13 Ghosts (1960)
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
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.
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13 Ghosts (1960)
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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?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the enduring popularity of horror movies. Why do people like being scared?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 5, 1960
- On DVD or streaming: September 11, 2001
- Cast: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
- Director: William Castle
- Studio: Columbia Tristar
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 85 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: March 30, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
Poltergeist
One of the all-time great haunted house movies.
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Rear Window
Hitchcock masterpiece stars peeping Jimmy Stewart.
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The Village
Thought-provoking and intense thriller has some violence.
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