13 Ghosts (1960)
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — So Bad They're Good
mojo2004 — 12 years ago(December 09, 2013 07:18 PM)
It's on right now. I think it was pretty good. The family was straight out of a 60's sitcom but the story wasn't campy or cheesy and had a twist at the end.
I also liked the remake because the ghosts made the film.
Sheldon:"Was the starfish wearing boxer shorts? Because you might have been watching Nickelodeon. -
jgiles-367-954534 — 12 years ago(December 19, 2013 08:16 PM)
I liked this movie a lot, too. I originally bought it because Margaret Hamilton appeared as the housekeeper and I was a fan of her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. I did like the gimmick of seeing the ghosts and also seeing clean-cut Martin Milner as a bad guy and over-acting Charles Herbert as the terrified son. Good, campy fun!!
-
mojo2004 — 12 years ago(December 20, 2013 11:22 AM)
Yes, I meant wasn't played campy by all. Of course it had some camp! (lol) I liked seeing Margaret Hamilton too. It was a nice change that the housekeeper wasn't an evil murderer out to kill the family because they got the inheritance. Loved the ending too!
Sheldon:"Was the starfish wearing boxer shorts? Because you might have been watching Nickelodeon." -
jazzgirl1920s — 11 years ago(September 14, 2014 09:44 AM)
Here is William Castle's Ghost Viewer I have kept for over 50 years after seeing the film in a theater when it first came out.
https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com:443/data.filmboards/images/upload/m0FbIqp.jpg
"50, count 'em 50, ambassadors will definitely appear at the peace conference." -
hiddenagenda1 — 11 years ago(May 25, 2014 08:32 AM)
I rate it 7/10, but I don't like it enough to buy it. I like the remake better. I rate
that
movie 10/10 and I also own it on DVD.
Volker Flenske: (While torturing David) I don't know why you're doing this to yourself! -
jazzgirl1920s — 11 years ago(September 09, 2014 06:20 PM)
I really enjoyed this William Castle film when it was released. I still have the cardboard "ghost viewer" that was handed out to people buying a ticket to go see the film. I have kept that as a memento for over 50 years.
"50, count 'em 50, ambassadors will definitely appear at the peace conference." -
phantomparticle — 3 years ago(April 29, 2022 11:29 PM)
A real disappointment after his twin hits,
House on Haunted Hill
and
The Tingler
.
For once, Castle's gimmick fell flat. The cartoon ghosts, seen through colored glasses, were not frightening or menacing and were never a real threat to the family.
Without a strong lead like Vincent Price to add some fire, everyone more or less meandered through their paces to a mild finish when the only really dangerous spook came out to confront the true villain.
It isn't a bad movie. It is just a not very good movie. I kept my ghost finder for years; it eventually disappeared.
Castle dropped all the ghosts and phony spirits the following year with
Homicidal
, a decent knock off of Psycho, and in 1964 made
The Night Walker
, finally proving he didn't need gimmicks to make a truly terrifying movie.
And This, Too, Shall Pass Away
