Video Shelf

New this week: Written by Neal Marshall Stevens and Richard D’Ovidio from a story by Robb White and directed by Steve Beck for maximum tension, “Thirteen Ghosts” is in essence a classic haunted house story, given some terrifically ingenious and grisly twists. The story centers on a decent family man, already afflicted with tragedy and loss, who finds within himself the courage and selflessness to save his family from evil. “Thirteen Ghosts” begins in a Chicago auto junkyard in the dead of night, where F. Murray Abraham’s sinister Cyrus Kriticos and his zany yet distraught young psychic, Rafkin (Matthew Lillard), are doing a little spirit-chasing. Meanwhile, elegant Kalina (Embeth Davidtz) apparently means to free any spirits they manage to trap. If this sounds a bit vague, it is, but not to worry, for it is meant to be a suitably bravura prologue to all the thrills and chills to come in this sleek, gory remake of the 1960 William Castle original. Although not for the faint of heart, it’s a potent--and very tricky--treat. With Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth and Alec Roberts.

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Top 5 VHS rentals:

1. Training Day

2. Riding in Cars With Boys

3. Joy Ride

4. Don’t Say a Word

5. Heist

Top 5 DVD rentals:

1. Training Day

2. Joy Ride

3. Riding in Cars With Boys

4. Zoolander

5. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

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Rental video charts provided by VSDAVidTrac.