5 walked out!!In summary this movie should have been all things a great horror flick should be with influence (and obvious influence at that - you will understand when you see it) from the likes of Cube, House on Haunted Hill and Event Horizon, unfortunately the movie falls way short of all these titles.The acting is dire, humour placed rather than adding to the film and story line acceptable though nothing to write home about.Two things that strike out in the films favour are the Sound, absolutely superb, and the special effects again reminiscent of Event Horizon and House on Haunted Hill.All in all this movie should be waited for and watched on television, having not seen the original I can't comment though am willing to bet it's better than the 2002 version.
My that was expensive for CRAP.
posted on 13 Aug 2009Halloween this year started rather simply. I was with a bunch of friends, and we were in the mood for something spooky. "Hey guys, why don't we go see Thirteen Ghosts?" I said. "Sure" they all replied, and we were off...thirteen dollars later, I left the theatre p***ed off, and angry that I spent thirteen bucks on crap when I could have bought some nachos and a slurpee with change to spare. This is one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. It contains some of the worst acting/ dialogue/ story/ everything that is wrong with a movie that I have ever seen. What makes me chuckle is the fact that some people considered this rubbish scary of all things. This movie is not scary. It is not spooky. It is not jumpy. People that were in the theatre that were getting scared were thirteen year old junior high kids, and they were just annoying. All of my friends agreed as well that this was one of the worst movies that they had ever seen. So, that being said, this movie is absolutely terrible. I'm saddened by the fact as well that movies like this are still being made in lieu of actually decent scary movies such as "The Others". So yeah, this movie sucks.
special effects gone mad
posted on 01 Aug 2009Special effects gone mad in this movie but I did enjoy it.The worst part of the movie for me is when one person says to the others..."stay here,I'll be back" and they never listen and they are the ones who start all the trouble. The 1st person spend enormous amount of time and energy, ( not to mention putting themselves in danger ) to save the person who doesn't listen. If only they would listen! (Cant let human nature spoil what is essentially a very good ghost movie).Good special effects, good assortment of ghosts and ghouls, lots of blood loss and a plot you can actually follow. If it was me, I am sure I would have taken off the glasses and just given up. I wouldn't want to see what was coming after me.It is not scary to the point that you'll never sleep again, but I was getting into the story and jumped a couple of times. Horror isn't suppose to be believable, but it is suppose to make you react.So my reaction to this movie has scored it 8 out of 10.
A Fun Movie
posted on 28 Jul 2009'13 Ghosts' isn't very well acted, and the dialogue is kind of dumb. But who cares?! This was a fun, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. The suspense was razor sharp, the visuals were stunning, and the screenplay was smart and innovative. I was bolted to my seat from beginning to end. Smarter than most horror films, '13 Ghosts' really struck a chord with me. It was an engaging mystery that kept me glued to the screen. The movie is filled with thrills and chills from the opening frame until the end credits. Stylish and Scary, I'd have to give '13 Ghosts' a 10/10. And be sure to check it out at the theater!!
there's no excuse for it to be THIS bad!
posted on 26 Jul 2009***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Right from the start this movie was on a collision course for disaster. The fact that Shannon Elizabeth was staring in it should have been the first clue. The whole movie simply *reeks* of Hollywood-ism, as if it were made up by the same Armani-wearing, Laté-drinking, ghoti-touting hipster who thought up S-Club 7. From the custom tailored raincoats that Cyrus' crew wore at the beginning, to the designer `ghost goggles', the movie is simply dripping with style, when it should have been dripping with blood.The premise for the movie isn't a bad one (family inherits haunted mechanical mansion), and the idea that people can only see the ghosts with the special glasses *could* have made for some creepy moments. However, I felt absolutely no connection to the family at all. They had no chemistry whatsoever, as if the actors simply rattled off their lines and then went to their separate trailers. At no point in the film did I feel at all empathetic towards them, I didn't care at all if they got out of the house alive. The worst of the bunch was the nanny who was a feeble attempt at adding comic relief to the movie. Instead, she comes across as yet another one-liner barking token black actor. Only Matthew Lillard's character can compete with the nanny in sheer cliché one-liner-spewing volume. Honestly, who is responsible for coming up with the lines for these people? Yet another failed attempt at hip-afying character dialog that is totally inane and out of place in the first place. Just about every remark these characters make is doused in horribly tame sarcasm.The only saving grace in this high budget, low mileage flop is the ghosts themselves. I didn't find the idea of a well lit glass mansion to be at all scary. However, the variety of monsters was formidable and the makeup and costumes were excellent. The iron cage around the `Jackal's' head, and the vomit covered man-child were particularly nice touches. Unfortunately, the `Marylyn Manson music video' stuttering effect, which is used whenever the camera is focused on the ghosts, becomes old and overused *very* quickly.The `surprise' appearance by Embeth Davidtz, who plays the lady with the book of spells, certainly *was* a surprise to me.it surprised me to see someone who was a worse actor than Shanon Elizabeth! I was tempted to fast forward through the parts where she hopelessly tries to spin a tale of mystery and lore behind the ghosts. She does so using veritable buckets of mumbo jumbo and tries desperately to look concerned about the family's predicament.but fails miserably. All in all, her performance comes across as something more suited to an episode of VIP than a big screen movie. What's worse is the `twist' that was added, where it turns out she was working for Cyrus' all along. It was so ludicrous and obviously tacked on at the last minute, I couldn't help but laugh.But, like all movies, this one had to end. Once everyone gets bored watching people run away from invisible ghosts in a glass house the director decides to wrap it up. The ending was particularly useless as the film makers scrambled desperately to tie up the loose ends. In the span of about three minutes Cyrus gets thrown into the spinning machine by the ghosts, the nanny then breaks the machine, the dad `saves' the kids (ie: pointlessly jumps inside the whirling rings simply to comfort the kids), the family gets a brief glimpse of their ghost mom, and the nanny spouts off every one-liner she didn't get to say during the first part of the movie. To top this speedy dispatch the musical director felt it would be most fitting to roll the credits with a *spooooky* rap song! Good call! I mean, how do you expect to sell the Thirteen Ghosts soundtrack if you don't insert a bunch of crappy commercial music in, right?Conclusion, this movie feels like it was thought up one afternoon by some Los Angles movie-making yuppie on his way to an appointment with his hairdresser. A *lot* more money than talent was funnelled into this project, and it shows. There is no excuse for big budget horror films like these to not be scary at all. Maybe the producers were too busy trying to inserting product placement for the sunglasses into every shot.Rating: 2/10
A lot better than I expected
posted on 10 Jul 2009It doesn't rely on too much splatter and it doesn't try to startle you out of your seat every two minutes so that immediately makes it better than the average horror flick. The ghosts were unusual enough to be memorable and there was not a lot of familiarity to the plot. This was very nearly an excellent film with a solid cast and very good effects. Five or ten more minutes of scary interaction between the ghosts and the children(if you can call Shannon Elizabeth a child) would have made the movie much better. I call it a near miss which is as good as most horror fils can aspire to.
13 reasons to see Thir13en Ghosts
posted on 04 Jul 20091: Great makeup and special effects. 2: nudity. 3: matthew lillard is in it [who gives a kick-ass performance]. 4: The Jackal is one of the creepiest ghosts to ever grace the screen. 5: The house is cool looking 6: matthew lillard's lines [eg. "I hate it when they do that! they wait for you to get your face right up against the glass and then they give you a BOO!", "I guarantee nothing", "Did I just say there was a petting zoo down there? Nooo! There are ghosts down there", "I'm glad i'm not afraid of death, cause that would really suck", "well, i can [see something in these glasses] and i think we should go THIS way. now!", and "A truck full of blood? You gotta be s***tin me!"] 7: The Hammer is the second creepiest ghost to grace the screen. 8: the fate of Cyrus Kritikos. 9: the fate of the lawyer. 10: if you watch it at night during a thunderstorm in complete darkness, you won't be uncreeped for weeks. 11: the fate of dennis radkin [which i only liked cuz it sounded cool and the blood coming out of his mouth looked cool].12: The beginning sequence with the Juggernaut. 13: the movie kicks ass.People who don't like this movie obviously have no brains. How can you not like it?!!! This is the greatest horror movie of all time!!! And people who say "Oh, the older one was better! it wasn't based on special effects and blood." well, the 2 different 13 Ghosts are in different genres. the fist one was kinda thriller ness [for 1960]. the 2001 version is pure horror. so, in conclusion, this is the best horror movie ever. and in conclusion. if you ask if you won't be creeped after seeing it, i'll just say "I guarantee nothing."
Cinematic House
posted on 02 Jul 2009Spoilers herein.Forget about the story, the ghosts and the acting. All those are deliberately stupid in the name of being artfully bad.But the house is remarkable.Since the beginning of film, directors have struggled with how to manage the camera in the context of space. Many types of solutions. Welles made the funhouse a character in `Lady from Shanghai.' One can see the influence of that, plus the library from `Ninth Gate' in this `house.' Polanski is the master of building-centric horror, so naturally he will be a source.But usually the solutions to space focus on turning the environment into a machine. Even the dreadful `Waterworld' had that marvelous trimaran.But the genre gets narrower when the machine is for supernatural purposes as in `Fifth Element' (on which the set designer worked), `Stargate' and so on. Just in the last few weeks, I have seen many films whose influence one can see melded here. Three influences: sliding walls, pits, orreries. The construction we have here is a pretty intelligent mix: a machine slides walls to manipulate the action of the theater. The inhabitants actions provide energy for the orrery-like mechanism. That mechanism centers on a pit.Examples:--- Sliding walls have a long tradition. Only a few examples come to mind other than Welles' funhouse. `The Cube'--- Also we have the influence of orreries. These were originally mechanical models of the heavenly bodies, which over time have come to represent control over heavenly forces. It's the same idea as the guy who can stop time by halting the movement of hands on a certain watch. Orreries are seen in `Dark Crystal,' `Hudson Hawk.' `Tomb Raider.' The version we have here uses counterrotating rings like the machine in `Contact.'-- The pit is the least interesting influence, something that is downplayed here. `Lair of the White Worm' is the purest example. `Mystery Men's' pit was cool too.I'd appreciate it if fans of the genre could send me more examples.
Scariest thing was Matthew Lillard's acting
posted on 30 Jun 2009Widower Tony Shalhoub (is that the correct spelling?) inherits a huge greenhouse from his ghosthunting uncle, and since his own house is about to be repossessed, moves in with his young family, his lawyer and a rather dodgy looking "electric guy" (Matthew Lillard). Much to nobody's surprise there is a collection of ghosts in the basement.Sadly most of the ghosts resemble actors in halloween costumes, and despite their habit of sneaking up on you they're not really that scary. The script provides very "thin" characterisation and a few lame gags. Still, there are some neat deaths, which will make you say "Ouch!" or "How did they do that?"In summary, not great but fair enough to pass a couple of hours, if you can suspend your critical faculties for that long.
great for a jump
posted on 26 Jun 2009If you want something to make you jump in your seat a bit, I'd recommend this. The computer effects and make up were great. I do have to say the rest of the acting left a bit to be desired, but I went to see the ghosts. With that in mind, I would have also liked to see a bit of history in pertaining to the 12 ghosts (or at least 11 of them, we know about number 4). Who were they, how were they caught? I also would have liked to see the other ghosts in action, more than just the Jackal and the Juggernaut, the rest didn't do much. The movie over all was good, but it could have been better, much better. There was a lot of building the writers could have done on it. And the book nonsense needed to be explained a bit more as well, instead of just throwing a book into the movie, explain what it is more.
Cool Horror Thriller
posted on 22 Jun 2009A cool thriller where a family inherits a fascinating house made completly of glass only to discover that not only do the walls move around and rearrange themselves but the place is over run by pretty nasty ghosts. Featuring Tony Shalhoub as the father along with always appealing Shannon Elizabeth as his daughter, always nutso Matthew Lilliard as a psychic and other oddball sorts. Has enough scares and atmosphere to make a pretty darn good Halloween vieweing experince. GRADE: B+
Bloodly bad
posted on 18 Jun 2009I could only stand watching this film for 13 minutes, it was so bloody bad! If there were any redeeming qualities, they weren't in the first 13 minutes. I don't watch films just for the violence or special effects. At least Pulp Fiction had style, suspense and dialogue, this film has nothing! I never saw the original film, but I can't believe its anything like this awful mess! I think Russ Meyer, if he were still alive, could have made a better film than this. I haven't seen that many ghost films, but these films were better: "The Shining", "Red Rose", "The Sixth Sense", "The Ring", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "Beetle Juice", "The Legend of Hell House", "Halloween", "The Fog".
One of the worst films ever- 1 out of 10
posted on 16 Jun 2009What can I say? I went to this movie looking for something I could just veg out and watch. It was so bad I found myself laughing at it. I have seen many movies and I am scrambling to think of any that were this bad. I think this film is at the bottom of the list with: Spy Hard, Tremors 2,and Scary Movie. Who decided that Shannon Elizabeth could act? If she is not naked, she is not worth watching.
DISAPPOINTMENT
posted on 16 Jun 2009I was so disappointed when I watched this film having high hopes for it especially since Matthew Lillard was in it you know? The story line made a lot of sense. I think it was a good storyline wasted it could have been put to better use by another writer. Everything went downhill when the only cool part in the movie passed( when the lawyer was split in two). It seems anything Shannon Elizabeth, after American Pie, goes downhill. Rah Digga who was in the movie just to add comedy FAILED seriously. Rah Digga if you see this stick to rapping but you were good in Carmen: A Hip-hopera. It seemed so vague and empty like your just waiting for the interesting part to come in you know the part where your like THIS IS A MOVIE. I most give props to the monsters though especially "The Jackal". My last words are:- Watch at your own risk.
Frighteningly Horrible
posted on 02 Jun 2009Take a poor and disconnected storyline, an annoyingly tired cliche cast of characters, mix in a lot of overpriced special effects and bad halloween costumes...top it all off with a healthy dose of bad directing, sound effects and music right out of the October happy meal, and some of the worst acting you can dig up...and you have this steaming pile of excrement.The story has the feel of something that was worked out in a couple of days on a cocktail napkin. It rushes you in with little suspense to what I suppose was meant to be an interesting plotline, but which rather winds up resembling an early episode of "He-Man" or some other bad cartoon of your choosing. The characters follow suit. You have the detestably cute little boy who lisps every other word, you have the "you go girl" token african-american nanny who I think is supposed to be comedy relief, you have the evil eccentric uncle out to conquer the universe, and a whole array of ghouls right out of the Spencers Halloween season catalogue. Everything about this movie is so poorly done and cartoonish, it never even approaches anything remotely frightening...beyond the fact that someone actually wasted a great deal of money making this atrocity. A word to the creators of this horror...You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
Even with 13 ghosts they couldn't scare you...
posted on 29 May 2009This movie sucked and how it sucked, it is boring, the acting is even worse, not to say the story line that is so weak that will make you laugh instead of scare you.The effects are quite good actually, but as we all know that doesn't make a movie ( at least for acquired tastes ). Don't bother to watch this one, it is just a "movie" and not a film...
A clever movie with some very lukewarm performances
posted on 07 May 2009This is in many ways an exceptional movie. It has an original idea with an exciting set and some excellent special effects. But, either the script, direction or acting is off. It just fails to generate any real enthusiasm.
The makeup is also not that great. It is listed as a horror/comedy, but I don't see where you would get comedy out of it and I don't see all that much horror either.Despite its many flaws, the movie's execution has many attractions -- the high tech mansion and the occult machine. There is a lot to like. If not for the rather brutal protrayal of the ghosts it might have been a good teen movie.
Very funny w/ good effects
posted on 07 May 2009I saw this movie last week and it was hilarious. I love Matthew Lillard, he ruled. I had heard this movie was so scary and I was not pleased with how unscary it was, but I find it to be very funny! The special effects were very good too. I have a feeling that this movie will become like the Rocky Horror Picture Show and in 30 years when the effects suck people will watch it just because it's so stupid it's funny. The sad part is that they were actually trying to make a scary movie, actually that makes it funnier, kind of like Evil Dead. I would reccomend this movie to anywone who is looking for a good laugh, but if your looking for a horror movie than go elsewhere.
The Worst Horror Movie I Have Seen !!!
posted on 15 Apr 2009This movie was so bad, I demanded my money back not only for my ticket, but for my food too... The writers of this movie STOLE some great ideas the other writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker and E. Poe HAVE ALREADY DONE and butchered those great ideas to DEATH... The visual effects were ok at best... The GHOST were hardly ever seen for more than a few seconds at best... The Action was predictable and expected. The Bottom line here is: Unless someone pays you to see this movie(and pays you very well), do not waste your time...
Average Shocker with no explanation !
posted on 31 Aug 2009A good recreation of Castle's 1960's classic. The only problem being the complete lack of sub-plot that detracts from the overall feel of the film.For instance, certain 'items' are used as weapons against the Ghosts, and yet there is never an explanation as to why they are used in such way (and seeing as the weapons are pretty lame it makes you all the more curious as to why they work !?) We're never sure as to so many things in that they are glossed over, you end up up just watching the film rather than get into it. I counted one jumpy moment and nothing of any real significance and about two quality lines (delivered impecably by fantastic Lillard as usual)As the Producer says on the DVD special features, there is very little that scares audiences these days and subsequently I don't think any effort was made on this one.4/10 !