Genres

Visitors Review

lambiepie-2 2013-06-19 10:39:35

Someone HELP -- I love this movie, I hate this movie!

This is one of those movies that you cannot hate fully, but you cannotlikefully either. Something is missing, I can't point a finger to EXACTLY whatit is, but I know if "it" were included, this movie would have been ablockbuster.It's a great Halloween "popcorn" film. It's entertaining. It's a niceattempt at an update of a movie that wasn't that hot to begin with. Ilikedthe actors, I just wish they had more to work with. I really liked theGhosts, I wished they were developed more, had more exposure/time onscreenand were a little bit more gruesome. Only a few ghosts out of the 12 gotfeatured, I felt shortchanged.Maybe there was too much about the family for me..then again, maybe toolittle. Maybe the family didn't have enough goose-bumpy peril for me. IREALLY liked the daughter washing her face in the new bathroom scene.Maybethere should have been ALOT more of that kind of suspense/horror. I lovedwhat happened to the Lawyer. I HATED the ending, it just fell apart forme.But, I loved the Nanny's closing line at the end and I think it would havebeen more effective if the film was a whole lot scarier and gruesome. Ihaveto wonder, is there stuff on the editing floor that didn't makeit?I watch this film everytime it comes on Cable-TV for it IS interesting,andthere are parts that are good. Then there are parts that ruin it.Characterdevelopment that has plot holes as big as the grand canyon. It was as ifthey wanted to make a horrific, scary ghost movie and just when they wereabout to let go, they pulled back. But ya know, you can still watch it andbe entertained.Thir13en Ghosts 2? Only if the makers, the scriptwriter, etc., are allowedto let go and its released with the sheer horror, fear, gruesome tale itlooks like it was headed in.I know it may offend alot of folks if Thir13en Ghosts went that"balls-out"route, but for what we're paying to get into movie houses now...do me afavor and scare the hell outa me!!! I can take it!!! Make me jump out ofmyseat ALOT...scream...grab onto my boyfriend and/or whomever else issittingnearby! Trust me, I'll come back for more.This film had all the elements in place and it just peter-ed out.

2013-06-18 14:31:33

Not amazingly bad, just not very interesting.

Before seeing this film, I had a feeling it wouldn't be very good. I wasright. All pretensions aside, this is a haunted house movie, and as a basicidea it's not too bad. Unfortunately the director falls down by followingfew or no rules of any ghost story - suspense is rare, tension is low, andto be honest, some of the adverts I saw before the trailers had bettertechnique. Instead (apart from some pretty heavy gore) the onlyscare-factor used is that of the fast cut (i.e. a heck of a lot of quickshots in sequence, showing a ghost going 'Boo' or something from differentangles). Terrifying. Obviously, the film isn't so bad in isolation, it's just that the wholething has been done far better before. The make up is excellent, thespecial effects are pretty nifty, and the set is superb. The acting isso-so, at its worst in the sickly sweet opening titles, but there are somegood moments. Even the plot has a convincing twist or two. The ghosts arepretty well handled, only some are pretty unconvincing, which doesn't helpmatters. It's at least nice to see some depth being added to thecharacters...if only the film was just more interesting.

2013-06-17 23:54:35

Pure evil!!

Well the story line it self makes 13 Ghosts worth watching. To think that someone would be evil enough to do harm to a family member. This is a great movie with above avrage special efects. I will not get in to who plays what rolls, if you need that info just click on cast list. Other than that I rank 13 Ghost up with "Rose Red"

2013-06-17 15:30:53

Falls A Bit Short, But the House Is Fun

What a fun, scary, intelligent ride Thirteen Ghosts is! Though it starts off a little confusing as to what exactly the premise is, the movie explains it all in time and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of a excellent horror movie. Tony Shalhoub, from USA/ABC's Monk fame, plays the hero of this highly entertaining and sometime graphic film. He stars with Shannon Elizabeth and Matthew Lillard as they try to stop the ghosts and save their lives. Twelve ghosts have been captured by the evil Uncle Sirius, who has since died and left his evil house of horrors to his nephew, Shalhoub, and his family. The family gets to the house and the fun starts almost immediately as one by one the ghosts are let out of their cages and want revenge on anybody in anyway. And these ghosts mean business!! Thirteen Ghosts has the perfect mix of storyline and gore. Amazing that a horror movie could have both, but it works well and keeps you glued to your seat. You may find yourself closing your eyes a few times too, this is scary stuff. For the true horror fan, or those in need of a jolt, this movie is it!

Wham-3 2013-06-16 04:43:11

Better than I expected

I was pleasantly suprised by the scariness this movie managed to evoke. Most horror movies don't manage to give a hard core viewer the creeps nomatter how many gross special effects they employ. Ususally what you get ismore of a squeamishness at the grossness of it all. The ghosts in thisflick do manage to convey a sense of menace. It's too bad the living castisn't nearly as effective, otherwise this might have been a really goodghost story. Still, the special effects are creative and the glass house isa nice touch. 6 out of 10.

Moondrop_C 2013-06-15 13:28:49

How many movies were ripped off to make this one?

I lost track of how many movies this one stole from -- Cube (the scene wherethe lawyer was sliced in half was entirely too much like the scene in Cubewhere the one guy gets it in the giant egg slicer), Tomb Raider,Ghostbusters, the Shining, just to name a few. And how original was it to have the only black character in the movieconstantly cracking un-funny jokes and grumbling about white people.Amazingly, she survived to the end of the movie, which is unusual for cheesyhorror movies. The writing in this movie was... not good. The scene where the psychic rantsand raves about being an amoral, greedy freak felt like bad X-Filesfanfiction. Already mentioned the jokes. They were not funny at all.A young boy on a scooter in a house made of glass. Gooooood idea. Am I theonly one who was reminded of the boy in The Shining zipping around the hotelon his Big Wheel?There was no reason I could figure for the "princess" to be nude, other thanto fulfill the gratuitous nudity clause every cheesy horror movie seems tohave. She reminded me of the woman in the bathroom scene in The Shining, nowthat I think about it.I could go on, but I can't stand long user reviews. I watched this movieonly because it was on cable on a night when there was nothing else towatch. If I'd had special glasses that could make it invisible to me, I'dhave taken them off and ground them into dust.

2013-06-14 02:56:29

Wicked!

I just love this movie! It is a horror mirical to me! The computerated ghosts are great and they look scary! And I think the actors did a great job.The movie is about, after a man named Aurther's wife gets burned to death in a house fire, his Uncle Cyris, whom celected ghosts for his house, dies, and Aurther and his two kids, Cathy and Bobbie get his house. But after only being there for a short while, a man named Dennis Rafkin, a old partner of Cyris, warns them that there are ghosts in the house, everywhere, and the only way to see them is to wear a sertan kind of glasses. Then Aurthers kids are taken by ghost's and Dennis, Aurther, and the maid Maggie must find them. But while they are doing that they run into a woman named Cathlien. She tells them that there are twelve ghosts trapped in the house, inclueding Aurthers late wife. She then tells him that Aurther is the thirteen ghost, and he has to jump into the "Eye of Hell" to save his kids and free his wifes soul.This movie will leave you on the edge of your seat in suspention. Even thought it is full of gore it is still a very good movie, and I recomend it to anyone who loves horror movies.

todd2u 2013-06-13 13:37:00

scary as heck

I'm a big fan of horror movies. I like any kind of horror flicks. Ofallthe ghost movies out there this movie really scared the heck out of me.I jumped quite a few times at the movies. The ghosts are really scarylooking. This movie was so gruesome, and bloody. it even grossed me out.I dont have anything bad to say about this movie. I was really amazes abouthow scary and good this movie was. I recommend this movie to anyone wholoves a good ghost story movie. This one will really creep you out.

pacifica333 2013-06-13 09:01:03

A few ghosts short of a haunted house...

As with any modern horror movie I approached 13 Ghosts with a bit ofabias. Don't get me wrong I adore horror movies, but recently it seems theyhave been lacking. A lot of people associate horror movies with bad actingand bad special effects. However special effects packed 13 Ghosts mightbe,it still had the worst acting I have seen in a film with that kind ofbudget. Actors who have had decent roles in the past, such as TonyShelhouband Matthew Lillard, come up short in the sickening stereotyped roles ofthestrung out, overworked widower and the goofy likeable "dork" who saves theday, respectively. And lets not forget the sassy black nanny for comicrelief! If you want to see this movie i would suggest arriving about 15 to20 minutes late and then leaving 5 minutes early. Its very similar toHauseOn Haunted Hill in which it has truck loads of potential but for the mostpart it comes up soggy and underdeveloped. It's obvious not much work wasspent on the storyline and setting up the plot takes entirely too muchtime,only to be let down by a cheesy let's-all-hug-and-go-home ending. Not tomention the few strands of storyline that end up not even explained at all(i.e. the silver torches, the whole Cyrus thing, the ghost of the motheretc...). Over all the heart of the movie is great eye candy and there aresome okay (and I do mean okay) scares. So if you like special effects andcan ignore the bad acting and ending, its not a total waste but its alsonot something you and your friends will talk about for weeks tocome.

2013-06-12 14:03:18

13 Ghosts

I love scary movies and don't usually scare easily but this movie was wicked. It was awesome; it had some of the best special effects I have ever seen. I actually covered my eyes during certain parts of the movie and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I came out of the theater feeling shakey and knowing I would definately be buying it when it came out on DVD. I never saw the orignal so I had no expectations, a lot of people who saw the orignal said this version sucked but I think their just biased and possibly just angry because this version probably caused them to pee their pants. All in all it was an excellent film, but definately not for kids. I would even caution some teens against seeing it due to the high level of gore.

2013-06-11 11:43:54

Truly The Best Ghost Story Ever!

This Is A Very Spectacular Movie. I Truly Recommend This Movie.

CaterpillarEffect 2013-06-10 16:56:44

Below average.

I had a choice between watching this and "Jeepers Creepers'. I chose"13 Ghosts" because I had seen '"Jeepers Creepers 2" and it reallydidn't impress me. Before the film started, I checked its rating, androughly knew what to expect. The film was put together to form something that comes under thebadly-remade-horror category. Hmmm...let's sum up the good things... The lawyer's death was a nicetouch of gore, which this film doesn't have much of. I love theghosts-they all have a different backgrounds and are picturedbrilliantly, not using CGI for the first time in a horror film in along time-I just wish they concentrated more on who the ghosts are. Thebuilding itself is different, and that is refreshing too. The idea withthe machine and why the ghosts were kept was quite interesting, but itwasn't turned into a good script. It is awfully clichéd, it is notacted out well and it wasn't unpredictable and surprising enough. Thestory has some twists, but they aren't what they should be.I didn't mind this film too much. On the whole it was quite poor, butit had the potential to be good. If only more work was put into it, itcould really have been something. But unfortunately it just turned outto be a popcorn flick which doesn't require you to use your grey cells.But hey, nice to watch something which can let your brain relax after awhole day of hard work. Am I right?Oh, and I shall just mention the creatures of the make up departmentagain. They do make the film a a bit worthwhile, and I hope that thework of the department was appreciated.

fraptacular 2013-06-10 01:12:50

Not that bad!

I've heard so many bad things about this movie, but having seen it, Ithinkit succeeds on the levels to which the filmmakers were aspiring. It'sscary, it's creepy, and it's actually touching in parts. So manyreviewershad a low opinion of this film, and maybe it "worked" on me because I sawitin my home at 2am with the lights out. And actually I thought the DVDfeature where they tell you about the lives and deaths of the ghosts wasthoroughly creepy. In fact I had to put on NCAA basketball to getde-creeped. I loved the makeup, it had a good story, good acting, gooddirecting, a great house (as a major character), pretty good pacing, andneat special effects. I really did like this movie and was expecting tojust hate it. The only thing that sneaks in to make it a little more likethe formulaic horror movies of our day is the Rah Digga babysittercharacter, who interjects retarded lines like "Man, I'm gonna die with 3white people," "I need a pay raise," and "That's it, I can't take itanymore, I quit!" when faced with the ghosts. I don't think Rah Digga didabad job, but I think her character was even sort of unnecessary. Everyfunction her character performed could have been achieved with some othercharacter. Like I said, she's not a bad actress and did what she could.But that character is the one major flaw in the movie. She even stealsawaythe last shot in the movie--don't worry, no spoiler--which should havebeenleft for the more sentimental part of the movie. I would have thoughtthatwould have been more satisfying than seeing her wandering around shouting.Other than that character, the rest of the movie was not only not as badasI thought, but actually a real standout in the horror movies I've seen inthe last few years. I haven't seen one that really scared the crap out ofme in quite a while either! I think Thirteen Ghosts just really exceedsexpectations on all levels.

2013-06-09 02:30:51

not bad,not great

This movie had more depth and perception than most horror genre movies. You can grasp the concept of good and evil and the lines are well divided... Good will always triumph.The computer generated house is an amazing piece of technology work. This is something that even goes beyond Spielberg's techniques. Frankly, after you see the movie you'll definitely understand the saying "people who live in glass houses should not throw stones".Definitely worth a second viewing.

2013-06-08 21:47:31

Suspense and horror done well

There are certain criteria in every horror movie that need to be met in order for it to be a good horror movie. 1. Recycled plot2. Gore3. Campy dialogue4. No long lingering looks at the bad guy5. The ever popular don't go in there sceneThis is why Thirteen Ghosts in my opinion far exceeded the cirtically acclaimed Jeepers Creepers. In this movie the spirits trapped in the basement are given just enough screen time to be identified, yet we are not allowed to sit and study them. I was made to jump many times durring this movie, and loved every minute of it. It's sad that it didn't do as well as the dissapointing Jeepers Creepers.

jessepenitent 2013-06-08 06:37:34

I Want My Time Back

What scares me most is how "cool" everyone thinks the blood, the gore andthe nudity is.Anyway...I saw the original 13 Ghosts when I was a small child and itscaredme AND entertained without a lot of gore or nudity. I saw the originalagain recently and, well, it hasn't aged well, but it's still good, campyfun. (I mean, how can you not love a movie that casts Margaret Hamiltonasone of the good guys and has another character comment on her looking likea"wicked witch." It's a hoot.)When I see this new version claim to be based on the original, I want totoss my cookies. About the only idea this film took from the original wasthe thirteen ghosts and maybe the character names. If they wanted to makeTHIS movie, why give a tip of the hat to William Castle at all? Why notjust change the ghosts to demons and psychic forces and call it "The BlackZodiac" or (God forbid) "The Glass House"?Or anything but Thirteen Ghosts.Tony Shaloub (highly underrated and really a great actor) works hard. Sodoes Matthew Lillard. They manage to make something of their onedimensionalcharacters. Embeth Davidtz, on the other hand, is playing Sigourney Weaverplaying Ripley in "Alien." And F. Murray Abraham, please tell me you weredoing this for the fun of it! As for the two kids, let's face it--theywerethere because they were two kids. And they were in danger. And we'resupposed to care about them because they are two kids in danger. I keptthinking "Tony, let 'em get eaten by the doomsday machine or whatever itis,and get out of there. You can do better."And then there was the Nanny. I hope Rah Digga was paid handsomely toprostitute herself. When did it become cinematically necessary that allblack characters in horror films have to run around acting like Buckwheatin"The Little Rascals"? Think: Ernie Hudson in "Ghostbusters 2", eyesbulgingand nappy hair on end. Why is the black character always the only one whorealizes there is a major danger to be met, so let's get the hell out ofitnow? Think: Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost." What's with the stereotype andwhydo they keep allowing themselves to be sucked into it?In the end, this wasn't a serious, character-driven movie because itwantedto be a light-hearted special effects driven scare fest but it also wantedto have Something Important to Say about family relations. And it wantedtobe a message flick about meddling with The Unknown. Sadly, it was none ofthese and was, instead, a Great Big Mess that can only be loved by peoplewho want to see gore and nudity. Geez. At least the original knew it wascamp and didn't pretend to be anything more.

2013-06-08 11:21:53

I enjoyed the house

This movie nabbed me one day on cable, I was half following it while cleaning. I enjoyed teh visuals and concept of the house being made of glass and transparent but other than that the plot was a little thinner than the special effects made it seem like it shoudl be. Lots of interesting concepts of demons/ghosts being trapped in this house by the words on the walls. The house itself being a spell.

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2013-06-07 16:12:57

This is no Juggernaut.

Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) and his physicassistant Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) have traced the ghost ofJuggernaut (a serial killer called Horace "Breaker" Mahoney) to ajunkyard. During the fight many are killed, including Cyrus, butJuggernaut is captured. Just why has Cyrus been collecting the ghostsof vengeful spirits? Enter Cyrus's nephew, Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), andhis two children, who since the tragic death of their wife and motherrespectively have fell on hard times. They are informed via the familyestate lawyer that they have inherited Cyrus's bizarre maze of amansion. So with babysitter Maggie in tow, they enter their dream homealong with the suddenly appeared Rafkin, who is looking to get paid themoney that Cyrus still owes him, and the lawyer. From where theyunwittingly activate a machine that unleashes 12 murderous and vengefulghosts.Produced by Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver, it's no wonder that thisremake of William Castle's fun and creaky 1960 film of the same name isa ball of noise and bedlam. Dispensing with Castle's creepy houseformula, the makers here go for attempted psychopathic gross out setamongst a complex story, within a science fiction type mansion. Thehouse works as a spectacle, the glass and metal revolves and slides andacts as a ghost prison-cum-deadly weapon in itself. But the makersforgot one very basic ingredient, it's just not scary-at all. Once theghosts are unleashed, a vile looking and odd bunch they be, the wholebloody shrieking and banging things antics quickly grows tiresome. Allsense of peril and potential hope for gore disappears, rapidly replacedby bad acting and potential harm to our eyes and ears. It's a shamebecause the premise is a dandy, if only they had thought it thru andhired better writers and a better director than the hopelessly out ofhis depth Steve Beck.To rub salt into the already weary wounds, upon searching thru the DVDof the film we find the ghosts have unique and interesting backstories. Now that would surely have made a better film one feels. Somenice design and a couple of tricksy moments aside, this Thirteen Ghostsjust about scrapes in as a drunken time filler. 3.5/10

Yngperfrmr@hotmail.com 2013-06-05 17:35:25

I Don't Know About You, But This Scared The Hell Out Of Me

From the get-go, I was on the edge of my seat!The make-up and special effects on the ghosts was remarkable. They weren'tjust a bunch of generic ghouls walking around. Instead they each had theirown gruesome features and stories, and the talented actors portraying themgave each their own distinct personalities. The design of the house was amazing and the sound-effects (sliding metal,moans/groans, loud cackling, ceremonial chanting) were very disturbing. Whatmade the groans coming from the ghosts more disturbing was that sometimes,you could pick out words that helped play upon their back stories. Forexample, you can hear The Withered Lover say "why did you leave me?" and youcan hear The Torn Prince yelling "help me out of here!" (If you have the dvdand watch the histories of the ghosts, then this will become more clear).The camera work and editing was great. I especially loved the scene when weare first taken to the basement and are given a glimpse of the ghosts thathaunt the house in a series of quick flashes. The acting was not bad. It was a little overdone on Mathew Lillards part anda little cheesy on the son's (Alec Robert's) part. Also Rah Digga was funnybut I was just like, "what is she doing in this movie?"But other than that, I had a great time watching it, and this movie stuckwith me a lot longer than most other horror flicks!

2013-06-05 09:00:42

More Boring Than Scary: Another Messy Willaim Castle Remake

OK, here again. Willaim Castle remake. The second outing from film campany Dark Castle Enterainment (Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis) is based on the film made in 1960, but with special effects and elabolate production designs in place of William Castle's now legendary "gimmick." (If you don't know Castle, see Joe Dante's film "Matinee" whose John Goodman character is loosely based on him.) But like "House on the Haunted Hill" the result is not impressive, sporadically scary but ultimately boring.Yes, sorry, but I am bored. The story is, as with all Castle's films, intriguing. A father named Arther (Tony Shalhoub) inherits a house from his long-absent uncle Cyrus (F. Murry Abraham). But the house, of which walls are all made of transparent glass, has a deadly secret -- it keeps a collection of ghosts! Now Arthur and his family, moving into the haunted house, are to experience most uncomfortable night ever seen.This simple premise is always the strength of the first-rate entertainer Willaim Castle's virtue, and though his films are sometimes based on too incredible setup, he knew how to amuse us, with his well-known gimmicks (like "Emergo Vision"). He used for the original a gimmick called "Illusion-O" -- the audience wear a pair of special glasses that enable the ghosts on the screen to appear or to vanish, according to the scenes. In the remake, the idea is extended (or borrowed), and the characters can see ghosts (!) provided when they wear special glasses. That's a good idea, though the director Steve Beck (first-time feature director, previously responsible for special effect art design) ruined it by ... you know what. Too fast changes of cut, cut, cut ... a train of flashing images of ghosts showing up and suddenly vanishing .... Watching these scenes is really trying, I warn you, and my eyes started to get weary soon. And first of all, Matthew Lillard appears as a psychic who can "see" or feel the ghosts. So, what's the point of introducing him while all you can do to see those horrid ghosts is to wear that device?The film is full of such inconsistency as would destroy any suspence -- Embeth Davidtz pops up suddenly in the house where every one is supposed to be trapped within. Asked by the scared inhabitants how come she made it to the inside, she gives an awkward explanation: in short, she happened to find a door open, but sorry, it is closed now! Great. Well, the truth will be revealed after all, but those inept dialogues or situations are all working against the film's total result.The house in case impresses us, with its costly designs, but as the inside layout is not clear, we don't grasp the sense of confined place even after the ghosts are at large. The sense of thrill is weakened by its so confused presentation of the structure of the house, that we don't know these ghosts are coming or going, behind the glass panel or not. In this way, things look all in confusion while the story is also muddled. Soon we lose what little interest we had.Tony Shalhaub is good, as always, and Abraham is standard Abraham, so that's ok. Shannon Elizabeth (goodlooking foregin student in "American Pie" and its esequel) is not bad, Davidts is literally wasted, but most lamentable is Lillard, who is so good in "Scooby-Doo," but here he single-handedly blows up the film with too hammy acting. When I saw this film in theater in Kyoto, before that feature presentation we had a chance to see the trailer of "Jason X." Frankly, I thought that trailer is more interesting than this one. Perhaps, all of us shared the thought.