In the same year Michael Bay co-founded Platinum Dunes, Dark Castle unleashed their second redux (following 1999s House On Haunted Hill) and they couldve chosen better because 13 Ghosts (as it was called in those days) wasnt even that great when William Castle did it in 1960. Those who remember it at all remember it for the gimmick of Illusion-O, where Ghost Viewers (actually 3D glasses) allowed audience members to see the spirits. Here, 12 ghosts held in 12 cages in the basement of an isolated mansion are unwittingly released, causing The Damsel In Distress, The Cute Kid and The Comic Relief to run around screaming for the rest of the movie. And before you ask, yes, they do decide to split up inside the haunted house. Its that lame. Ah, but what of the 13th ghost, you say? Glad you asked. Turns out F Murray Abraham lured Tony Shalhoub to the house under false pretences, stashed the ghost of his dead wife in a closet and hoped her appearance would make Shalhoub kill himself out of love, thus completing the bakers dozen and making Abraham the most powerful person in the world.somehow.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
