THIRT13EN GHOSTS (2001)

With special guest Jason Ragosta

Intro, Math Club, Debate Society, Hot for Teacher (spoiler-free): 00:00-27:31
Honor Roll and Detention (spoiler-heavy): 27:32-55:27
Superlatives (spoiler-heavier): 56:27-1:15:27

Director Steve Beck
Screenplay Neal Marshall Stevens & Richard D’Ovidio, story by Robb White
Featuring F. Murray Abraham, JR Bourne, Embeth Davidtz, Rah Digga, Shannon Elizabeth, Matthew Lillard, Shawna Loyer, Alec Roberts, Tony Shalhoub

Released October 26, 2001
Budget $42 million
Box Office $68.4 million

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS

It’s a cage match in a used car graveyard, with soul hunter Cyrus Kriticos taking on soul preserver Kalina Oretzia.  Lost amidst the metal is The Breaker, a murderous ghost Cyrus wishes to add to his collection.  Assisting him is Dennis, a medium whose ability to sense ghosts sends him into spasms of pain.  Kalina’s only wish is to set souls free and let them roam the earth.  Cyrus succeeds in capturing Breaker, but loses his life in the process.  We cut to the home of Cyrus’s nephew, math teacher Arthur Kriticos, his two children Bobby and Kathy, and their nanny, the sassy Maggie. They’ve got a visitor today, a lawyer, Ben Moss, representing Cyrus’s estate. The news:  Cyrus is bequeathing his house to Arthur, who’s spent the last few months mourning the death of his wife in a fire.  The house, it turns out, is a modern masterpiece of architecture, a glass structure with Latin etched on the walls, and walls that slide back and forth like a living organism.  Arthur’s flattered, but… he can’t pay for this.  He barely gets by as it is.  Ben assures him that Cyrus has everything figured out.  All Arthur and the kids need to do is move in and get settled.  But once they start looking around, the Kriticos family realizes they’re being watched, and the inhabitants of the basement are none too happy to be under new management.

SPOILER-FREE GUEST BIO

Jason Ragosta is a horror writer, director, and illustrator who has created award winning short films such as Boy In The Dark and ZTV: Sympathy For The Devil, and “Mother Love” which was part of Sinphony: A Clubhouse Horror Anthology released in 2022.  He is currently in various stages of development on several feature films and episodic series. Favorite recess snacks: Polly-O string cheese and Lunchables.

EPISODE NOTE

Music from Thirt13en Ghosts by John Frizzell.

Why did Professor Louryk choose this film? Find out in our Blog.

TRAILER

SUPERLATIVES

The Gaspar Noe Award for Most Disturbing Scene
Jason: “The Angry Princess Bathtub Blood Water Scene”
Eric: Ben Moss gets sliced in half by a glass wall
Bradford: “The scene in which a child, believing himself to be involved in a game of hide and seek, has to interact with the French onion soup that used to be his deceased mother”

The Ellen Ripley Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Live
Jason: Dennis Rafkin
Eric: Jean Kriticos
Bradford: Uncle Cyrus’ house

The Michael Myers Award for Character Who Most Deserves to Die
Jason: Ben Moss
Eric: Uncle Cyrus
Bradford: Uncle Cyrus

The Ken Russell Award for Most Baroque Screen Moment
Jason: Ben Moss gets sliced in half by a glass wall
Eric: The ghosts escape, Cyrus is killed, and the house goes haywire
Bradford: Maggie remixes the house and helps destroy Cyrus in the process

The Brad Dourif Award for Character Who Could (or Should) Have Been Played by Brad Dourif
Jason: Uncle Cyrus
Eric: Uncle Cyrus
Bradford: Uncle Cyrus

FINAL LETTER GRADE

Jason: B+
Eric: D+
Bradford: B