Pretty much every notable horror movie from the last half a century has been remade, rebooted, or reinvented at least once by now, and the majority of them have failed to recapture the blood-splattered magic of their predecessors. That includes 2001’s Thirteen Ghosts, which went down in a blaze of infamy with both critics and crowds.
Because it was released in the early days of the new millennium and everything was obligated to be edgy, the do-over of William Castle’s classic and gimmick-laden 1960 original was also known as THIR13EN Ghosts for those who preferred their nomenclature to be a little more nu-metal.
While some of the practical effects and production design was worthy of praise, it would be fair to say that a 17 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and 49 percent user rating does not paint the picture of a superior retread. And yet, the horror-loving masses of Reddit have been stating the case for Thirteen Ghosts to be held in much higher esteem than it currently is.
It wasn’t a particularly big hit at the box office, either, earning under $70 million globally on production costs of $42 million. In Thirteen Ghosts‘ defense, though, every penny of that budget is right up there on the screen – with the team behind the various specters, ghouls, and things that go bump in the night doing a fabulous job.
Opinion remains split more than 20 years on, but with spooky season in full swing, maybe it’s time to give the savaged supernatural chiller another look.