Film Reviews

13 Ghosts

• Rating:
• Director: Steve Beck.
• Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, Rah Digga, F. Murray Abraham.
• Details: US / 90 mins / (18).

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.

Review by Garreth Murphy