13 GHOSTS (1960)
Director: William Castle
Columbia

The successful horror triumvirate of William Castle, Robb White and Von Dexter established in 1958 with the release of such titles as MACABRE (1958), HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1958) and MR. SARDONICUS (1961) is reunited once again with this Columbia/Tri-Star DVD.

The "old dark house" genre is an established institution that harkens back to the Silent Era. 13 GHOSTS was a homage to those films and for the exception of the Vincent Price version of THE BAT (1958), it was the only example of this tradition on the market at the time. Only William Castle would revive the 1932 James Whale classic as a comedy with Tom Posten with not too much success.

Baby Boomers will appreciate this film for its own sake where younger audiences might find it a bit creaky. A remake is already in the can, complete with digital effects and the house itself made entirely out of glass. And if it's anything like the recent remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, this reviewer would prefer to stay home and watch the William Castle standards instead.

The cast is uniformly entertaining with veterans like Donald Woods and Rosemary DeCamp and especially the Wicked Witch of the West herself, the great Margaret Hamilton in a suitably tongue-in-cheek performance. John Van Drahlen, a constant presence in television at the time, and remembered for his turn in THE LEECH WOMAN (1957), gives a sinister performance as a professor who warns the family of the dangers of ghost-hunting.

Juvenile actor Charles Herbert, immortalized for his work in THE FLY (1958), is perfectly cast as a Harry Potter look-alike, who is entranced by the supernatural and very much at home in the spooky old mansion with thirteen ghosts. Heartthrob Martin Milner, fresh from the "Route 66" TV series, paused between that and the forthcoming "Adam 12" to play the real villain in the piece with surprising authority. Milner did not make too many features and would most likely be best remembered for this one.

Dr. Zorba's ghosts have yet to be duplicated as they were in the theater at the time and even with the "ghostfinders" provided in the DVD (the red and blue 3-D glasses), they do not have the same impact as they did for audiences of that time. The effects may seem a bit unsophisticated in lieu of the high-tech epics like POLTERGEIST (1982) and GHOST STORY (1981), yet they owe a great deal to this film as 13 GHOSTS is a charming time capsule of an era that is lost and can only be relived in this medium.

William Castle, long regarded as "Mr. Showmanship with a Gimmick" provides introductions for most all his films like a poor man's Alfred Hitchcock. His enthusiasm for the horror film was obvious as he shamelessly ballyhooed each film for all its worth. Furthermore, Castle brought Halloween with every film in the form of his gimmicks: Illusion-O, Emergo, A Fright Insurance Policy (in case anyone in the audience died of fright), The Punishment Poll or Percepto. The delightful gentleman of ghoulish glamour also brought the spirit of fun with every endeavor.

Supplemental features are abundant in this presentation, the work of Jeffrey Schwartz and his gifted and spirited team at Automat Films. The widescreen release is flawless in both visual and audio quality. "The Magic of Illusion-O," also the work of Schwartz/Automat, is a loving tribute to material obviously close to his heart. This short has appearances with Bob Burns, Don Glut and others who were charmed by this nostalgic trip down Macabre Way. A theatrical trailer is included with subtitles in (just imagine!) English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai! No kidding, this writer assures.

13 GHOSTS is appropriate fare for Halloween for the young at heart and a must for every Castle aficionado. (Christopher Dietrich)

 

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