Common Sense Media Review
Cheesy -- and gory -- classic; no young'uns.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
13 Ghosts (1960)
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 :
- Last updated : March 15, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate