‘Queen of the Damned’ peppered with mistakes

In theaters

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED, directed by Michael Rymer, written by Scott Abbott and Michael Petroni, based on “The Vampire Chronicles” by Anne Rice. 101 minutes. Rated R.

So much has been written about the late R&B singer Aaliyah’s performance in Michael Rymer’s “Queen of the Damned,” it probably will come as a surprise and a disappointment to some to learn that she’s barely in the film at all.

As Akasha, queen of all vampires, Aaliyah doesn’t show up until the film’s final third, which isn’t exactly the royal treatment one expects given the sheer buildup of hype her posthumous appearance has generated for the film.

Mistake? Absolutely. But then “Queen of the Damned” is peppered with mistakes.

Based on two Anne Rice novels, “The Vampire Lestat” and “TheQueen of the Damned,” “Queen of the Damned” isn’t really about a queen at all, though with all of its sullen, bitchy vampires undulating within the film’s gathering shadows, one certainly could accuse its soul-less crew of bloodsuckers as having the brooding temperament of a queen.

Following 1994’s “Interview with the Vampire,” the film is actually a continuation of the story of the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend), who as the film opens is being awakened in his crypt by the music of a world that now intrigues him.

His interest piqued, Lestat leaves his crypt, sucks the blood from his first victim and steps boldly into the night, his pale face alive with blood and mischief after a two-century sleep.

He will become a rock star, and through his music he will step out of the vampire “closet,” so to speak, and out himself and every vampire for what he or she is.

As you can imagine, this plan of Lestat’s doesn’t sit well with the other vampires, all of whom would have killed Lestat at a Death Valley concert if Queen Akasha hadn’t explosively intervened.

What ensues is a jumbled series of plots and subplots, flash forwards and flashbacks, none of which particularly work but all of which divert attention from what should have been the primary focus here – the relationship between Lestat and Akasha, which is treated with all the rushed awkwardness of a first kiss.

Grade: C-

On video and DVD

13 GHOSTS, directed by Steve Beck, written by Neal Marshall Stevens and Richard D’Ovidio. 90 minutes. Rated R.

The horror movie “13 Ghosts” comes from Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, which bombed in 1999 with its critically condemned remake of William Castle’s 1958 film, “The House on Haunted Hill.”

Since this is Hollywood, where logic is as scarce as a real blond or a good script, it makes perfect sense that Zemeckis and Silver would ignore their previous mistakes and belly up to the cineplex to repeat them. Dipping back into Castle’s bag, they found the director’s 1960 camp horror film “13 Ghosts” and decided to remake it. My condolences to those who’ve seen it.

In the film, Arthur Kritocos (Tony Shalhoub), a widower with two kids (Shannon Elizabeth and Alec Roberts) and a streetwise nanny (Rah Digga), is on the financial skids. But when Arthur’s wealthy, eccentric Uncle Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham) dies and leaves them a fantastic house made of glass, things start to look up.

Or at least they do until the family realizes the house is haunted with 12 ghosts looking to kick butt. Locked in glass containment cubes, the ghosts, which can be seen only through special glasses, have been entombed by Cyrus for a strange satanic ritual that involves a spinning wheel called the Black Zodiac. When the Black Zodiac receives its 13th soul, its revolutions will be complete and the newly resurrected Cyrus will have the power to rule the world.

There isn’t enough dry ice in the world to conceal the rot of stupidity hovering over “13 Ghosts.” With Embeth Davidtz and Matthew Lillard both overacting to a lower power in supporting roles, there apparently also aren’t enough acting coaches.

Grade: D-

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews are published Mondays and Fridays in Style, Tuesdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5” and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ 2 and WCSH 6. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.