The thirteen ghosts that comprise the “Black Zodiac” have a story of their own. Due to the lack of evidence, the origin of the “Black Zodiac” is believed to be with the writers of the movie Thirteen Ghosts. To learn more about this film, please read the article Thirteen Ghosts – And the Black Zodiac.
Ghost # 1: The First Born Son
The first born son is the ghost of Billy Michaels, clearly a fan of cowboy films. Billy was once challenged to a duel by a neighbour, where Billy was using a toy gun and the neighbour using a steel arrow. The steel arrow killed Billy, as he was hit in the back of his head. When he appears and makes himself visible to others, he still wears his cowboy suit, holding a tomahawk, with the arrow still protruding from his head. He is known for whispering, “I want to play”. In the film, Billy Michaels is played by Mikhael Speidel.
Ghost # 2: The Torso
The torso ghost is that of Jimmy Gambino, who was a well-known gambler. Daniel Wesley offers his torso to portray this particular ghost in the film. Jimmy was known for spending all of his time gambling, either on the track or making bets with people. He died because he made a deal with a rich business man. The deal involved a boxing match and when Jimmy lost, he tried to leave town. The business man and his mob caught up with him and cut him into several pieces, wrapping them in cellophane and dumping them into the ocean.
Ghost # 3: The Bound Woman
A former cheerleader, Susan LeGrow, is known as the Bound Woman. She was born into a privileged family and was known for seducing men and disposing them when she pleased. Leaving behind a long trail of broken hearts, this was no different when her boyfriend found her to be unfaithful. He strangled her as a result and killed the other man. He buried her lifeless body at the 50-yard line at the local football field. When sentenced to death due to his actions, he was quoted saying “The bitch broke my heart, so I broke her neck”. When Susan appears, she is wearing her prom dress, hanging with her arms behind her back. Susan is played by Laura Mennell.
Ghost # 4: The Withered Lover
The withered lover is Jean Kriticos, Arthur’s wife in the film Thirteen Ghosts. Jean is played by Kathryn Anderson, both prior to her death and as a ghost. She died of her wounds after a house fire, while desperately trying to save her family. When her ghost appears, she is usually dressed in a hospital gown, dragging an IV pole around and clearly showing her burned face and body. The withered lover is different than the other ghosts, as she is not evil or vengeful.
Ghost # 5: The Torn Prince
Craig Olejnik plays the ghost of the torn prince, whose name is Royce Clayton. Royce was born in 1940. He was a gifted baseball player in his high school years, despite having an attitude and a superiority complex. During a drag race between himself and a greaser named Johnny in 1957, Royce’s car spun out of control, flipped over and killed him. The reason behind the crash was a cut brake line. Because he was buried overlooking a baseball diamond, his ghosts carries a baseball bat when he appears, showing his wrecked car in the background. His body is torn to shreds due to the crash.
Ghost # 6: The Angry Princess
The angry princess was a girl who did not believe in her own natural beauty. Her name was Dana Newman, played by Shawna Loyer. Dana had a low self esteem due to abusive boyfriends, which also led to plastic surgery. Her desire to look good and hide her emotional past, caused her to begin working for a plastic surgeon, getting surgery instead of payments. One night, she wanted to perform surgery on herself, resulting in blinding herself in one eye and mutilating her body permanently. As a result, she committed suicide in her bathtub by slashing her body with a butcher knife. She appears naked when she does show herself, carrying around the knife with which she had killed herself. She is known to whisper “I’m sorry”, which was also something that was written on her suicide note.
To learn about the remaining ghosts in the “Black Zodiac”, please read the article Thirteen Ghosts: Ghosts 7-13. The information found in this article can also be found on the Thirteen Ghosts DVD.
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