13th Child
| Thirteenth Child | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by |
Thomas Ashley Steven Stockage |
| Produced by |
Michael T. Murphy Patricia M. Reider |
| Written by |
Michael Maryk Cliff Robertson |
| Starring |
Cliff Robertson Lesley-Anne Down Christopher Atkins Gano Grills Robert Guillaume Michelle Maryk Nick Malespina |
| Music by | Peter Calandra |
| Cinematography | Howard Krupa |
| Edited by | Thomas Ashley |
| Distributed by | Unipix Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5,000,000 |
13th Child (or The 13th Child: Legend of the Jersey Devil) is a 2002 direct-to-video horror film, based on the Jersey Devil.[1] The screenplay was written by Michael Maryk and Cliff Robertson, who also stars in the film.[1] The story is based on The Jersey Devil by James F. McCloy and Ray Miller Jr.[2] The film was shot in New Jersey at Wharton State Forest, Batsto Village, and Hammonton in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
Cast
- Cliff Robertson as Mr. Shroud
- Lesley-Anne Down as District-Attorney Murphy
- Christopher Atkins as Ron
- Gano Grills as Mitch
- Robert Guillaume as Riley
- Michelle Maryk as Kathryn
- John Otis as Piney Hunter
- John Wesley as Jones
- Peter Jason as Coroner
- D.L. Shroder as Cole
- Jonathan C. Daly as Anthony
- Robyn Parsons as Bobbie
- Linda Kenyon as Nurse
- Michael Maryk as The Major
- Robert Zappalorti as Snakeman Jess
- Martin Tuchman as Insurance Commissioner
- Nick Malespina as The Jersey Devil
Production
In 1998-1999 Michael Maryk took his New Jersey background and remembered the legend of the Jersey Devil. He started to write a short story about it on nights and weekends. He tried to get his friend Michael Murphy who was a producer to be part of it but Murphy showed no interest. Then along came the successful film The Blair Witch Project, and everything changed. One day the two Michaels had a chat by their local post office and they agreed to produce 13th Child. In 2000 a budget was set with an estimated $5,000,000. In 2001 casting began, and Maryk's daughter Michelle was chosen to be "Kathryn Tatum". Filming began in 2001 at Batsto State Park in New Jersey.
Reception
Critical reception for the film has been negative and the film holds a rating of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.[3] David N. Butterworth heavily panned the film, as he felt that "Anyone who quickly denounced Madonna's "Swept Away" as being the worst film of 2002 clearly hadn't seen "13th Child.""[3] Charles Tatum from eFilmCritic.com panned the film's script, and character development.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 Nash, Margo (October 13, 2002), "The Devil You Think You Know", The New York Times, p. 11
- ↑ Rosen, Judith (November 18, 2002), "Jersey Devil takes the screen", Publishers Weekly, p. 22
- 1 2 "13th Child". Rotten Tomatoes. 2002-01-01. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
- ↑ Tatum, Charles. "Movie Review - 13th Child - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. Charles Tatum. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
External links
- 13th Child at the Internet Movie Database
- 13th Child at AllMovie
- 13th Child at Rotten Tomatoes
- 13th Child at Turner Classic Movies