13 Ghosts
Director: Steve Beck
Actors: Embeth Davidtz, Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth
Release Date: Friday 1st March 2002
Genre(s): Horror
Running time: 90 minutes
A remake of the 1960 B movie, Thirteen Ghosts follows a recently bereaved family, headed by Arthur (Tony Shalhoub) who inherits a house from a rich uncle.
There's a catch, though, as the house is haunted by malicious spirits, intent on removing the family from their dwellings at any cost. Lacking any plausibility, Thirteen Ghosts is a horror film that strictly adheres to the tired and tested (read: idiotic) conventions of the genre. The actors, with the exception of Lillard and the scenery-chomping Abraham, don't really have an awful lot of acting to do, as brash special effects and action set pieces dominate.
On the plus side, the neat cinematography lends an atmosphere of doom to the proceedings. Unfortunately it's not properly exploited, making 'Thirteen Ghosts' a wasted opportunity.
