This picture is so oddly wicked I smile every time I watch it, but in on any other day I would be dragging it through the mud.

"Thir13en Ghosts" is based on a 1960s horror film of the same name, but I doubt the filmmakers then had any ideas THIS warped. The story follows Arthur Kriticos when he and his family are served up to an evil structure, built and lived in by his former uncle, where his uncle's collection of violent ghosts are locked in the basement.

The collection is set free one by one as the house performs some dark ritual to unlock and command the realm's of hell..or some shit like that. That part of the story was all hoak and I didn't care for it. The ghosts themselves are worth the price of admission on this one.

Director Steve Beck has worked with the design team and writers to create a set of spirits which left me feeling very uncomfortable, even well after the movie was over. I can't say enough great things about them. Their outlandish entities and best of all, they are all well rounded characters. However, some of their backstories are easier to spot than others.

The picture also has several decent actors in it, including Tony Shaloub (TV's Monk), Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie movies - yum), Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham (Finding Forrester), Embeth Davidtz (Schindler's List) and Mathew Lilliard (Without a Paddle).

The writing on this picture was pretty much crap, with the exception of using Lilliard's character as comic relief. However, I did appreciate seeing a horror movie where not every character who we get to know gets killed. In fact, I think only four characters with a name actually get done in, one being the nemesis, and another being his lawyer-who couldn't see THAT coming? The ghosts of the picture really carries the weight of the film otherwise. Also the sound design is pretty creepy, resembling "The Sixth Sense," but not as subtle.

The best part of the picture's DVD release is it includes a special feature gallery which gives 1-2 minute narrated backstories about each of the ghosts in uncle Kriticos' collection, voiced by F. Murray Abraham while in character. The feature is awesome and at times even creepier than the actual film. Rent it. Its a hoot.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?