13 Ghosts/Fun Facts

From The Grindhouse Cinema Database

< 13 Ghosts
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  • The movie was filmed in "Illusion-O" and a pair of special glasses where needed to see the ghosts. This resulted in a number of sources incorrectly stating that the film was originally shown in 3D. The "ghost viewers" contained a red filter and a blue filter but unlike 3D viewers, both eyes would look through the same color filter. One color would cause the ghostly images to intensify while the other color caused the images to fade.
  • William Castle was able to get popular child actor Charles Herbert to play Buck by offering to give him top billing. Charles Herbert would appear in this and two other features in this year before roles in features completely dried up. He would complete his career in television roles.
  • The last feature film of Charles Herbert.
  • Margaret Hamilton's character Elaine Zacharides is often referred to by Buck as a witch. This is an in-joke in reference to Hamilton's most famous role, the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Alternate Versions

Laserdisc version omits the original prologue and epilogue featuring director William Castle talking to the audience:

  • In the original version after the main title sequence a voice introduces "producer William Castle", who's shown sitting at a desk. Castle goes on for about a minute explaining how the special process "Illusion-O" worked (theater audiences were given special blue and red-tinted viewers that enabled them to see the ghosts in the picture.
  • After the final shot, showing a burning "House for sale" sign posted outside Dr. Cyrus Zorba's ('Donald Woods' ) front door, Castle reappeared briefly to invite the audience to bring the special Supernatural Viewer home and try to find more ghosts with it.
  • The original theatrical version had the main title/credits sequence in color. Subsequent 16mm and television prints were made only in black and white.
  • The original version was shot in black and white but included a few color-tinted sequences: the ghosts were colored in red and shot on a blue background. These sequences were preceded by the warning "Use Viewer" and followed by "Remove Viewer". The laserdisc version is entirely in black and white and doesn't include any no warning.
  • Newly released (as of 9/22/01) DVD version includes both the B&W VHS/Laserdisc edit and a newly restored "Illusion-O" version, featuring the red-blue tinted scenes and a pair of Ghost Revealer glasses. The William Castle intro/outros are included as special features, separate from the film.
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