Difference between revisions of "13 Ghosts"

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*[[/DVD|Available DVDs]]
'''[[/Review|13 Ghosts]]''' ([[:Category:1960|1960]], [[:Category:USA|USA]]) is a [[:Category:Horror/Thrillers|Horror]] film directed by [[:Category: William Castle|William Castle]].
*[[13 Ghosts (1960)|Poster Art]]
*'''Contents''': [[/Trailer|Watch Trailer]] | [[/Review|Film Review]] | [[/DVD|Available DVDs]] | [[William Castle Double Features (BluRay)|Blu Ray]] | [[13 Ghosts (1960)|Poster Art]] | [[/Fun Facts|Fun Facts]] | '''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053559 @IMDB]'''
*[[/Fun Facts|Fun Facts]]
*'''Featured in''': [[William Castle Film Collection]] | [[William Castle Double Features (BluRay)]] | [[William Castle Horror Collection]] | [[William Castle at Columbia: Part One (BluRay)]]
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*'''Featured on''': [[TCM Underground]]
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{{USA}}
===Main Details===
 
==Also Known As==
* 13 kummitusta (Finland)
*13 spöken (Sweden)
*13 spøgelser (Denmark)
*Das unheimliche Erbe (Austria)
*I 13 fantasmi (Italy)
*Los trece fantasmas (Spain)
*Ta 13 fantasmata (Greece)
*Thirteen Ghosts
*Tretten spøgelser (Denmark)
 
==Taglines==
*IT'S FUN TO BE SCARED BY 13 GHOSTS (original print ad - all caps)
 
*13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the Fun!
 
*A ghost for each member of your family! Pick your favorite spook!
 
==Main Details==
* Released in 1960
* Released in 1960
* B & W/ Color
* B & W/ Color
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* Production Co: William Castle Productions
* Production Co: William Castle Productions
* Distribution Co: Columbia Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
* Distribution Co: Columbia Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
==Cast and Crew==
* Produced and Directed by William Castle
* Directed by William Castle
* Written by Robb White
* Written by Robb White
* Starring Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary DeCamp, Donald Woods, Margaret Hamilton, John Van Dreelen
* Starring Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
* Produced by William Castle
* Original Music by Von Dexter
* Original Music by Von Dexter
* Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc
* Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc
* Film Editing by Edwin H. Bryant
* Film Editing by Edwin H. Bryant


==Synopsis==
===Plot Summary===
13 Ghosts is a 1960 horror film directed by William Castle and written by Robb White. It was remade in 2001 under the title of Thirteen Ghosts, directed by Steve Beck.
*A family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.


==Film Review==
===Also Known As===
{{Horror}}
*13 kummitusta (Finland)
{{William Castle}}
*13 spöken (Sweden)
*13 spøgelser (Denmark)
*Das unheimliche Erbe (Austria)
*I 13 fantasmi (Italy)
*Los trece fantasmas (Spain)
*Ta 13 fantasmata (Greece)
*Thirteen Ghosts
*Tretten spøgelser (Denmark)


As with any [[William Castle]] film, 13 Ghosts (1960) is difficult to critique in the absence of the gimmicks Castle employed for each of his movies. For 13 Ghosts, Castle offered free "Ghost Viewers" meant to enhance the viewers' ability to spot apparitions throughout the movie. The movie was issued in standard B/W and in an enhanced color version with the addition of what Castle coined "Illusion-O."
===Taglines===
 
*IT'S FUN TO BE SCARED BY 13 GHOSTS (original print ad - all caps)  
By modern standards, 13 Ghosts is tame. It features Donald Woods as Cyrus Zorba, a down-on-his-luck anthropologist(?), who is at risk of going bankrupt. He receives a letter from Ben Rush (played by Martin Milner), an attorney representing the deceased Dr. Plato Zorba, Cyrus's estranged, occultist uncle who also "collected" ghosts. Cyrus is deeded his uncle's house and moves his family into the Gothic mansion.
*13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the Fun!
 
*A ghost for each member of your family! Pick your favorite spook!
So, combine this premise with the appearance of a Ouija board and the 1960s equivalent of CGI (Castle's ghosts are faded, double-exposed incarnations visible through the "viewer") and you've got a high-camp, low-budget William Castle delight. Needless to say, the fright factor is very low for 13 Ghosts. However, it's fun to imagine what it must have been like to see this in its heyday.
 
As a side note, the appearance of Martin Milner is interesting. In the same year, Milner also played roles in Sex Kittens Go to College and The Private Lives of Adam and Eve. Both films were directed by Albert Zugsmith [[High School Confidential]] (1958); [[Confessions of an Opium Eater]] (1962)). The latter film was co-directed by Mickey Rooney. In addition to Milner, Donald Woods would appear in Bill Karn's [[Five Minutes to Live]] in 1961. While both actors briefly delved into the exploitation market, they both eventually returned to television.
 
Overall, this film is for hardcore William Castle fans. If you dislike films that exude a B-Movie feel, then you won't like 13 Ghosts all that much.
 
'''Reviewed by [[User:TayvisDunnahoe|Texploited]] February 26, 2010'''
 
==Featured on==
*[[TCM Underground]]


==External Links==
*'''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053559 @IMDB]'''
*'''[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedailymirror/2010/04/from-the-vaults-13-ghosts-1960.html L.A. TIMES REVIEW]'''


__NOTOC__
__NOTOC__
[[Category:1960|13 Ghosts]][[Category:Films|13 Ghosts]][[Category:Reviews|13 Ghosts]][[Category:Columbia Pictures]][[Category:Horror/Thrillers|13 Ghosts]][[Category:William Castle|13 Ghosts]][[Category:USA|13 Ghosts]]
[[Category:1960|13 Ghosts]][[Category:Films|13 Ghosts]][[Category:Columbia Pictures]][[Category:Horror/Thrillers|13 Ghosts]][[Category:William Castle|13 Ghosts]][[Category:USA|13 Ghosts]]

Latest revision as of 02:30, 27 June 2023

13 Ghosts (1960, USA) is a Horror film directed by William Castle.

13ghostspost.jpg

Main Details

  • Released in 1960
  • B & W/ Color
  • Running Time: 85 min | 82 min (black and white version)
  • Production Co: William Castle Productions
  • Distribution Co: Columbia Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
  • Produced and Directed by William Castle
  • Written by Robb White
  • Starring Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
  • Original Music by Von Dexter
  • Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc
  • Film Editing by Edwin H. Bryant

Plot Summary

  • A family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.

Also Known As

  • 13 kummitusta (Finland)
  • 13 spöken (Sweden)
  • 13 spøgelser (Denmark)
  • Das unheimliche Erbe (Austria)
  • I 13 fantasmi (Italy)
  • Los trece fantasmas (Spain)
  • Ta 13 fantasmata (Greece)
  • Thirteen Ghosts
  • Tretten spøgelser (Denmark)

Taglines

  • IT'S FUN TO BE SCARED BY 13 GHOSTS (original print ad - all caps)
  • 13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the Fun!
  • A ghost for each member of your family! Pick your favorite spook!
Retrieved from "https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php?title=13_Ghosts&oldid=197593"
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