13 Ghosts

13 Ghosts
Credits
Title:	13 Ghosts
Directed by:	William Castle
Written by:	Robb White
Produced by:	William Castle
Music by:	Von Dexter
Cinematography:	Joseph Biroc
Edited by:	Edwin Bryant
Production
Production:	William Castle Productions
Distributors:	Columbia Pictures
Released:	July, 1960
Rating:	Unrated
Running time:	85 min.
Country:	USA
Language:	English
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13 Ghosts is an American feature film of the supernatural thriller subgenre of horror with an emphasis on ghost and haunted house fiction. It was directed by William Castle with a script written by Robb White. It was produced by William Castle Productions and distributed through Columbia Pictures. The film was released in U.S. theaters in "Illusion-O" in July, 1960. The plot revolves around the Zorba family who are stricken by financial crisis, but find good fortune when Cyrus Zorba inherits the mansion estate owned by his late uncle, Plato Zorba. As they move into their new home, the Zorbas are warned by the lawyer Benjamin Rush as well as creepy housekeeper Elaine Zacharides that the house is haunted by ghosts.

Cast

Actor	Role
Charles Herbert	Buck Zorba
Jo Morrow	Medea Zorba
Martin Milner	Benjamin Rush
Rosemary De Camp	Hilda Zorba
Donald Woods	Cyrus Zorba
Margaret Hamilton	Elaine Zacharides
John Van Dreelen	Van Allen

Notes & Trivia

• The tagline for this film is "13 Times the Thrills! 13 Times the Chills! 13 Times the Fun!"
• This movie was promoted as being released in Illusion-O, which was a gimmick developed by William Castle Productions. At theater engagements, ghost viewer glasses were handed out to patrons that enabled them to "see" the ghosts that appeared in the film. Through the glasses, viewers were able to observe the ghosts in filtered color.
• There are seven credited cast members in this film. Four cast members are male, and three are female.
• Actress Rosemary DeCamp is credited as Rosemary De Camp in this film.
• Director of photography Joseph F. Biroc is credited as Joseph Biroc in this film.
• Film editor Edwin H. Bryant is credited as Edwin Bryant in this film.
• The setting for this film is Los Angeles, California in the modern era.
• 13 Ghosts was remade in 1999 as Thir13en Ghosts. It was directed by Steve Beck with a script & story written by Neal Marshall Stevens and Richard D'Ovidio. While it follows the same overall premise of the original film, it takes the subject matter more seriously and supplies additional plot details as well as more violent and gruesome depictions of the individual ghosts.
• The name of the ghost lion that appears in this film is Zamba. Ralph Helfer, Gene Holter, Frank Inn and Ron Oxley served as lion trainers in this film.
• Seven of the ghosts that appear in this film were portrayed by actors Jeanne Baker, John Burnside, Roy Jenson, William Kelley, Hubie Kerns, Darryl Scott McFadden, and Jack Nestle. None of the actors were credited for their contributions.
• Actor David Hoffman plays the creepy messenger that appears in the beginning of the movie. He is uncredited for his participation in this film.
• On the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, 13 Ghosts holds 36% Rotten rating on the Tomatometer based on fourteen approved critic reviews (should have just been thirteen reviews, don't ya think?). It has an audience score of 41% based on more than 250,000 user ratings.
• Actress Margaret Hamilton plays housekeeper Elaine Zacharides, who is accused of being a witch. This implication is further substantiated at the end of the film when she picks up a broom and give a knowing look to the camera. This is likely a nod to Hamilton's most infamous role as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 MGM classic The Wizard of Oz.
• Actor Charles Herbert, who plays Buck, died on October 31st, 2015 at the age of 66. He was twelve-years-old during filming of 13 Ghosts.
• The number thirteen has always carried an heir of superstition about it, and is often perceived as a bad omen.
• Actor Charles Herbert is also known for playing Philippe Delambre in the 1958 film The Fly.
• Director William Castle makes a cameo appearance in the film.

The Ghosts

1. The Screaming Woman
2. The Floating Head
3. The Flaming Skeleton
4. The Hanging Woman
5. The Executioner (and head)
6. The Tamer
7. The Clutching Hands
8. Emilio
9. Emilio's wife
10. Emilio's wife's lover
11. The Lion
12. Plato Zorba
13. ?

Recommendations

13 Gantry Row 1408 Amityville Horror Annabelle

Conjuring, The House Ju-on: The Grudge Poltergeist

External Links

13 Ghosts at AMG 13 Ghosts at IMDB 13 Ghosts at Trakt.TV 13 Ghosts at Wikipedia

13 Ghosts at Letterboxd.com 13 Ghosts at Themoviedb.org 13 Ghosts at Rotten Tomatoes 13 Ghosts at the Horror Film Wiki

References

Birthdays | California | Dead animals | Ghosts | Haunted house | Lion | Los Angeles | Museum | Ouija board | Seance | Skeleton | Whip | Witch