13 Ghosts

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with eerie music and a darkened screen followed by screams and moans and splotches of paint thrown at the screen. Each ghost and its number appears with the number thirteen as a "?". Titles and credits follow.The opening shot is the front (south entrance) of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods) is a paleontologist and is lecturing to a group of college students. He encourages them to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. He is interrupted by his boss, Mr. Van Allen (John Van Dreelen), who tells him his wife needs to speak to him on the telephone. Hilda Zorba (Rosemary DeCamp) tells her husband their furniture is being repossessed, again! Payments are three months overdue. Cy is a poor money manager and very forgetful. She reminds him that it is Buck's birthday, so don't forget his gift. Buck Zorba (Charles Herbert) arrives home to an empty house. "Why do they always take our furniture?" he asks his mother knowing the answer.The cake says, "Happy Birthday, Buck" and contains eleven candles. His sister, Medea (Jo Morrow) gave her brother a tome of "Ghost Stories." They eat on the floor, as all the furniture is gone. Buck makes a wish and prepares to blow out the candles. His wish is for, "A house with furniture that no one could take away from us." At that a gust of wind blows out the candles. Simultaneously the doorbell rings. Cy answers it. He sees no one at the door. He ventures out into the darkness a few steps and a short, cadaverous man (David Hoffman) asks, "Mr. Cyrus Zorba?" He hands him a telegram then disappears into the darkness. Cy opens and reads the telegram out loud. He is to report at 10:00 a.m. to an attorney's office. Medea looks up his name in the phone book and tells her father he's in the Petrol Building.The next morning Cy and Hilda Zorba appear at the law office of Benjamin Rush (Martin Milner). Ben Rush tells the pair that Cy has inherited a house from his uncle, Dr. Plato Zorba. It includes furniture, but Ben tells them they will be disappointed. It is a fifty year old house in need of work. A wrapped package sealed with wax was also included in the inheritance. According to Ben Rush, Dr. Zorba was his client for a year and he had collected ghosts from all over the world. "You inherit them too," he warns. Cy and Hilda chuckle in amusement, but Ben is dead serious, reiterating, "They go with the house." Ben leaves to get a notary. They open the package and find a wooden box. When they open it a gust of wind blows the papers around the lawyer's desk. Inside is a pair of peculiar looking glasses. A fly buzzing around the room annoys Hilda, who keeps brushing it away. It lands on the glasses and explodes like it was a bug zapper.Ben drives up to the house to see Cy about more paperwork. The family has moved into the house. It is a large Victorian place, very overgrown and obviously untended for years. Ben encounters Buck skating on the porch. Buck is excited about the house and claims they have a "live" witch living there. When Ben rings, Medea answers, much to Buck's annoyance. He wanted the housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton) to answer as she usually does. Medea introduces herself to the lawyer and is instantly attracted to him. She invites him in. Elaine is on the stairs and holding a broom. She glowers at Ben and the children, and turns and walks upstairs. They discuss Plato Zorba and his picture over the fireplace. Ben explains the ghosts had nearly killed him and altered his appearance, "back broken, face torn to shreds, lips ripped away." He tells Medea he wishes they had not moved into the house. Medea invites Ben to stay for dinner. Cy finishes signing all the paperwork for the house and they discuss "the witch." Cy explains they can't pay her, but she begged to stay on until she found something else. Ben explains she must have money, as Zorba paid her well. Buck finds a OUIJA board and brings it to the table. Buck explains he pushed something on the fireplace and a door opened. Buck walks over to the fireplace, pushes a button and the door opens revealing a deck of cards, the book and the planchette. Cy retrieves the planchette and hands it to Buck. He removes the white bound book. It is written in Latin. Medea suggests they play with the OUIJA board. Cy explains how the board works. All five put a finger on the planchette. Ben asks, "Is Medea in Love?" Buck asks a question, "Are there any ghosts in this house?" The pointer goes to Yes, despite Hilda and Ben saying they pushed towards No. After that, just Medea and Buck play with the board. He asks, "How many?" It answers 13. Medea asks, "Are they going to hurt us?" It points to Yes. Ben warns Medea, "Don't fool around with that thing anymore." Buck finally asks, "Are they going to kill any of us?" The glass framed portrait of Dr. Zorba falls off the wall and nearly kills both Buck and Medea. The planchette starts moving on its own, levitating above the couch and landing in Medea's lap.Cy and Hilda prepare for bed. Hilda is scared. Cy explains to his wife if they don't live in the house it goes to the state. Cy opens the box and pulls out the glasses. Hilda complains of a freezing draft. The flowers on a table wilt. Cy checks on the children and then goes downstairs for a book. Down in the living room we see some of the ghosts re-enacting their crimes, perpetrators and victims. Cy hears moaning and is drawn to the source. He walks down a hallway and opens a door that leads to a walled up room. He presses on it and it slides open. The moans are louder. He turns on a light. This must have been Zorba's laboratory. Someone whispers "13" over and over. He puts on the glasses and sees the book burning. He looks up to see four apparitions floating in midair. The four burst into flames and scream. He is attacked by a pinwheel of fire. He takes the glasses off. The door open and he retrieves his Uncle's book. The number "13" is seared into his flesh on the back of his right hand.The next morning at work he asks Mr. Van Allen how the translation is going on the book. Van Allen has a hard time putting it into words. He refers to a University Publication from ten years prior. It is about Plato Zorba and his solicitation of haunted houses so he can photograph ghosts. The book is a record of his work. There is a chapter for each ghost. One is from Ireland, a couple from Italy and one from Tibet is mentioned. "I, Plato Zorba, am the twelfth." The phone rings and Van Allen answers it. It is Hilda again, and she demands Cy return home immediately.The ghost of a chef kills his wife with a cleaver. When Cy gets home there is commotion in the kitchen. The floor is a mess of broken plates. Hilda tells her husband they just flew off the shelves. They watch as a can of flour pours itself on the floor. Hilda says, "I have had enough, Cy." A bottle of milk floats over the mess and falls. Buck walks into the kitchen and explains, "That was Emilio." He was an Italian chef who killed his wife and two other in-laws. The final act is a cleaver that flies across the room and imbeds itself in the wall, nearly hitting Cy. Hilda pleads with Cy to move out now. Elaine appears and answers some of Cy's questions. She tells him she helped Dr. Zorba with his work. She adds that Zorba turned against her. Zorba converted all his wealth into cash. She and Ben searched the house after his death but found nothing. Cy asks about Zorba's death. Elaine shows him Zorba's bedroom. She lights a few candles and tells Cy he died in bed, the official cause of death was suffocation. Elaine pleads with Cy that he and his family should leave tonight. A gust of wind blows out the candles, and then they relight themselves. One candle levitates over to the bed, directing attention to a switch that raises and lowers the canopy. Cy operates the switch.Ben and Medea return home from a date. Everyone in the house is asleep. In Zorba's bedroom a man with cobweb covered pants and dirty shoes walks towards the door. Medea turns out her light and goes to bed. The figure walks the house. It opens Medea's bedroom door. She is awakened to a window banging. She gets up to latch it. The visage of Dr. Zorba approaches her. She screams and walks backwards. Elaine goes into her room and reopens the window.The next morning Buck makes his bed and then slides down the bannister. Two one-hundred dollar bills appear and float to the floor, unnoticed. He takes the glasses and walks down into the basement. He finds an old trunk and opens it. He finds a lion tamer's hat and whip used by Shadrack the Great. He opens an empty cage and is floored by a lion's roar. He puts the glasses on and sees both the ghost of the lion and the headless Shadrack. He is both frightened and fascinated. Buck takes Medea her breakfast. He sees the $200 and picks it up. The doorbell rings--it is Ben. Ben notices and asks about the money. Buck brings his sister her tray. Ben tells Buck that, "there's a treasure hidden in this house." Ben wants Buck's help finding it.Ben stops at the Museum to see Cy. Ben tells Cy that he thinks he can arrange for the state to pay for the house and grounds. Ben is a little too anxious to get the Zorba family out of the house. Van Allen comes in an reads a passage from the book, "Today, I finished converting my assets into cash and put it where unscrupulous men can no longer steal it from me." Van Allen suggests he find Elaine to get some answers. Cy explains Elaine is the housekeeper. Van Allen suggests a séance to converse with Dr. Zorba.That evening Elaine holds a séance with Medea, Hilda and Cy. She will act as medium. Cy retrieves his glasses as Buck slides down the bannister again. He finds more money, wiggles the balustrade posts and it opens a hidden door. Behind the door is a stack of money. Dr. Zorba speaks through Cy. He puts the glasses on and sees Zorba materialize from his portrait, but not the distinguished man in the picture, but a disfigured visage. Ben shows up at the house and Buck shows him the money. Ben tells him to go to bed, and then follows him upstairs. Dr. Zorba's ghost inhabits Cy. He says, "Death tonight, one of you." Zorba returns to his portrait. Cy wants to know more, but Elaine deflects the questions and predicts, "Tonight death walks again in this evil house."Ben is in Dr. Zorba's bedroom dressed up as the visage of Dr. Zorba. He is wearing the cobweb pants and dirty shoes, but not the mask. He checks the switch on the bed's canopy mechanism. Ben steals into Buck's bedroom and lifts the sleeping child. He takes him to Dr. Zorba's bedroom and places him on the bed. Ben activates the canopy switch and watches it slowly descend. The ghosts react to the impending murder of a child. Through a ventilation duct, a mist appears. Ben sees Dr. Zorba's ghost. It approaches as Ben retreats. It directs Ben to the bed and forces him under the lowering canopy. Buck wakes, runs out of the way and screams. He sees Zorba's ghost hold Ben under the canopy. The family rushes into Zorba's bedroom.The next morning they are counting cash. Cy explains to his daughter that Ben murdered Dr. Zorba and tried to find the hidden money. Elaine calls the family to breakfast. Buck asks Elaine, "You really are a witch aren't you?" Elaine replies, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." She tells Buck the ghosts will be back. The glasses levitate above a table and explode. Elaine takes a broom, smirks, and exits the room. We close with a panning shot around the inside of the house, and see the ghosts again. The front door closes and "House for Sale" appears.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
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..
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 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.
Thirteen Ghosts is one of those great 'classic' horror films,that relied more on atmosphere and acting, then on 'gory' special f/x.
This movie features some pretty good actings; Donald Woods, Rosemary DeCamp, and Martin Milner of the classic "Route 66" TV show, Donald Woods as know to classic horror fans, appeared in the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and John VanDreelan in "The Leech Woman" so it was goods for us old 'classiclovers' to see them, and lets not forget Miss Margaret Hamilton, the 'Wicked "Witch of the West" from the great "Wizard of 0z' all in all an entertaining, fun family film It has its scary moments, but none of the 'gore' so prevalent in today's films..
Further, together with the house, he receives the weird housekeeper Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton), a hidden treasure and the collection of 12 ghosts that belonged to Dr. Zorba, who was a master of the occultism.The family moves to the mansion and soon Cyrus discovers a set of special goggles that makes possible to see the ghosts.
"13 Ghosts" is an original movie directed by William Castle, actually a family entertainment.
"House on Haunted Hill" is a classic, even with it's so-so remake, but I think "Thirteen Ghosts" deserves to be counted as Castle's best.
It's a great plot, but the "Illusio" used at the time to create the ghosts with special glasses doesn't translate well to the black and white of today's tv screens, not even if you try to substitute 3-D glasses.Still, for what you see of them, the ghosts are chilling in a surreal sort of way as they go about their business and scare the family on the side.
But pretty soon it becomes evident that Plato was known to be a dabbler in the supernatural and the house is haunted by a number of ghosts.By the time of 13 Ghosts' release, William Castle was well into his stride as a showman producer.
Yet there's a glorious sense of fun about the film, anyone under the illusion (o) that Castle was trying for a serious horror to scare the teenagers, could do with listening to Von Dexter's score for some of the ghostly goings on.
Wonderfully tongue in cheek, the whole thing is played for nervous smiles rather than shrieker schlock.The effects used (red images in a black and white movie) are more than good enough for tone and purpose of this particular production, in fact if you watch in the dark in the right frame of mind, then the ghosts do have a creepy enough vibe to them.
William Castle goes all out and throws everything in, including the kitchen sink, in this story of a family inheriting a house from an eccentric uncle, just when they need a roof over their heads the most.
This film by William Castle about a family of four moving into a house professed to have no fewer than 13 ghosts is a great deal of fun.
When Ben first arrives at the house to see how the Zorbas are doing, Buck says "ring the bell and you'll see a witch." Of course the witch reference goes throughout the whole film as Hamilton looks witch-like and this is one marvelous inside gag about her Wizard of Oz performance.
William Castle directed this amusing comedy/thriller about the Zorba family, who have just inherited a house from Cyrus's(played by Donald Woods) uncle, a reclusive inventor who created a set of special goggles that enable the viewer to see the 12 ghosts said to haunt the home.
Schlockmeister William Castle's "13 Ghosts" is one of his classic horror films of the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Castle was known, at least during this time, for gimmicks - the gimmick for this movie was special glasses to see the ghosts.Absent-minded paleontologist Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods), not to be confused with the Dr. Zorba played by Sam Jaffe on the Ben Casey TV show, inherits his eccentric uncle's house.
11 ghosts, including a killer Italian chef, a headless lion tamer and his lion that for some reason is split in half, a few flaming ghosts, and, for ghost #12, the late Plato Zorba.Uncle Plato (apparently suffocated in a canopy bed) was discovered by his housekeeper Elaine Zacharides, played by the late, great Margaret Hamilton (best known as the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz".
His attorney, Ben Rush (Martin Milner) knows that there is a substantial amount of money, but he doesn't know where it is.There are a few interesting things to ratchet up the scare factor - Ouija board that tells the Zorbas and Ben that one of them will be harmed, different ghosts causing objects to float in the air, these weird specs that light up inside the frames, a creepy housekeeper, a séance, and a hidden stash of cash.Filmed in "Illusion-O".
They just appear very pale on the screen and the film has to carried by the players who don't look too motivated by the lines they have to utter.Dr. Zorba played by Donald Woods inherits an old haunted house with a witch housekeeper, Margaret Hamilton, to go with it.
However, it's delightful to see a film like this - especially one directed by one of the kings of horror entertainment; William Castle.
13 Ghosts works from the assumption that its audience wants to believe in ghosts; and the result is a cheerful little flick that Castle manages to steer away from patronisation and keep firmly within the realms of the fun horror film.
Hot on the heels of his successes with Vincent Price starring films, The Tingler and House on Haunted Hill; 13 Ghosts is another gimmicky film with over the top special effects, and once again Castle does a great job of entertaining the audience.
Something seems suspicious, but at the same time the house does seem to be haunted as a box containing special glasses is also given to the curator and with them he sees the spirits at play.I actually watched the remake of this one well before ever viewing this one.
I was thinking it was going to be a remake in name only and perhaps both featured 13 ghosts, but the glasses in this one made their way to the remake's plot as did the fact the family was getting kicked out of the house.
the effects are nothing by todays standards but at that time they were good and William Castle was the P.T.Barnum of "B" movies he had gimmicks for all his films Normally I don't get into paranormal movies but 13 Ghosts is the exception.
In other words, Castle was a shyster as a director (and an amateur at that).From its bad pacing, to its red herrings, to its poorly executed moments of horror & suspense - 13 Ghosts, pretty much, played out like a very dimwitted TV Sit-Com.Like, if this was really supposed to be a story about a house that was being haunted by 12 authentic ghosts, then it was one of the most tame and non-scary hauntings that I've ever seen.Anyways - When it comes to seriously considering William Castle as a noteworthy director - All I can see is an "Alfred Hitchcock" wannabe who obviously couldn't cut the horror-movie mustard - Not even with his lame-brained "gimmicks" as his biggest selling point..
The gimmick for Castle's 13 GHOSTS was "Illusion-O," which required the audience to use color filters (available at the box office) similar to 3-D glasses to see the ghosts in the film.
Until recently, all available prints of 13 GHOSTS have been shown in simple black and white with the ghosts always visible, but the recent DVD release restores the tint process, and now (assuming your DVD edition includes the glasses) you too can have the fun of a William Castle film right in your own home.Like most Castle films, the story is very basic.
As a result the film falls rather flat (although I believe the recent DVD issue restores the gimmick).If you are looking to see one of the better Castle movies, I would wholly recommend "Straitjacket" instead.
Cash-strapped paleontologist Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods) inherits an old mansion from his strange, occult-obsessed Uncle Plato and immediately moves in with his family despite the house being haunted by 13 ghosts, which are only visible through a special pair of goggles.William Castle is renowned for promoting his low budget B-movies with silly gimmicks.
For Macabre, he offered a $1000 life insurance policy to every viewer should they die of fright; Emergo—developed for showings of House on Haunted Hill—saw a skeleton with light-up eyes float over the audience; The Tingler employed buzzers attached to the cinema seats to shock unsuspecting viewers; Homicidal's Fright Break was designed to weed out the cowards in the theatre; and, for 13 Ghosts, we have Illusion-O, which requires the viewer to look through a special 'ghost viewer' at certain points during the film.As such, Castle's films possess a certain hokey charm, the sheer corniness of these cheap gimmicks adding a degree of novelty to proceedings.
Even though 13 Ghosts is predictable haunted house cheeze, with a creepy housekeeper (played by Margaret 'Wicked Witch of the West' Hamilton), a séance, secret rooms, and a Ouija board (which Cyrus is all too happy to let his kids play with), one can't help but admire the showmanship involved (watch the film with red/blue filters if possible; it's fun to switch from red to blue, thereby making the ghosts appear and disappear)..
William Castle was known for his gimmicks and in this one he gives us a set of glasses that we need to use to see the ghost or not see them based on what you believe in.
It revolves around a gimmick (unsurprisingly, being a Castle film) with a pair of glasses: look through the red if you want to see the ghosts, blue if you don't.
My personal favorite of Castle's films will always be the delightfully eerie "House on Haunted Hill" (1959) starring the great Vincent Price, but Castle's repertoire includes quite a bunch of other immensely entertaining gems, such as "The Tingler" (1959, also starring Vincent Price), or this "13 Ghosts" of 1960.
My only regret with William Castle's films is that it is not quite possible to see them in their original greatness, as Castle always came up with ingenious gimmicks in cinemas (such as a skeleton flying through the hall, directly at the audience, in "House On Haunted Hill", for example).
But even without these gimmicks, "13 Ghosts" is a great fun flick that no fan of Classic Horror films should miss.
This is another William Castle film who directed many horror films which were of a B quality and very low-budget with all kinds of special glasses for the audiences to use in order to view special effects on the movie screen.
Amiable William Castle thriller, portions of which are filmed in Illusion-O (a sub-par variation of 3-D), has a likable but financially-troubled modern family inheriting a haunted mansion from Dad's deceased uncle--Dr. Zorba!
Also, the stop-and-start momentum before the effects sequences are disappointing and amateurish, and Castle's ghosts probably looked primitive even when the film came out in 1960.
The family here is pretty routine, but the movie's real strength is in the casting of Margaret Hamilton (that's right: the Wicked Witch of the West!) as the housekeeper.
Since this is a William Castle (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL) production, there are few actual scares, but there is a lot of fun to be had!
They end up conducting a seance (thanks to the help of medium / housekeeper Elaine (Margaret Hamilton) to try to resolve the matter.The film features one of master showman William Castles' best gimmicks: "Illusion-O", in which a viewer looked through a special viewer.
There's an especially tense scene with a ghostly lion who traps the son, and another with an "apparition" (somehow different from a ghost, but not explained) that's like a rotting Swamp Thing.The plot is rather good, and I was surprised with how the film blended a horror film and a family story.
The family members went all out with their lines, facial expressions and interactions with the ghosts - bottom line, it is still a scary movie but so much fun to watch and now a permanent addition to my movie collection.It may be that when this movie was new and people were seeing it for the first time the effects were quite frightening.
13 Ghosts (1960) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fun, if minor, film from Castle has a poor family moving into an inherited house, which just happens to be haunted by twelve ghosts.
Just the sort of silly fun you'd expect from a William Castle horror movie..
To many, they are just dumb but they also brought in the crowds and resulted in films that have a certain campy charm.13 GHOSTS is cheesy fun and in this case Castle's big gimmick was Illusion-O--special lenses that supposedly let you see ghosts--just like the people in the film saw them when they wore the professor's special glasses.
I feel I must start by saying I probably will be slightly biased in this user comment, as I watched this movie on a big cinema screen, during a little festival paying homage to director William Castle where we received those original blue & red "Illusion-O" spectacles in order to see and/or don't see the ghosts appear on screen.
Pretty bad acting and special effects plagued this movie throughout and I should have taken away more points from the Sets/Props category with those ridiculous glasses (goggles?) that they used throughout the film.
Anyway, I had watched the 2001 remake only because my elder brother had lent it to me; like most of William Castle's films of the period, the original had a gimmick to go with it  "Illusion-O"  which he instructed on its use in the prologue: the spectator is presented with a ghost viewer which would enable them to choose whether to see the spirits shown in the film or not.
While the titular ghosts are "introduced" in the animated credits sequence, there is no rhyme or reason to their subsequent apparitions throughout the film, nor are they given any background or characteristics which would have made one become involved in the modern-day family's plight (by the way, the latter are hilariously named Zorba but looking as Greek as a hot dog stand!).The narrative itself is little more than a live-action version of a typical "Scooby-Doo" episode in which a friend of the family attempts to scare them off their haunted property (by dressing up in a hideous mask) in order to get his hands on hidden loot; that the friend of the family turns out to be a previously unknown dashing attorney who happened to take care of their eccentric uncle's estate and is immediately seen taking out the girl of the family on the town is all the more ludicrous.
Definitely a fun film for those who like the genre, and especially for fans of the great William Castle..
This film follows the trials and tribulations of a family that inherits a haunted house(by thirteen ghosts no less).
A family inherits a creepy mansion, complete with its twelve ghosts and a strange housekeeper.The special effects and haunting sounds keeps a viewer very anxious and wide eyed.
When the Great William Castle made his movies with the gimmicks, I don't think he needed one for this movie, but I'd give a body part to see it with the Ghost-Viewer; but then again who in the audience would really watched the movie without looking at the ghosts anyway?!?!.
A real family would've gotten out the first night.Castle always tried so hard to make good horror movies, but he always had ideas he could not pull off on screen.
That is part of the mystery.Terrific cast Elaine Zacharides(Margaret Hamilton) as the house keeper, Buck Zorba(Charles Herbert),Ben Rush(Martin Milner), Cyrus Zorba(Donald Woods), and Rosemary De Camp as Hilda Zorba.They have good chemistry and fit well together.There is also a missing fortune inside the house, and one of the cast has her/his eyes on it.But in order to collect, they must get past the "Ghosts."So , for an entertaining 82 to 85 minutes, enjoy this creepy little horror thriller, filmed in "Illusion-O" .