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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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13
Ghosts
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Reviewed
by: |
B.
Lou Goodwin |
| Genre: |
Horror
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| Video: |
Widescreen
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| Audio: |
Digitally
Remastered Audio, Mono |
| Language: |
English,
Spanish |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai |
| Length: |
84 minutes |
| Rating: |
Not-Rated |
| Release
Date: |
9-11-01 |
| Studio: |
Columbia/Tristar
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| Commentary:
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None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
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Yes |
| Filmography/Biography:
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None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical Trailer included |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
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None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Charles Herbert,
Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary De Camp, Donald Woods, Margaret
Hamilton, John Van Dreelen |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by:
Robb White |
| Produced
by: |
William Castle |
| Directed
By: |
William Castle |
| Music: |
NA |
| The
Review: |
'Thirteen
Ghosts" is a kiddie horror flick with a twist. Have fun with
Illusion-O vision glasses and the floating apparitions. It is
just scary enough for a ten-year-old to get a big kick out of
it but older children may be bored. As a grown-up it is not
as much fun but it is a fairly decent B movie. The plot is simple.
Cyrus is one of those guys who is always behind on his debts
and his whole family is dodging creditors. Then, his uncle dies
and leaves him a moldering old mansion, a spooky housekeeper,
a slick lawyer, and a hidden fortune. His family moves in the
house where they are haunted by thirteen, spooky ghosts. Your
job is to count them all but don't worry about being frightened.
If you get too scared, all you have to do is look through the
ghost remover section of your glasses and the spirit will disappear.
If you look through the ghost clarifier then the ghost will
seem very distinct. This movie is neither remarkable nor extremely
scary. It is a gimmick movie-the type of film that William Castle
was famous for. The glasses don't really work all that well
but I don't know of one 8 year old that wouldn't want to try
them. If you want a 1950's Halloween then get out your Illusion-O
glasses, turn out the light, and watch the headless ghost fight
the lion. If you like slick, seamless modern films, then this
one is a no-no but if you liked "Ants" or the old black and
white ghost films, then you might find this one amusing. The
acting is a bit over the top and no one turns in an Oscar performance
but B-horror films are not known for their fantastic plots or
deep character development. |
| Image
and Sound |
The
quality of the black and white is quiet good. It is not either
too dark or too bleached. The Illusion-O glasses are a little
silly and they don't really work all that well. You can see
the ghosts just as well with or without them. Besides, the ghost
remover doesn't work at all. I liked playing with the glasses
even if the effect is less than spectacular. The sound of the
film is clean. I can hear the indistinct voices of the ghosts,
the creak of the doors and that is enough. As for special effects,
for the year that the original film was put together, I am more
than happy with the results. The level of detail on the ghosts
is very lifelike and voices remain steady and clean. |
| The
Extras |
The
number of languages available in the subtitles is amazing. I
can't imagine watching this film in Portuguese or Thai; I can't
possibly see how this plot would transfer to another culture.
It also includes the original theatre trailer and short introduction
by William castle on how to use the glasses. There is also short
featurette on the making of Illusion-O. Find out why Castle
made such gimmicky movies and how he made them work. He found
a way to sell a film that lacks a great plot or a great actor.
Marketing is his genius not filmmaking. This featurette is more
interesting to the adults in the audience than the action movie.
I wanted to know the effects behind the ghosts and the glasses
even if I found the movie a bit theatrical and cheap. As for
the trailer, I suggest watching it just so you'll know how to
use your classes properly. If I feel cheated in any way, it
is that only set of glasses is contained in each DVD. If you
have more than one child then you may have an argument waiting
to happen. As for the music, it is over the top-scare fare.
It will seem fairly familiar to you; it will be familiar to
you. It will sound like 50 other movies in the era. Let's sum
it up by saying that you won't be buying the CD as a Christmas
gift unless have a grudge to settle. In truth, melodramatic
music is the hallmark of B-rated fright flicks. If it had a
fantastic score, I would be slightly confused |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
"13 Ghosts" is simple, odd, and
OK. I don't recommend buying it but if your ten-year-old wants
to watch a scary movie then this one should work. It has wailing
ghosts and goofy glasses; it's a happy meal. Should you buy
it? Absolutely not. This is not a forever type of film. Should
you rent it? I guess. If you miss this one, you have missed
anything all that great but if you get a chance, then it is
a middle of the road B movie. Some of the ghostly imagery
is a little violent but there is no blood and the frights
are small and well spaced. If you decide to rent or borrow
this film, watch it with light out. It will help with the
mood.
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