Not frightening, but very entertaining, October 20, 2003

By 

Daniel Jolley “darkgenius” (Shelby, North Carolina USA) – See all my reviews

  

  

  

William Castle was one of the true geniuses of horror, and Thirteen Ghosts represents a modernized, special effects-heavy remake of his 1960 film of the same name. I would file this effort under C for cool rather than F for frightening, although I suppose many less inured to the tricks of the horror trade might find this film a frightening detour into madness. Thirteen Ghosts offers an exciting, gory, romping good time, and I think the real key to its success is not its plot, acting, or CGI effects; rather, it is the movie’s establishment of something different from your standard horror fare. For the most part, all of the action takes place in a single setting, a technological marvel of a house built entirely of glass walls. While the process of shooting scenes in such a highly reflective setting must have been quite a challenge to the crew, the shooting style allows for a more open-ended atmosphere of fear, where things that go bump in the night can appear where you least expect…

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Suprisingly Good!, January 5, 2002

I went to see this movie out of curiosity, the previews were interesting, and I have always liked Shalhoub (especially since "The Siege"). I wasn’t expecting much based on the recent horror flicks that I have seen, but was suprised at how good this movie was. The ghosts had me grabbing my neighbor’s arm, yelling at the screen, and covering my eyes! I was raised on horror flicks so this is no easy task.

Real quick – what do you get when you take an unbelievably intricate mansion, add one widower, his two kids, the nanny, a physic, a supernatural specialist, and twelve very disturbing, very frightening (and very dangerous) ghosts? Edge of your seat, white knuckled, hair raising fun!

It may be a simple story, but the special effects and the way the story plays out is wonderful – it has all the elements, the good, the bad, and the creepy, as well as justice and retribution. If you are looking for a good movie to watch in the dark with friends, this is it… But I warn…

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THIR13EN GHOSTS, November 21, 2001

Thir13en Ghosts is about a struggling family who inherit a strange all glass house from their late uncle Cyrus. On the outside the house seems interesting, but inside is where the terror is lurking, trapped in 12 different glass cells, waiting to be released. And someone wants one more to add to the collection, which would make it thirteen ghosts.

I just loved this film, a great, terrifying film that really takes you on a rollercoaster ride! All the actors in the film give great performances, especially the always lovely Shannon Elizabeth and the witty Mathew (Scream) Lillard. The ghosts in the film look amazing, thanks to KNB FX. Speaking of amazing, the glass mansion is very incredible, so errie and yet very beautiful. There are just to many good things to say about this film! First time feature film director Steve Beck did a great job with the film, and it turned out awsome! Don’t get me wrong though, the film is very gory and intense, so best leave the small ones at home before…

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