13 Ghosts

1960
Approved
1h 25m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

7.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer0:39

A family inherits a house with 12 ghosts who want a 13th.A family inherits a house with 12 ghosts who want a 13th.A family inherits a house with 12 ghosts who want a 13th.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

7.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,406

1,522

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Videos3

Top cast18

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Charles Herbert

Buck Zorba

Jo Morrow

Medea Zorba

Martin Milner

Benjamen Rush

Rosemary DeCamp

Hilda Zorba
(as Rosemary De Camp)

Donald Woods

Cyrus Zorba

Margaret Hamilton

Elaine Zacharides

John Van Dreelen

Van Allen

Jeanne Baker

Ghost
(uncredited)

John Burnside

Ghost
(uncredited)

William Castle

William Castle
(uncredited)

Ralph Helfer

Shadrack's Ghost
(uncredited)

David Hoffman

Messenger
(uncredited)

Roy Jenson

Ghost
(uncredited)

William Kelley

Ghost
(uncredited)

Hubie Kerns

Ghost
(uncredited)

Darryl Scott McFadden

Ghost
(uncredited)

Jack Nestle

Ghost
(uncredited)

Zamba

Lion Ghost
(uncredited)

Director
- William Castle
Writer
- Robb White
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
William Castle: [gimmick] The movie was filmed in "Illusion-O" and a special viewer was 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/glasses, both eyes would look through the same color filter. The red filter would cause the ghostly images to intensify while the blue filter caused the images to fade.

Goofs
(at around 44 mins) Dr. Zorba is investigating his dead uncle's bedroom when eerie wind blows through and blows out all the candles. Then one by one the candles relight on the candelabra. One candle floats up on its own from the candelabra with its shadow cast upon the wall. As the candle floats an occasional glimmer of the filament used to "float" the candle can be seen; as the candle returns to its place in the candelabra you can see the shadow of the filament cast upon the wall.

Quotes
Buck Zorba: Elaine?
Elaine Zacharides: Yes, Buck?
Buck Zorba: You really are a witch, aren't you?
Elaine Zacharides: Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.

Alternate versions
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 message "Use Viewer" and followed by "Remove Viewer". In the prologue, director William Castle explain to the audience how the Illusion-O Ghost Viewer works (for the ghost sequences), while in the epilogue he invites the audience to bring the Ghost Viewer home to try to find more ghosts with it.

Connections
Featured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: 13 Ghosts (1967)

User reviews117

Review

Featured review

6/10

If You Believe...

William Castle set out to make a fun, spooky, scarey picture for anyone who ever believed (or wanted to believe) in ghosts, and the result, 13 GHOSTS, is a marvelous and memorable little picture, that even after 40-odd years, still has creeps, scares, thrills and fun galore.

If at all possible, see it the way it was meant to be seen- - -with proper Ghost Viewers-(available with the DVD edition) -so you can experience Illusiono, by which you can actually see the ghosts in Ectoplasmic Color!

The plot, acting and production values may be unsophisticated, but what matter?- -The important thing is THE GHOSTS- -and they are all there as promised, including the mysterious thirteenth ghost- -and a wonderfully familiar witch (who was delighted to play the part)- -

This is a great movie for kids (and adults) who love ghosts and spooky stuff, but are not at all ready (or desirous) of watching a movie full of gore, putrescent language or non-stop violence.

You'll remember the ghosts, the fun and the thrills, for years to come.