Review: Thirteen Ghosts (2001)

Tony Shalhoub (Monk, Men In Black) stars in this film, an awesom remake of the 1960 "13 Ghosts." This remake bears little resemblance of the original. However, in this situation, the veering from the traditional proved to be a great benefit.

Shalhoub is Arthur Kriticos, a grieving widower who is trying to work full time and raise his two children. Only months earlier, Arthur lost his wife and home in a house fire. One day an attorney knocks at his door and Arthur learns he has inherited a vast fortune from a little-known uncle.

They drive to the house that day and find that it is the most beautiful and bizarre piece of architecture they've ever encountered. The glass house isn't merely a home, as they come to find out later, it serves a dark purpose. Once the family is inside and the devices initiate, they find they are trapped.

Their entrapment is further complicated by the 13 wrathful and vengeful spirits. One-by-one the house allows each wraith to freely roam the house and target the living.

F. Murray Abraham portrays Cyrus Kriticos, Arthur's uncle. Cyrus had more in mind for the family than good will. They learn they, along with many violent wraiths, are pawns in a game Cyrus began long ago. Unleashed together, the family must work their way around moving walls, endless corridors, and dangerous encounters.

Remake Note: It is important to add that the greatest faucet of this "remake" is the independence from the original in the plot. They didn't attempt to re-do Price's biting lines or recreate a newer version of the same story. They used a good, fresh story line that fit the period of its release and strong effects suited towards what modern audiences were accustomed.

Ghoulish Details:

As with most good horror movies, the cast did a remarkable job in this movie and received little recognition. Tony Shalhoub and Matthew Lillard ("Scooby-Doo" movies) gave amazing, skillful, and dramatic performances.

F. Murray Abraham is also an excellent villain, but we aren't fortunate enough to see many of his performances in film.

Original fans should never fear. This remake was a product of Dark Castle , William Castle's company. Castle was the producer of the original "13 Ghosts."

Ghoulish Rating: 5 (out of 6)

Trivia:

* Shalhoub was a noted character on the old sitcom "Wings." He played a taxi driver.

* The actor who plays the "Juggernaut" is that tall in real life.

* Rah Digga is also a hip-hop artist.

*The DVD comes with tons of extra features.

*The producers used as little CGI as possible.