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Summary: In Amazing Illusion-O!!!
Review: William Castle was a master showman. For a while, every movie he released had its own gimmick. For example, with the movie The Tingler, several seats in theatres where it was shown would be rigged with mild electric shocks which would be set off during key scenes. For 13 Ghosts, the gimmick was that scenes with ghosts were filmed with the background tinted blue and the ghosts tinted red (and difficult to see). People in the audience were given a ghost viewer/remover. If you looked through the red lense, the ghosts are enhanced and become more visible. Look through the blue lense and the ghosts become completely invisible.William Castle's films, especially 13 Ghosts, are for the most part highly enjoyable and entertaining even without the gimmicks, but now at last those of us who were unable to watch the original theatrical productions can at least experience the wonders of Illusion-O thanks to this DVD, which comes with one free ghost viewer/remover. And the effect works amazingly well! You have the option to watch the film in normal black and white (like in TV broadcasts), but the ghosts look more blobby and contrived. Watching it in Illusion-O makes a huge difference! The ghosts look more detailed yet more ethereal, like actual ghosts, and the red tinting makes it all the more spooky. It's also fun switching the viewer back and forth to watch the ghosts appear and disappear. The film itself is fun for the whole family, filled with humour and suspense and great characters, and is a far more effective horror film than the remake. I haven't had so much fun watching a competently made film in a long time! And there is a great in-joke with the boy suspecting the housekeeper of being a witch (she is played by the same actress who was the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz). Also included is a great documentary giving the background of the film. This DVD is highly recommended!
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Summary: The Magic of Illusion-O In Your Own Living Room
Review: William Castle was reknowned for showman gimmicks to which he gave cheesy names, such as "Percept-O," "Fright Break," and "Emerg-O." Although some of these effects were pretty silly, some were fairly complicated--and most of them relied upon the communial nature of a theatre audience for effect. Consequently, a contemporary viewer sitting in the comfort of the living room simply doesn't have much opportunity to experience a Castle film as it was originally presented. But there is one exception. The gimmick for Castle's 13 GHOSTS was "Illusion-O," which required the audience to use color filters (available at the box office) similar to 3-D glasses to see the ghosts in the film. Until recently, all available prints of 13 GHOSTS have been shown in simple black and white with the ghosts always visible, but the recent DVD release restores the tint process, and now you too can have the fun of a William Castle film right in your own home. Like most Castle films, the story is very basic. A financially strapped family inherits a house, and unless they actually agree to reside in it the property goes to the state. But the house is also residence to 11 ghosts "collected" by the previous owner, and his death raised the number to 12. Now all of them are out to add another to their number. Who will the victim be? The script, the design, the cinematography, and the story are just as hokey as they can be, but the cast--which includes Margaret Hamilton of "OZ" fame--plays it very straight and even without the Illusion-O process the film is a cult favorite. But Illusion-O puts the icing on top. Periodically, a caption flashes on the screen instructing you to look through the viewer. Look through the red filter, and Poof! There are ghosts galore. Look through the blue filter, and Poof! Ghosts be Gone! Now, strictly speaking, you don't actually have to look through anything to see the ghosts--they are fairly visible without squinting through that little red lense--but it does add a tremendous amount of fun to the whole thing. But don't go planning that ghost-viewing party just yet. The DVD offers a few extras that are fairly mild but enjoyable--but the darned thing only includes ONE viewer and if you want more you have to order them at an unreasonable price and then wait eight to ten weeks for them to arrive, and although you could probably run up a few extra viewers on your own that seems like a lot of trouble. Still, this may be your only chance to see a William Castle film as it was intended to be seen--and Castle fans won't want to miss that. And those prepared to order the extra viewers (or make them) will find 13 GHOSTS lots of campy, silly fun.
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Summary: WILLIAM CASTLE DID IT AGAIN!
Review: You may recall his 1958 horror thriller "house on haunted hill". Here is another treat for those who loves his style for ghost stories. William Castle I guess just has a knack for directing ghost movies. Most all of his movies were superb, not one boring. The film deals with a family living in an old ramshackle mansion haunted by 13 ghosts. But here's the mystery, One of the ghosts isn't real. And whoever that person is ,that's trying to get the family out of the house, is the murderur of the mansion's owner. A great movie with a cast worth watching. Enjoy this movie, And remember to buy more of Castle's films, They're all worth watching!
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