Thirteen Ghosts: Black Zodiac ExplainedĪs previously mentioned, Thirteen Ghosts' Black Zodiac is a dark version of the standard zodiac used in astrology, and also contains twelve main signs, in this case corresponding to the twelve ghosts. Much of this is due to the really cool titular ghosts, the splendid production design on the labyrinthine glass house they reside in, and some of the film's cooler concepts. Thirteen Ghosts wasn't a box office hit, but it quickly earned a following on home video, and that cult has only grown over the years.
#13 GHOSTS THE JACKAL MOVIE#
Related: 10 Most Terrifying Ghosts in Horror Movie History Of course, this is no ordinary house, and is being used to imprison twelve angry ghosts in the hopes of using them to complete a complex spell. Murray Abraham), then moves into the place with his kids and their nanny. The remake centers on Arthur Kriticos ( Tony Shalhoub), a widower who is surprised to inherit a mansion from his recently deceased uncle Cyrus (F. The Dark Castle name is an homage to legendary horror producer William Castle, and several of the company's biggest successes were remakes of films that had been made by Castle, including Thirteen Ghosts.Īs far as remakes go, Thirteen Ghosts actually sticks fairly close to the basic plot of the original, although features mostly new characters, and a much more modern high-tech setting. While they still occasionally make movies, in the early-mid 2000s, Dark Castle was a prolific producer when it came to glossy, biggish budget theatrical horror. The house then explodes, destroying its walls and freeing The Jackal and the other eleven ghosts.The 2001 Dark Castle movie Thirteen Ghosts introduced the Black Zodiac, a dark reversal of the standard zodiac, and here's its significance. When The Jackal and the other ghosts are freed from the trance, they throw Cyrus into a rotating crest of rings. Later, a Latin chant causes the Jackal, along with the other eleven ghosts, to go to the center of the machine and power it up. Later, The Jackal re-encounters the group up in the house and attacks Arthur viciously clawing at his back until Kalina uses another flare to ward The Jackal off. He pursues Kathy, Kalina and Arthur, but is separated from them by a sliding glass door, the barrier spells preventing him from crossing. But he is forced to release her when Kalina arrives and hurls a flare at The Jackal. He eventually comes across Kathy, and viciously attacks her, clawing at her. The Jackal is the fifth ghost to be released. The Jackal was then moved to the basement of Basileus's Machine with the other eleven ghosts. When a fire broke out at the asylum, while everyone else escaped, Ryan chose to stay behind and meet his deserved fate, and he apparently died in the fire.įollowing his death, Ryan's spirit remained bound to earth, and was subsequently captured by Cyrus Kriticos in order to become The Jackal. However, Ryan gnawed through it, so the doctors locked Ryan's head in a cage-type helmet and locked him in a dark, basement cell, where he grew to hate any human contact, and would cower and scream madly whenever approached. When Ryan attacked a nurse, the doctors decided to put him in a straitjacket and tightened it whenever Ryan acted out, contorting his limbs horribly. He scratched at his cell's walls so violently, that his fingernails were torn completely off, making his hands claw-like. Seeking treatment, Ryan committed himself to Borinwood Asylum, where he eventually went insane. As a result, he became a wild and cunning, sexual predator, attacking, raping, and murdering strays and prostitutes in the dead of night like a wild animal. Ryan Kuhn, also known as The Jackal, is an antagonist in Thirteen Ghosts.īorn to a prostitute at some point in the year 1887, Ryan Kuhn grew up to develop a sick, insatiable and uncontrollable taste for women.