Movie #50 - Thir13en Ghosts

"Terror has multiplied."

I must admit, a good friend of ours really got me going on thinking that this movie was one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Out of respect of my friend, I gave this film the benefit of the doubt and even spent 2 days trying to find it at a number of local Blockbuster locations. In retrospect, it still represents one of the best $2.49 I have ever spent... not because Thir13en Ghosts was in fact the best horror movie ever, but in actuality, it ranks as one of the worst horror movies ever. Its difficult to get a recommendation that missed so badly, but this one really missed...

Thir13en Ghosts is actually a remake of an older film (1960), which I had the opportunity to watch 50% of thanks to AMC during Halloween. Both are about a family down on its luck financially who inherit a haunted house from a long forgotten uncle. The concept is that this uncle just so happens to also be a ghost collector and that his house which he passed onto his nephew, contains 12 ghosts inside.

This is where the hyjinx begins. Not only are the 12 Ghosts attempting to kill the family once inside, but in both films, the 13th ghost is actually supposed to be one of the family members.

Sorry folks, I had to spoil it for you, but most of you reading this will probably not have the fortune / misfortune of watching either film in your lifetime... so I figured I would enhance your reading pleasure by dropping some plot hints.

As for the 2001 version, this film is cast with Tony Shaloub (Monk, Wings) and Matthew Lillard, with a useless casting of Shannon Elizabeth. I thought, with Elizabeth, we would at least see some T & A in this film, which could've salvaged it from the brink of bad horror movies, but instead, we only see dead prom queen nudity... something that you really cannot enjoy unless you are into that sort of thing.

The only saving grace is F. Murray Abraham... he's the villain of the film and I like his casting in any film, including this one. He ranks up there in underrated movie villains and he definitely went to the school of Donald Sutherland... he's very evil and he's slimy in this film and in his other roles. If you don't believe me, seek out Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Amadeus (1984) and Scarface (1983). In all 3 films, not only does he steal the show in some cases, but his death scenes in 2 of the 3 films are movie magic.

As for Thir13en Ghosts, it has become sort of a little joke amongst some of my closer friends. If this blog entices you to see it, please don't think that you will get scared... I apologize in advance if you do... because you won't.