13 Ghosts (1960) (NR, 1960)

common sense media says

Cheesy -- and gory -- classic; no young'uns.


parents & educators say
  • 33% say violence is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie does include occult material, including a Ouija board and a seance, which may be upsetting to some children. There is an attempted murder of a child, and another character is murdered. Some families may be uncomfortable with the father's irresponsibility about money.

Violence: A few scary surprises and special effects, child in peril, not very intense.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.

More on 13 Ghosts (1960)

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the enduring popularity of horror movies. Why do people like being scared?

What's the story?

What's the story?

A family inherits a haunted house and a mysterious pair of spectacles from a reclusive uncle. It turns out that 12 ghosts occupy the house, including a lion and his headless tamer, a jealous chef and the wife and her lover that he killed with a meat cleaver, a hanging woman, and the ghost of the uncle himself. A Ouija board tells them that a 13th ghost will be added soon. Who will it be?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The special effects were low-budget even for their time, and today's audiences will find them more silly than scary. But there are a couple of jump-out-at-you moments and plot twists that still work pretty well. The DVD includes both the version that requires the glasses and the one that does not and a brief documentary about Castle that is as much fun as the movie, especially the selection from the movie's original introduction, which explained how to use the glasses.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Columbia Tristar
Director: Martha Beck
Cast: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release: August 5, 1960
DVD release: September 11, 2001
MPAA Rating: NR

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

11
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 33% say violence is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

Scream
kid, 12 years old
 
The Genre of This Film is "Children and family"
Piece of Sh I t

 
The remake was pretty good, I can't wait to view this version!

Plague
parent
 
13 Ghosts (1960)
Not the best horror of it's era, but its watchable and wont scare the kids.

 
A fun, scary movie!
Why is this rated R?? There's nothing really wrong with it- except for some mild scary scenes and frightening images. Certainly nothing worse than what's shown on tv now.

Sanjay407
kid, 13 years old
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age