Thirteen Ghosts

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There isn't really a reason that I want to talk about the 2001 remake of Thirteen Ghosts. I'm talking about it just because I felt like talking about it. When his uncle is is apparently killed in a ghost hunting accident, Recent widower Arthur (played by Tony Shalhoub) moves into his uncle's giant glass house along with his two kids and the family housekeeper. Before too long, the family is confronted by a psychic named Dennis (played by Matthew Lillard) trying to warn them about the ghosts that Arthur's uncle Cyrus (played by F. Murray Abraham) has contained in the house's basement. OK, obviously Thirteen Ghosts isn't a great movie. But, it's one of those horror movies I watch when I just want something I can have fun with. I guess I should address the negatives first because they are there. The movie has a twist involving F. Murray Abraham's character. I won't lie, you can probably figure it out pretty quickly, even if I don't give the actual twist away. The movie also uses CGI. I can't really speak to how the CGI would have looked when the movie came out in 2001. Looking at it from a 2019 perspective, I can easily say that a lot of it looks bad. There isn't a ton of character development. I do think that there's just enough that it doesn't really bother me that much. For example, the lawyer character is your typical one-dimensional sleazy lawyer that appears in a lot of movies. J.R. Bourne, the actor who plays the character, does solid enough with what he's given. The problem is the character's just kind of there to die. Honestly, everything else about the film kind of works for me. The house looks really cool, and there are some legitimately cool effects when the walls shift and turn. The makeup effects on the titular ghosts are really good. But, if I'm being honest, Matthew Lillard is my favorite part of this movie. He manages to make a lot of the humor he's been given work. It helps that the man tends to put a lot of energy and charisma into whatever role he plays. No, Lillard is not the greatest actor in the world, but he's usually the most fun person to watch, and this film is no exception. Overall, Thirteen Ghosts is just good enough for me. The fun stuff lets me easily look past the movie's weaker elements.

6 / 10