The Spirit Is Willing

1967
Unrated
1h 40m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Hapless Benjamin Powell, his loving wife Kate, and their teenage son Steven rent a haunted seaside house in New England for their summer vacation, which quickly turns into a ghost-hunt.Hapless Benjamin Powell, his loving wife Kate, and their teenage son Steven rent a haunted seaside house in New England for their summer vacation, which quickly turns into a ghost-hunt.Hapless Benjamin Powell, his loving wife Kate, and their teenage son Steven rent a haunted seaside house in New England for their summer vacation, which quickly turns into a ghost-hunt.

Director
- William Castle
Writers
- Ben Starr
- Nathaniel Benchley
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.6/10

543

YOUR RATING

Director
- William Castle
Writers
- Ben Starr
- Nathaniel Benchley
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The novel this movie was based on, "the Visitors" by Nathaniel Benchley, was published with art by Charles Addams, whose "Addams Family" comics were the basis for the TV series which made "Spirit is Willing" co-star John Astin a star. Furthermore, director William Castle previously worked directly with Addams, as the cartoonist provided drawings for Castle's 1963 film "The Old Dark House".

Goofs
When Ben is in the bathroom preparing to go to bed the first night, he walks out wearing slippers, when he enters the bedroom he is bare foot.

Quotes
Ben Powell: Look, you can't afford a new car.
Steve Powell: But dad, neither can you but you drive one.
Ben Powell: I'm too poor to drive an old car.

Crazy credits
The people in this movie are fictitious. Only the ghosts are real.

Connections
Referenced in All the Way Down (1968)

User reviews25

Review

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Remembering

I remember loving this movie as a kid! I remembered it a time or two over the years in passing. No one I know could remember seeing. Tonight I was surfing and thought about John Astin being in some cowboy movie and that's what started my search on imdb. Then voila, I saw the Spirit is Willing Title, and it all came back to me. I ordered Evil Roy Slade from Amazon, but they don't have Spirit is Willing. They've got the vaguest movies, but not a kewl classic like this. I agree about the song being great. I WISH I COULD BUY THIS MOVIE!!!! I'd like for my kids to see it. If anyone knows how to get "The Spirit is Willing" please let me know.