Honestly, if you grew up in the early 2000s, you probably have a specific core memory of walking past the horror section at a Blockbuster and seeing that translucent DVD cover. We're talking about the 2001 remake of Thir13en Ghosts. While the movie itself got mixed reviews from critics who just didn't "get" the campy, industrial aesthetic, the character design was objectively top-tier. Specifically, thirteen ghosts the angry princess remains the one character that actually gets under your skin once you know the backstory. She isn't just a jump scare in a glass house. She’s a genuine tragedy wrapped in a slasher flick.
Most people remember her as the ghost who appears in the bathroom, clutching a jagged piece of glass. She’s nude, covered in self-inflicted wounds, and looks absolutely miserable. But there is a reason she’s part of the Black Zodiac. She represents the "most beautiful woman in the world" who couldn't handle the pressure of her own reflection.
The Dark Origin of Dana Newman
The ghost’s real name was Dana Newman. In the lore created for the film—which was mostly fleshed out in the DVD features and the "Black Zodiac" book—Dana was a stunning woman who was cursed with a total lack of self-worth. It’s a relatable, albeit extreme, commentary on vanity and body dysmorphia. She was constantly searching for perfection and, predictably, she never found it.
She had a string of abusive boyfriends. She took a job at a plastic surgeon's office just so she could pay for procedures with her own labor. It’s dark. It's really dark. One night, while alone in the clinic, she tried to perform surgery on herself to remove a "flaw" on her back that nobody else could see. She botched it. She ended up blinded in one eye, and in a fit of despair, she finished the job with a butcher knife in a bathtub.
When you see thirteen ghosts the angry princess in the movie, she isn't just haunting the Kriticos family because she's evil. She's stuck in a loop of her own insecurity. Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero, the legends at KNB EFX Group, did the makeup for her, and they really leaned into the "unfinished" look of her wounds. They wanted her to look like a work of art that had been intentionally defaced.
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Why the Black Zodiac Design Worked
The movie's director, Steve Beck, came from a commercial and visual effects background. You can tell. The house is a machine, and the ghosts are the fuel. The Angry Princess occupies a specific niche in the Black Zodiac. She’s the third ghost, and her presence is meant to represent the "loss of beauty."
Compared to the Juggernaut or the Jackal, she isn't physically imposing. She’s scary because she’s recognizable. We've all looked in a mirror and hated something we saw. She’s just the extreme, supernatural version of that internal monologue.
The Practical Effects Behind the Scenes
Back in 2001, CGI was still a bit of a gamble. For thirteen ghosts the angry princess, they went almost entirely practical. Actress Shawna Loyer had to sit through five hours of makeup every single day. The "blood" used on her body was a special thick theatrical syrup that had to be reapplied constantly to keep that "freshly bleeding" look under the hot studio lights.
- She wears nothing but her scars.
- The jagged glass she carries is actually a safe, dulled prop, but she holds it with a tension that makes it look lethal.
- Her movements are jerky and hesitant, reflecting her fractured psyche.
It’s interesting to note that out of all the ghosts, she’s the one who seems the most "human." The Jackal is a beast. The Torso is... well, a torso. But Dana Newman still looks like a person who is just deeply, profoundly hurting.
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The Cultural Impact of the Character
Believe it or not, the Angry Princess has a massive cult following in the cosplay community. It’s a difficult look to pull off because it requires extensive prosthetic work and a lot of confidence. But go to any horror convention like Monsterpalooza or Creep I.E. Con, and you’ll likely see someone paying tribute to her.
Why? Because she’s the "pretty" horror icon. She fits into that aesthetic of "beautiful but deadly" that became huge in the mid-aughts. She’s a precursor to the "unreliable female lead" trope we see in modern psychological thrillers. She isn't just a monster under the bed; she's a victim of her own mind.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her
There’s a common misconception that she’s "The Withered Lover." No. That’s a different ghost (Jean Kriticos, the mother). People often mix them up because they both have tragic backstories involving the family, but the Angry Princess has zero connection to the Kriticos family before they move into the house. She’s a stranger caught in Cyrus’s machine.
Another thing: people think she’s "angry" at the world. Honestly, if you look at her lore, she’s mostly angry at herself. Her violence is an extension of her self-loathing. When she attacks, she’s lashing out because she can’t stand to be perceived. It’s a nuance that makes her stand out from the "slasher" crowd.
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Practical Insights for Horror Fans
If you're revisiting the movie or looking to understand the character better, keep these points in mind:
- Watch the "Ghost Files" on the original DVD. It’s the only place where the full backstories are narrated by F. Murray Abraham (in character as Cyrus). It changes the whole vibe of the film.
- Pay attention to the glass. The house is made of glass because it reflects the ghosts' entrapment. For the Angry Princess, the glass is her literal and figurative enemy.
- Look at the wounds. They aren't random. They are placed where someone would realistically try to "fix" themselves if they were suffering from the body dysmorphia Dana Newman had.
Thirteen ghosts the angry princess serves as a reminder that the most effective horror often comes from a place of real human pain. She isn't a demon from another dimension; she’s a girl who wanted to be perfect and destroyed herself trying to get there. That’s why we’re still talking about her twenty-five years later.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the production, check out the work of KNB EFX Group. They've archived a lot of the original concept art for the Black Zodiac ghosts, and seeing the evolution of the Princess from "bloody ghost" to the "shattered beauty" we see on screen is a masterclass in character design.
For those interested in the psychological aspect, researching the history of "The Black Zodiac" as a fictional construct provides a fascinating look at how screenwriters create mythology from scratch. It wasn't based on a real book, but the writers crafted it so well that people still search for the "original" text today. There isn't one—it was all created for the 2001 film, which just goes to show the power of good world-building.