Nothing seems to be able to satisfy my insatiable urge for ghost films at the minute and I was well pleased to find my lovely housemate had hired this remake out all shiny and new for an evening in with her bloke. Needless to say I watched it that afternoon� brilliant having a housemate whose middle name is �Blockbuster.�
Actually there was not so much reason to get excited. Here�s the plot: a family of father, daughter, young son and their nanny are finding the bills difficult to pay since the death of their mother in a fire. But their luck is in as an estranged uncle has just died leaving them his house. But when they turn up, they find that there are a few hidden extras, in the form of� oh yes � thirteen ghosts. In the basement, naturally. The moving glass walls inscribed with writing are not only a stylish decorating feature but are special walls that can stop ghosts walking through them � the glass, we are told, is bulletproof and more importantly, ghost-proof. Funny, then, how we see the panels wobbling in a suspiciously Perspex-like way half the time. Soon they realise there is no way out and they have only a couple of random psychic people to help them figure out what is going on.
Please, please don�t think this film is anything like the vastly superior Cube. Like I�ve said before, with good horror you actually have to care what the hell happens to the characters and considering I�d have happily put the younger son into a blender, limb by limb, I wasn�t exactly engaged. The ghosts had �latex suit� written all over them (and in one case, �silicone�) but were still pretty cool in concept. The less you see of ghosts in films, though, the more scary they are. These guys may as well have been playing chase the ace the whole time for the effect they eventually had on me.
Ah well. Maybe I�m getting too critical. Scary scenes, yes. Tension? yes. Bog-standard ghost film fare? Oh yes. Concept, depth of? About as shallow as a nail bar. Thir13en Ghosts certainly isn�t doing the remake market any favours. |
