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THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition

Arthur Kriticos' dream house - full of shatterproof glass cages and sliding steel panels - has arrived. . . but it’s a damn nightmare!

Critically hammered and only very loosely based on William Castle’s original film, THIRT3EN Ghosts gets a second chance to make a lasting reflection in the glassy Halls of Horror thanks to Scream Factory’s handling of this Collector’s Edition.  It is appreciated because, in the wake of Armageddon, this film got unfairly maligned and shit on by just about every print critic due to its flashing; it’s noises; and it’s sheer handling of its scares.

"makes for an entertaining remake that offers a well-oiled look at ghosts thanks to some ultra special goggles, instead of William Castle’s 3-D Glasses"


But time has a funny way of healing wounds.  

I’m not saying director Steve Beck’s film is a lost gem of late 1990s/early 2000 Horror, but there’s a lot of good things rolling about in its body cavity.  From the atmospheric production design to the cast, there’s a lot to appreciate.  Now, thanks to this blu-ray release and producers Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler, THIRT3EN Ghosts has a chance to breathe again and show off its gleaming Haunted House goods and wares.

The movie, starring Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, Rah Digga, and F. Murray Abraham, is not the massive failure that its original reception would lead you to believe it is.  It begins with a wild mission to capture the allusive “13th Ghost”, whom Cyrus Kriticos (Abraham) and his psychic assistant Dennis Rafkin (Lillard) are hunting.  Known as Juggernaut, this ghost topples Kriticos and his entire team, before becoming trapped by Rafkin.  

But the damage has been done and the Ghost Hunter is no more . . . which means Kriticos’ mysterious house goes to his nephew Arthur (Shalhoub), Arthur’s son Bobby (Alec Roberts), his daughter Kathy (Elizabeth) and Maggie the nanny (Digga) and, being down on their luck, the family is only more than happy to receive the new digs.  They each get their own bathroom!  Hooray!THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition

Unfortunately, inhabiting the house doesn’t turn out as planned as this house, as is discovered, is an infernal machine designed by the devil.  And it holds 12 ghosts . . . all it needs is the thirteenth ghost in order to reveal its true purpose . . . 

. . . but when Bobby gets lost, wandering down one long, noisy, and shifting hallway after the next, all bets are off that anyone is getting out alive.  With a great design, a solid cast, and a script, written by Neal Marshall Stevens and Richard D'Ovidio, that - while not necessarily frightens - serves its purpose as a reimagined house of haunts, THIRT3EN Ghosts makes for an entertaining remake that offers a well-oiled look at ghosts thanks to some ultra special goggles, instead of William Castle’s 3-D Glasses.

Look, I obviously prefer the original to this one, but 2001’s spin on some creaky old haunts isn’t the disaster that some say it is.  Thankfully, Scream Factory recognizes this with their Collector’s Edition of THIRT3EN Ghosts.

3/5 beers

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray
- July 28, 2020
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

What a house! It's all steel and glass and elegance – and it all belongs to Arthur Kriticos and his family as an unexpected inheritance. You could say it's their dream home. Especially if the dreams are nightmares.  Awesome ectoplasmic specters populate Thirteen Ghosts, an effects-rampant remake of the 1960 William Castle haunted-house film from producers Gilbert Adler, Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis, who conjured up the equally terrorific House On Haunted Hill (1999). Tony Shalhoub leads a cast that includes Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth, Rah Digga and F. Murray Abraham. The house itself is a design marvel and a mysterious puzzle-cube whose eerie corridors, sliding walls, spinning floors and phantasmic fiends may allow no escape.

Video:

Presented in a crisp 1080p transfer, THIRT3EN Ghosts’ new scan of the original negative, presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, is a thing of pristine beauty.  This thing is just popping with grisly images thanks to its robust production design!  The film is dominated with reds and greens that absolutely burst with color.  It’s a dark film, for sure, but the costumes are detailed and the simple backgrounds burst with new details and a nice level of clarity.  Black levels are solid and skin tones are natural.  Shadows are defined and the film has a new depth previously unseen.

Audio:

Audio wise, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 mono soundtrack is clear and the dialogue is never lost or hard to hear.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Fans of this feature are going to totally love the new commentary from Steve Beck, the film’s director.

Special Features:

With a focus on NEW content, the supplemental material - with brand spanking new interviews from Shannon Elizabeth, Matthew Harrison, John DeSantis, Herbert Duncanson, and Gilbert Adler - completely makes this release one to own.

  • NEW Audio Commentary With Director Steve Beck
  • NEW Haunted In Canada – An Interview With Actress Shannon Elizabeth
  • NEW The Voice Of Reason – An Interview With Actor Matthew Harrison
  • NEW Sophomore Spookshow – An Interview With Producer Gilbert Adler
  • NEW The Juggernaut Speaks – An Interview With Actor John DeSantis
  • NEW The Hammer Speaks – An Interview With Actor Herbert Duncanson
  • Thir13en Ghosts Revealed
  • Ghost Files: A Haunted Houseful Of Poltergeist Profiles
  • Original Electronic Press Kit Featuring Interviews With The Cast And Crew And Behind-The-Scenes Footage
  • Audio Commentary With Director Steve Beck, Production Designer Sean Hargreaves And Special Makeup Effects Artist Howard Berger
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spots

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 3/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 4/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

4/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition

MPAA Rating: R for horror violence/gore, nudity and some language.
Runtime:
91 mins
Director
: Steve Beck
Writer:
Neal Marshall Stevens
Cast:
Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Embeth Davidtz
Genre
: Horror | Thriller
Tagline:
Misery Loves Company.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You son of a bitch! You said he only killed nine people; there's over 40 victims here!"
Theatrical Distributor:
Warner Bros.
Official Site:
Release Date:
October 26, 2001
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 28, 2020.
Synopsis: A family inherits an elegant steel-and-glass mansion from a deceased relative. The catch is that along with the house comes a slew of ghosts that can be seen only through special goggles.

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THIRT3EN Ghosts Collector’s Edition

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