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

7/10

Still fun and scary even forty years later

13 Ghosts has stood the test of time well, as have most of Castle's films. While much is made of the gimmick of seeing the ghosts with 3d glasses, the movie itself is well made and not just a vehicle to carry the gimmick. Seeing the movie on television or video without the 3d glasses (but with the ghosts visible) makes you realize this is a well made film.

The scene where the father encounters the ghosts for the first time in the hidden room is quite spooky, and the special effects are almost hypnotic to watch. The story behind the ghosts being in the house is developed quite well, and makes the ghosts themselves more enjoyable. The ghosts range from almost comical to truly frightening, and it is fun to wait and see what kind of spirit you will encounter next.

The house itself is a rather nice piece of real estate, and I'm sure some people have driven around Los Angeles trying to find it. Martin Milner plays the lawyer who facilitates the will giving the family the house, and it is interesting to see him in his pre-Adam 12 days.

13 Ghosts is definitely worth watching, especially around Halloween. While some may find the plot and idea less than satisfying, I found it to be very spooky. And you really do get to see all 13 ghosts!