Parents' Guide to

13 Ghosts (2001)

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Brutally violent horror remake is a huge waste.

Movie R 2001 91 minutes
13 Ghosts (2001) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

MovieLover4Lyfe
MovieLover4Lyfe Adult
May 26, 2010
age 15+

Silly Scary.

Despite what most people think, I actually like this movie. I am not a big fan of the horror genre, but this movie was almost silly. They tried so hard to make a horribly scary movie. Now, it is gory, very. And the nudity makes it not for children, but if you want to see something scary and yet not scary at the same time, watch this movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
devoedivine
devoedivine Adult
October 11, 2020
age 17+

My favorite spooky movie of all times

Idk what the idiot who wrote the review saying this movie was a waste of time and talent is talking about. The movie was excellent and the acting was on point. Would definitely recommend. I watch it every Halloween it is on my Halloween must see list.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this remake of the cheesy William Castle movie (which required special glasses to enable the audience to see the ghosts),

Oscar-winner F. Murray Abraham plays Cyrus, a wild-eyed ghostbuster type. We see him barking orders in an incoherent prologue, and then, following the credits, we see a happy family that falls on hard times after the mother is killed in a fire. The next thing you know, math teacher dad, Arthur (Tony Shalhoub), daughter Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth), death-obsessed son Bobby (Alex Roberts) and nanny Maggie (Rah Digga) find out that their rich uncle Cyrus has died and left them his home. The house is all made of glass etched with mysterious inscriptions. At first, the family is delighted. But then, with the help of psychic Daniel Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) and special glasses (a nod to the earlier version), they see that terrifying ghosts are in the basement.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (11 ):

This big-budget remake is a huge waste of time and talent. Basically this is a "boo!" movie. People get surprised by ghosts and get attacked by them. They run away and get chased by ghosts. They say a lot of cornball lines like, "Who are you to play God?" and "Wait right here!" And then they get chased and attacked again. No one seems to have paid much attention to the script. They mention that Arthur is a math professor, but then show him counting on his fingers. And a scene that requires Kathy to stay in the bathroom for quite a while leaves Shannon Elizabeth with nothing to do but stroke her hair and splash water on her face. The original had a dumb script, but it was unpretentious enough that it was more fun to watch than this mess. The remake steals from classics like The Shining, Poltergeist, and The Uninvited and still manages to be more tedious than scary. F. Murray Abraham should hock his Oscar before he ever agrees to do something like this again. The Maggie character is particularly offensive. The "sassy black maid" stereotype went out of style more than 50 years ago.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about if the extreme level of violence is really necessary. Can you think of other movies that scared you without excessive gore? Families who see this movie should also talk about whether they believe in the supernatural and what makes some people want to control everyone around them.

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