Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Amateurish and crude, William Castle's film is better known for its aggressive publicity campaign.
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Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Cheesy -- and gory -- classic; no young'uns.
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
It falters just as most of today's movies falter: too much emphasis on effects and not enough on characters.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A dull and crudely made haunted house tale.
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Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
Too bad the ghost goggles didn't blind you from this horrid film.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Quaint, creaky, and probably worse than the remake
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Dry and dusty; the good bits are doled out slowly and sparingly.
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Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
slow-paced hokum that gives lie to the belief that the horror movies of yesteryear are very much better than those of today
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Nell Minow, Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies
The special effects were low-budget even for their time, but there are a couple of jump-out-at-you moments and plot twists that still work pretty well.
Read all 9 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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This is a fun little horror movie from Castle, it's about a family that moves to a haunted house that has 13 ghosts, and it's fun for the whole family. I really like this movie.
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Another William Castle underachiever. A family on the edge of financial ruin inherits a fully furnished home....and some ghosts. I guessed the big climax 1/2 through the film. I fell asleep a couple of times and still wasn't lost when I woke back up. That says a lot, doesn't… More
Another William Castle underachiever. A family on the edge of financial ruin inherits a fully furnished home....and some ghosts. I guessed the big climax 1/2 through the film. I fell asleep a couple of times and still wasn't lost when I woke back up. That says a lot, doesn't it? I must give credit where credit is due in that Castle went out on a cinematic limb and used actual hardwood boards as actors rather than people. And got pretty good performances out of them too. What was that? Those WERE people? Oh. Never mind then.
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Thank God for William Castle! You have to love a producer / director / promoter who knew how to have fun. <i>13 Ghosts</i> isn't great cinema, in fact it's downright cheesy, but Castle knew how to get an audience involved. He speaks directly to the camera… More
Thank God for William Castle! You have to love a producer / director / promoter who knew how to have fun. <i>13 Ghosts</i> isn't great cinema, in fact it's downright cheesy, but Castle knew how to get an audience involved. He speaks directly to the camera before and after the film, encouraging us to peer through our 'ghost-viewers' if we dare. How beautifully bogus!
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I actually enjoyed both the original and the "remake." Of course the remake doesn't hold a candle to the original but I appreciated it in it's own right as a gory horror movie. The original was more psychological and that seems to be the case with a lot of horror… More
I actually enjoyed both the original and the "remake." Of course the remake doesn't hold a candle to the original but I appreciated it in it's own right as a gory horror movie. The original was more psychological and that seems to be the case with a lot of horror movie remakes. The ghost viewer gimmick was really cool.
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Its funny I enjoyed the Original one more then the remake 13 Ghosts.
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silly but still better than the remake. an early 3-D venture.
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The original and re-make a both rubbish. Avoid!
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The ghosts themselves are quite scary and imaginative, although hard to make out when they appear. I love the ghost viewer gimmick. It takes about 27 minutes before we get to see the first ghost appear. The buildup and tension are nice. An effective haunted mansion setting is… More
The ghosts themselves are quite scary and imaginative, although hard to make out when they appear. I love the ghost viewer gimmick. It takes about 27 minutes before we get to see the first ghost appear. The buildup and tension are nice. An effective haunted mansion setting is utilized. I was a bit awed when I saw the family playing with the Ouija board. There are several good jump scares throughout. For a 1960 movie, I was expecting harmless fun, but this movie had some bite to it. Very enjoyable viewing; much better than the crapass remake.
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i got scared simply readin' the title again...and it's been years since i've seen it!
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Effects were pretty good, but the storyline was very boring.
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An old horror classic. Probably a lot better than the remake, which I haven't seen.
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So cheesy, but ya gotta love William Castle.
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different, a new way of making horror movies, very original, very good makeup and visual effects
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fun, goofy, dated ghost story from William Castle, arguably the greatest "showman" director. A family who's furniture has just been repossessed inherits a haunted mansion, and for some reason has to live there or loses it the the county. The house is inhabited with 12… More
fun, goofy, dated ghost story from William Castle, arguably the greatest "showman" director. A family who's furniture has just been repossessed inherits a haunted mansion, and for some reason has to live there or loses it the the county. The house is inhabited with 12 ghosts (who will be the 13th?). You have to get over the fact that all these crazy and homicidal things happen almost immediately and the family still doesn't move out. And it's got its share of plot holes. But, it does have a certain charm.
They gave out glasses in the theater so you could choose whether you wanted to see the ghosts or not. Probably better if you didn't... unlike Cat People or The Haunting, where less is more, these ghosts are fairly cheesy.
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Another fun fun fun carnival spookhouse of a film from the underrated William Castle. While not on par with the earlier "The House on Haunted Hill" (and most unfortunately devoid of Vincent Price), this gimmicky comedy-thriller still has enough going for it to be worth… More
Another fun fun fun carnival spookhouse of a film from the underrated William Castle. While not on par with the earlier "The House on Haunted Hill" (and most unfortunately devoid of Vincent Price), this gimmicky comedy-thriller still has enough going for it to be worth watching.
The titular ghosts are well designed and each have their own interesting backstory. Staples of the genre (the housekeeper with a mystery, the gee-whiz kid, the shady lawyer) are present and accounted for but as with any William Castle film it is the wholesome, innocent tone that really sets the film apart. He never seeks to horrify, but to amuse, entertain, startle perhaps but always followed with a laugh. His open endings are merely a way of keeping the campfire tale going, of making sure the fun doesn't end when the credits roll. Castle made films for teenagers from a decidedly non cynical era. Today they would work best on children or the young at heart.
It's a shame we don't get to know more of the ghosts, though they are prominently displayed in an awesome credit sequence that had me smiling from ear to ear. The film must have been a blast in Illusion-O (3-D in Castle gimmickspeak).
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Wow! So camp and in a way better then the remake. Still check out those hokey effects.
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Fun film with some great moments, especially if you have the glasses!
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those 13 ghosts were 13 of the scariest horror characters ever! i never would want to be in a house like that!
Read all 19 featured audience ratings
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