There's nothing like a good ghost story to get the juices flowing, and not one that merely opens a creaky closet door and says, `Boo!' but one that grabs! you by the nape of the neck and commands your attention with a bona fide scare. Unfortunately, such films are few and far between, and though `Thir13en Ghosts,' directed by Steve Beck, is perhaps not the `Grand Guignol' it aspires to be, it is nevertheless a valiant attempt and will do in a pinch. And it does have the added bonus of having something of a unique twist to it: Whereas most stories dealing with supernatural apparitions are the result of chance encounters or happenstance, even those set within the tried and true venue of the `haunted house,' the spirits confronted here do not arise from accident, but by design. The burning question becomes, of course, by whose design and for what purpose? Ah, but therein lies our story, eh?
In the film's prologue, we are introduced to one Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham), a man of obvious wealth and means who has apparently made it his life's work to capture the disenfranchised spirits of those who have died a violent death, encasing them in holding cubes made of impenetrable glass. But before the opening credits have ended, Cyrus falls victim to one of his intended trophies, a particularly rambunctious soul who apparently doesn't take kindly to the idea of being kept in a cage.
Upon the passing of Cyrus Kriticos, his entire estate-- which is rather substantial-- is bequeathed to his nephew, Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub), a math teacher currently in the throes of some personal travails, who barely knew his uncle and had, in fact, only met him once or twice in his life. As often happens in life, however, it is from this least expected source that Arthur seemingly finds the solution to his problems, for his inheritance, which includes a rather unique mansion-- albeit in a remote area-- insures his solvency for the rest of his life. But upon entering this singular house left behind by Cyrus, Arthur's life and that of his family is about to change in ways he could never dream of, none of which are not good, and all of which have to do with something Cyrus left in the basement. And just like that, with the flapping of the butterfly's wings in China, a tidal wave is about to hit shore a continent away.
Working from a screenplay by Neal Stevens and Richard D'Ovidio (from a story by Robb White), Beck has crafted and delivered a less than compelling film that has it's moments, but relies primarily on the special F/X for the impact it's attempting to make. The film has it's moments, but to put it into perspective using the one hundred floor `Haunted House Spooky/scary' scale, it checks in on about the fiftieth floor, just a couple below `The House on Haunted Hill' (1999). `The Others' (2001), meanwhile, currently occupies the penthouse, while the dreary `The Haunting' (1999) is, and will forever languish in, the basement.
The ghosts here are disconcertingly gruesome, though some of them tend to be a bit over the top; a few of them appear to be the product of a mad designer who should have had his sketching crayon taken away from him sooner. A few less spikes, bolts, piercings and protrusions would have made them more convincing; as it is, they don't have enough `humanity' left in them to be credible as formerly living beings. It's a good case for the `less is more' theory, in fact. The real interest in this film is the house itself, which is perhaps the most unique design in the annals of the cinematic haunted house. With it's glass walls filled with Latin inscriptions and it's ability to alter itself into a claustrophobic maze at will, it is actually more jarring and shocking than the otherworldly denizens it houses in it's subterranean recesses. Arguably, it can be said that the house is, in point of fact, the star of the movie. And Beck does use it to good effect.
The real star, however, is Tony Shalhoub, as the unwary nephew, Arthur. Shalhoub has emerged as one of the finest character actors in the business, and even if the character he is playing is a rather straight forward, `normal' every day type, which is basically who Arthur is, nobody does it better. What makes him so good is that he has the ability and talent to make whatever character he's portraying believable and convincing, whether it's an alien in `Men In Black,' a street prophet in `Life or Something Like it' or your run-of-the-mill generic math teacher. He works from the inside out, which gives his characters depth and nuance; deep down Shalhoub IS that person, before he-- whomever it is-- ever makes a physical appearance. And THAT is good acting.
After Shalhoub, however, there's nothing much of note here, performance wise. Abraham does a good turn as Cyrus, but his role is little more than a glorified cameo with little room for character development, and even though what he does is good, there's no getting around the fact that early on his Cyrus falls into stereotype.
Matthew Lillard does a quirky turn as Dennis, but looking at him for any length of time can be distracting; Shannon Elizabeth, as Arthur's daughter, Kathy, is too pert and perky to be effective, with a perpetual smile that would be more fitting in a toothpaste commercial or `Starship Troopers 2' than here; Embeth Davidtz (Kalina) is simply underused; young Alec Roberts (Bobby) is annoying; and making her acting debut, Rah Digga (better known as the "female" MC and only woman in Busta Rhymes' renowned Flip Mode Squad), as the nanny, Maggie, leaves a lot to be desired, which pretty much sums up `Thir13en Ghosts.' This one, as they say, is close-- but no cigar. There's just not enough magic. 5/10.
In the film's prologue, we are introduced to one Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham), a man of obvious wealth and means who has apparently made it his life's work to capture the disenfranchised spirits of those who have died a violent death, encasing them in holding cubes made of impenetrable glass. But before the opening credits have ended, Cyrus falls victim to one of his intended trophies, a particularly rambunctious soul who apparently doesn't take kindly to the idea of being kept in a cage.
Upon the passing of Cyrus Kriticos, his entire estate-- which is rather substantial-- is bequeathed to his nephew, Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub), a math teacher currently in the throes of some personal travails, who barely knew his uncle and had, in fact, only met him once or twice in his life. As often happens in life, however, it is from this least expected source that Arthur seemingly finds the solution to his problems, for his inheritance, which includes a rather unique mansion-- albeit in a remote area-- insures his solvency for the rest of his life. But upon entering this singular house left behind by Cyrus, Arthur's life and that of his family is about to change in ways he could never dream of, none of which are not good, and all of which have to do with something Cyrus left in the basement. And just like that, with the flapping of the butterfly's wings in China, a tidal wave is about to hit shore a continent away.
Working from a screenplay by Neal Stevens and Richard D'Ovidio (from a story by Robb White), Beck has crafted and delivered a less than compelling film that has it's moments, but relies primarily on the special F/X for the impact it's attempting to make. The film has it's moments, but to put it into perspective using the one hundred floor `Haunted House Spooky/scary' scale, it checks in on about the fiftieth floor, just a couple below `The House on Haunted Hill' (1999). `The Others' (2001), meanwhile, currently occupies the penthouse, while the dreary `The Haunting' (1999) is, and will forever languish in, the basement.
The ghosts here are disconcertingly gruesome, though some of them tend to be a bit over the top; a few of them appear to be the product of a mad designer who should have had his sketching crayon taken away from him sooner. A few less spikes, bolts, piercings and protrusions would have made them more convincing; as it is, they don't have enough `humanity' left in them to be credible as formerly living beings. It's a good case for the `less is more' theory, in fact. The real interest in this film is the house itself, which is perhaps the most unique design in the annals of the cinematic haunted house. With it's glass walls filled with Latin inscriptions and it's ability to alter itself into a claustrophobic maze at will, it is actually more jarring and shocking than the otherworldly denizens it houses in it's subterranean recesses. Arguably, it can be said that the house is, in point of fact, the star of the movie. And Beck does use it to good effect.
The real star, however, is Tony Shalhoub, as the unwary nephew, Arthur. Shalhoub has emerged as one of the finest character actors in the business, and even if the character he is playing is a rather straight forward, `normal' every day type, which is basically who Arthur is, nobody does it better. What makes him so good is that he has the ability and talent to make whatever character he's portraying believable and convincing, whether it's an alien in `Men In Black,' a street prophet in `Life or Something Like it' or your run-of-the-mill generic math teacher. He works from the inside out, which gives his characters depth and nuance; deep down Shalhoub IS that person, before he-- whomever it is-- ever makes a physical appearance. And THAT is good acting.
After Shalhoub, however, there's nothing much of note here, performance wise. Abraham does a good turn as Cyrus, but his role is little more than a glorified cameo with little room for character development, and even though what he does is good, there's no getting around the fact that early on his Cyrus falls into stereotype.
Matthew Lillard does a quirky turn as Dennis, but looking at him for any length of time can be distracting; Shannon Elizabeth, as Arthur's daughter, Kathy, is too pert and perky to be effective, with a perpetual smile that would be more fitting in a toothpaste commercial or `Starship Troopers 2' than here; Embeth Davidtz (Kalina) is simply underused; young Alec Roberts (Bobby) is annoying; and making her acting debut, Rah Digga (better known as the "female" MC and only woman in Busta Rhymes' renowned Flip Mode Squad), as the nanny, Maggie, leaves a lot to be desired, which pretty much sums up `Thir13en Ghosts.' This one, as they say, is close-- but no cigar. There's just not enough magic. 5/10.