13
Ghosts (1960)
Sony Pictures
R1 NTSC DVD
Director: William Castle
Writer: Robb White
Starring: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Rosemary DeCamp, Martin Milner
& Margaret Hamilton
Review by Ted Jones
Horror movie director William Castle was, above all else, a showman.
He made 3D movies. He offered life insurance in the theater lobbies
for those with weak hearts. He announced that a registered nurse was
in attendance for those who fainted from fright. He used gimmicks
like “Percepto” and “Emergo” to make his films stand out above the
rest of the Saturday matinee scare-fests.
For 13 Ghosts, the gimmick was “Illusion-O”. Unfortunately, this DVD
release of 13 Ghosts did away with the “Illusion-O” processing. It’s
presented strictly in black and white, and in the end it really
doesn’t take away from the movie. It was, after all, just a gimmick.
A family in dire financial straits inherits a wonderfully decrepit
and overgrown mansion from a long-lost uncle. The family also
inherited a housekeeper, played by Margaret Hamilton (who is forever
known as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz). Here,
with a wink and a nod, she is constantly referred to as “that creepy
old witch” and she plays the part with a twinkle in her eye.
The house is haunted by twelve spooks because the uncle collected
ghosts, and the spirits are trying to add to the collection. With
several sub-plots and twists, there’s plenty going on to keep you
interested and entertained. By the time the end credits roll, the
thirteenth ghost is added, vengeance is satisfied and the house
appears to be rid of it’s collection of spooks.
The ghostly effects are cheesy and about what you would expect from
a 1960 movie. Taken as part of the movie though, they are effective
enough and a lot of fun. The transfer is clean but showing its age,
and you can tell when it would be time to watch using your “ghost
viewers”. Besides the ghosts, there are some genuinely chilling
moments in the movie but nothing that can be considered really
scary.
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