Product: 13 Ghosts (1960)
Rating: 5.0
In Amazing Illusion-O!!!
William Castle was a master showman. For a while, every movie he released had its own gimmick. For example, with the movie The Tingler, several seats in theatres where it was shown would be rigged with mild electric shocks which would be set off during key scenes. For 13 Ghosts, the gimmick was that scenes with ghosts were filmed with the background tinted blue and the ghosts tinted red (and difficult to see). People in the audience were given a ghost viewer/remover. If you looked through the red lense, the ghosts are enhanced and become more visible. Look through the blue lense and the ghosts become completely invisible.William Castle's films, especially 13 Ghosts, are for the most part highly enjoyable and entertaining even without the gimmicks, but now at last those of us who were unable to watch the original theatrical productions can at least experience the wonders of Illusion-O thanks to this DVD, which comes with one free ghost viewer/remover. And the effect works amazingly well! You have the option to watch the film in normal black and white (like in TV broadcasts), but the ghosts look more blobby and contrived. Watching it in Illusion-O makes a huge difference! The ghosts look more detailed yet more ethereal, like actual ghosts, and the red tinting makes it all the more spooky. It's also fun switching the viewer back and forth to watch the ghosts appear and disappear.The film itself is fun for the whole family, filled with humour and suspense and great characters, and is a far more effective horror film than the remake. I haven't had so much fun watching a competently made film in a long time! And there is a great in-joke with the boy suspecting the housekeeper of being a witch (she is played by the same actress who was the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz). Also included is a great documentary giving the background of the film. This DVD is highly recommended!