Search - 13 Ghosts on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1960 DVD Release: 09/11/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 24 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Horror, Haunted House Film

Gimmick-loving producer William Castle strikes again with this fun haunted-house thriller which invited audiences to find the hidden ghosts roaming about a haunted house through a special process called "Illusion-O" by which patrons could employ a special pair of red-and-blue-colored glasses to detect ghosts on the screen during the film's color-tinted sequences. The story is set in the mansion of the deceased occult scientist Dr. Zorba, whose nephew Cyrus and his family occupy the creepy estate and discover that they are not the only tenants. It seems the Doctor has been harboring 12 elusive specters on the premises, the appearance of which can only be detected through his final invention: a special pair of ghost-viewing goggles. To further complicate matters, it is learned that Zorba has stashed a small fortune somewhere in the house, and someone -- or something -- is determined to stop Cyrus and family from finding it. This film's original release featured an introduction from Castle, describing the "Illusion-O" process and demonstrating the proper use of the tinted glasses; he also appears in an epilogue stating that the glasses can be used to detect ghosts outside the theater! ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Charles Herbert - Buck Zorba
Jo Morrow - Medea Zorba
Martin Milner - Ben Rush
Rosemary de Camp - Hilda Zorba
Donald Woods - Cyrus Zorba

Director William Castle was an inventor of all kinds of movie theater novelties, including the illustrious "Illusion-O" for the frightening 13 Ghosts. Columbia has done a very nice job on this 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. On one side of the disc there is a normal black-and-white widescreen presentation, and on the other is the "Illusion-O" version with color tinting and the facility to be able to use the "Ghost Viewer" included with this disc. This transfer looks very nice with only a minimal amount of edge enhancement and grain present. Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono and sounds clear and distortion free, though lacks much depth or fidelity. The dialogue, effects, and eerie music are all distortion free. Also included on this disc is a Dolby Digital 1.0 track in Spanish, as well as Chinese, English, Thai, Korean, Portuguese, French, and Spanish subtitles. =13 Ghosts scares up a scant few extra features, notably a featurette on the making of 13 Ghosts, as well as some thin production notes and a "Ghost Viewer" so patrons can spot the spooks! ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide