Thirteen Ghosts 2001

Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) and his trusted assistant Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) embark on a perilous expedition to capture the formidable Juggernaut spirit in a sprawling junkyard, only to suffer a devastating blow when Cyrus falls victim to the ghostly forces. Despite this setback, the team manages to ensnare their quarry, foreshadowing the eerie events that will soon unfold.

Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub), a brilliant mathematician still reeling from the loss of his loved one, is stunned by the news that he has inherited an opulent mansion from his recently deceased uncle Cyrus. As Arthur’s financially strained family prepares to relocate to this glass-fronted estate with his two children, Kathy (Shannon Elizabeth) and Bobby (Alec Roberts), they are accompanied by their vigilant nanny, Maggie (Rah Digga).

Dennis Rafkin, disguised as a utility company representative, pays the family an unsettling visit, revealing himself to Arthur’s uncle Benjamin Moss (JR Bourne) during a tour of the labyrinthine mansion. As the group navigates the vast, crystal-clear expanse, they discover cryptic Latin phrases etched into the floors and walls, as well as priceless artifacts scattered throughout the property. While Arthur becomes increasingly enthralled by the prospect of claiming this new home, his children venture off on their own to explore the depths of the mansion.

Meanwhile, Dennis frantically attempts to warn Arthur about the malevolent forces lurking within these walls, but Benjamin dismisses his concerns, assuring him that Dennis is simply a madman. Unbeknownst to Arthur, however, there are twelve restless spirits trapped within the mansion’s glassy confines, bound by the ancient spells woven throughout the property.

As tensions simmer beneath the surface, Benjamin Moss sneaks away to claim a hidden stash of cash, inadvertently triggering a mechanism set in motion by Cyrus. The entrance is sealed, and the ghosts begin to stir, one by one. In a chilling turn of events, Benjamin encounters the vengeful Angry Princess, who brutally dispatches him with an open doorway that snaps shut like a guillotine.

Later, Arthur’s skepticism about the supernatural is shattered when he witnesses his daughter Kathy being attacked by the ruthless Jackal ghost, leaving no doubt as to the malevolent forces lurking within the mansion.

As the desperate search for Bobby continues, Arthur’s younger child disappears after a brief separation from Maggie, vanishing into the eerie basement where he encounters a chilling array of ethereal entities. The Torso and the Bound Woman join the spectral procession, their ghostly forms a harbinger of the terrors to come. Meanwhile, Arthur manages to locate Kathy, only to find himself embroiled in a fierce battle against the relentless Jackal. Kalina Oretzia (Embeth Davidtz), an enigmatic spirit liberator, intervenes to free Kathy from the monster’s grasp, but their temporary triumph is short-lived as the Jackal reasserts its dominance. This brief reprieve proves crucial, however, for Arthur’s objective now crystalizes: he must find his children and escape this labyrinthine house with all due haste.

But obstacles abound. Not only do the walls continue to shift and twist, rendering navigation a perilous challenge, but it becomes clear that only those equipped with specialized glasses are capable of perceiving the ghostly apparitions. Arthur’s quest for his children takes on an added layer of urgency as Kalina reveals the true nature of their predicament: they find themselves trapped within the Ocularis Infernum, a diabolical device crafted by Cyrus, the “Eye of Hell.” This monstrous machine, fueled by the dead and powered by the Devil himself, was designed to grant its user unparalleled foresight once completed. As Arthur’s horror at this revelation grows, he discovers that one of the spirits powering this infernal contraption is none other than the ghost of his beloved wife, Jean.

Kalina’s cryptic explanations only add to Arthur’s distress as she reveals the true stakes: his children are in grave danger, and the only way to ensure their safe return lies in making a Faustian bargain. In exchange for his soul, Arthur would become the 13th ghost, his sacrifice of pure love countering the evil energies within the machine, ultimately shutting it down. But Cyrus’s true intentions remain shrouded in mystery until it is revealed that he is, in fact, alive and has orchestrated the entire ordeal to lure Arthur into his trap.

As the truth begins to unfold, Kalina’s true nature is exposed: she is Cyrus’s secret partner and lover, and she strikes Maggie unconscious with a ruthless efficiency. The mastermind behind the sinister scheme, Cyrus has manipulated events from the beginning, including the abduction of Kathy and Bobby, to ensure that Arthur becomes the 13th ghost - not to stop the machine, as Kalina had claimed, but to trigger it.

In the midst of this chaos, Arthur and Dennis make a desperate attempt to rescue Kathy and Bobby with the aid of a detached wall. However, their valiant efforts are met with resistance from the formidable Hammer, who sends Dennis into a corner where he is protected by the wall. In a selfless act of sacrifice, Dennis pushes Arthur to safety before facing his own demise at the hands of the Juggernaut, who brutally dispatches him in a fit of rage.

As Arthur stands frozen behind the ethereal barrier of glass, the apparition of Jean materializes before him. The ghostly visitation is fleeting, however, as it is swiftly superseded by an enigmatic summons emanating from Cyrus’s tape-recorder, which precipitates a mass exodus of spirits from the basement. Kathy and Bobby are suddenly thrust into the vortex of a whirling, jagged latticework of rings that seems to be spinning with increasing ferocity.

The tension is palpable as Arthur and Cyrus engage in a violent confrontation, but their altercation is abruptly interrupted by the sound of Maggie’s determined efforts to dismantle the machinery. This breakdown in equipment has an unforeseen consequence: the spirits are released from their trance-like state, and all except Jean converge on Cyrus with a shared purpose. With unrelenting ferocity, they hurl him into the heart of the razor-sharp rings.

Just as it seems that Cyrus is doomed, Dennis’s ghost appears, imparting a crucial message to Arthur - one that prompts him to make a heroic leap of faith across the chasm of spinning rings in order to reach his children. Miraculously, Arthur avoids the deadly blades and manages to effect a safe landing, shattering the glass walls of the house in the process and liberating the trapped spirits from their captivity.

As the dust settles, a serene Jean is seen bidding farewell to her family before departing with the other ghosts. Meanwhile, Maggie emerges from the wreckage, battered but unbroken, her voice rising in exasperation as she proclaims, “I quit!” - a declaration that serves as the somber epilogue to this tale of supernatural drama and redemption.