Thirteen Ghosts | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Steve Beck |
Produced by |
Robert Zemeckis Joel Silver Gilbert Adler |
Written by |
Robb White Neal Marshall Stevens |
Starring |
Tony Shalhoub Matthew Lillard Embeth Davidtz Adam Kaminski Shannon Elizabeth Alec Roberts Rah Digga F. Murray Abraham |
Music by | John Frizzell |
Cinematography | Gale Tattersall |
Edited by | Derek G. Brechin Edward A. Warschilka |
Production
company |
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Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures (USA & Canada) Columbia Pictures (International) |
Release date
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October 26, 2001 |
Running time
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90 minutes |
Country | United States Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $42 million |
Box office | $68,467,960 |
Thirteen Ghosts (also known as 13 Ghosts and stylized as THIR13EN Ghosts) is a 2001 Canadian-American supernatural horror film directed by Steve Beck. It is a remake of the 1960 film 13 Ghosts by William Castle. It follows the remake of another one of Castle's films, House on Haunted Hill. It was shot entirely around Lower Mainland, British Columbia.
Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) and his psychic assistant Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) lead a team on a mission to capture a spirit called the Juggernaut (John DeSantis). Several men are killed, apparently including Cyrus. However, the team is able to catch the ghost. Cyrus's nephew Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), a widower, is informed by Cyrus's estate lawyer, Ben Moss (J. R. Bourne), that he has inherited Cyrus' mansion. Financially insecure, Arthur decides to move there with his two children, Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts) and their nanny Maggie (Rah Digga).
Posing as a power company inspector, Dennis meets the family and Moss as they tour the mansion. The residence is made entirely of glass sheets inscribed with Latin phrases, which Dennis recognizes as barrier spells. While searching the basement, Dennis is hit by psychic flashes and discovers the twelve angry ghosts he and Cyrus captured are imprisoned in the house, held captive by the spells. As Dennis warns Arthur, Moss slips downstairs and picks up a valise of cash, unwittingly triggering a mechanism that seals the house and releases the ghosts one by one. He dies when a set of sliding doors snaps shut, cutting him in half. Bobby slips away from Kathy and Maggie and enters the basement, where he sees several of the ghosts, particularly that of the Withered Lover - his mother Jean, who had died of injuries sustained in a house fire. He is knocked unconscious and dragged away.