13 Ghosts (1960)
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Once again a movie I thought was an original idea and smarter than the average horror movie has turned out to be a remake of yet another William Castle film. Now I've got to try to find the original, I'd love to see how they set it up. And on 6/28/12 I was given that chance (please see below).
This movie had another one of Castle's famous gimmicks: He filmed it in 'Illusion-O' which meant the movie goers were given glasses to watch the movie. If the ghosts scared them too much, taking off the glasses kept you from seeing them. Funny!. The premise: When occultist uncle Dr. Plato Zorba wills a huge ramshackle house to his nephew Cyrus and his impoverished family, they are shocked to find the house is haunted.
Their new furnished residence comes complete with a spooky housekeeper, Elaine, plus a fortune in buried treasure and 12 horrifying ghosts. His family soon discovers that these spirits include a decapitated man, a fully grown lion, a wailing lady and a flaming skeleton, who are held captive in the eerie house and must find an unlucky thirteenth ghost to free them.
This movie, considering the time it was made and the budget they had was superior in storyline than the remake, although the high-budget remake may have had better effects and more complicated plot. Oh, this is a beauty of a film and I highly recommend it. Look closely at the housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides. Throughout the film she is called a 'witch' by the boy and in her severe black dress and pulled back hair one can see why.
Look even closer and you will realize that this is yet another bit of Castle's genius. You see, the housekeeper, who at the end of the movie picks up her broom and smiles knowingly at the audience is actually Margaret Hamilton. You would know her instantly if you've ever watched The Wizard of Oz (1939). Pure comedic genius! Thank you Tim for letting me get the chance to enjoy this wonderful piece of Castle lore - I highly recommend it if you can find it.
In the remake, Tony Shalhoub, who was absolutely terrific in this film plays to pretty much the same plot with a few changes, and no doubt better special effects. The plot is slightly different: Ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos (F. Murray Abraham) and his psychic assistant Dennis Rafkin (Matthew Lillard) capture twelve ghosts, Kriticos for his own nefarious reasons, Dennis just for the money.
Kriticos is killed and his huge, glass covered house is given to his nephew Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub). Since the death of his wife in a house fire has left the family broke and broken-hearted, they decide to move in. The movie basically follows the same patterns except the ghosts are different (and one is revealed to be Arthur's deceased wife) and behind protective glass with 'containing spells' printed on them.
The main room contains a huge machine with endless mechanics and strange runes. The family is safe until the machine adjusts and then the maze in the house shifts, opening one glass and closing others, trapping Arthur and his family in the house, and releasing a ghost or two.
They spend a bit of time separating (as usual in horror flicks) and don't realize the danger until they find glasses that allow them to see what is truly around them. The ghosts themselves on the DVD version have a complete backstory for each but you don't want to read it all here.
Meanwhile, Cyrus is revealed to be alive, having faked his death (which is a little weird, considering it has to be almost a week since his 'death' yet he's wearing the same bloody clothes and supposed fake wound). He has captured Kathy and Bobby (Arthur's two children) so that Arthur will become the 13th ghost, which will trigger the activation of a machine built to, I guess, open the gates of hell.
They spend a bit of time separating (as usual in horror flicks) and don't realize the danger until they find glasses that allow them to see what is truly around them. The ghosts themselves on the DVD version have a complete backstory for each but you don't want to read it all here.
Meanwhile, Cyrus is revealed to be alive, having faked his death (which is a little weird, considering it has to be almost a week since his 'death' yet he's wearing the same bloody clothes and supposed fake wound). He has captured Kathy and Bobby (Arthur's two children) so that Arthur will become the 13th ghost, which will trigger the activation of a machine built to, I guess, open the gates of hell.
Arthur arrives at the main hall of the house and witnesses all 12 ghosts standing around a rotating crest of metal rings, his children at the center. Arthur and Cyrus have a violent confrontation and Cyrus overpowers Arthur. The ghosts become free of their trance. They grab Cyrus and hurl him into the rings, slicing him to pieces.
Dennis' ghost (he had sacrificed himself to save Arthur) then appears, telling Arthur that it is not over and to go to his kids. Waiting for a break in the rings, Arthur safely leaps to his children. The machine continues to malfunction and the walls of the house shatter, freeing the ghosts. The ghost of Arthur's wife, Jean, appears before the family and tells them that she loves them before vanishing. Dennis is then seen smiling at Arthur now that he had saved Kathy and Bobby and also vanishes.
Smarter than your usual 'get 'em together and slaughter them one by one' movie, this is definitely worth a look in both versions.
Update: If you'd like to see the background story on each ghost used in the remake, the short videos appear on February 8, 2015.
Update: If you'd like to see the background story on each ghost used in the remake, the short videos appear on February 8, 2015.
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