PopHorror Let's Get Scared
William Castle‘s 13 Ghosts is a far reach from its remake. We all remember the scary ghosts, such as “The Juggernaut”, but there is a whole idea behind it. When 13 Ghosts was remade, it had to hold the level of scariness for modern times. That doesn’t mean they had to destroy the movie they copied off of. I must admit that I am not a big fan of the remake at all. It takes away the magic and the campiness that I hold so dear.
Let’s dig into the review.
Synopsis
Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his eerie mansion to his penniless nephew Cyrus Zorba and his family. Along with the house, the Zorba family has also inherited the occultist’s collection of 13 ghosts, who can only be seen through Zorba’s special goggles. The family members put their lives at risk upon the discovery that Dr. Zorba’s fortune lies hidden somewhere in the house, receive aid from unexpected quarters as the threat to their lives is revealed.
The film stars Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary DeCamp, and Donald Woods.
13 Ghosts opens strong, with scary noises and images that make you realize you were about to be frightened. In the golden age of horror, people were easy to scare. 13 Ghosts still held the magic of black and white movies. It was close to the end of an era, but no one saw it coming. In modern times, with movies like Terrifier or Laid to Rest, we have lost a lot of fear. Maybe it’s the years of telling ourselves “It’s only a movie” repeatedly. In a dark theater, this movie must have been terrifying to the world of moviegoers. I can almost picture myself there, though my parents weren’t even thought of at the time; I was able to hear the frightening stories from my grandparents about horror movies from the 60s.
A Legend Never Dies
13 Ghosts is a legend in its own right because it takes the audience on an adventure where they don’t know what to expect. The scenery and ear-piercing shrieks make the film what it is. There is a certain aura among all of the cast. They did their best to give a small hint of realism, painting a picture of a down-on-their-luck family finally winning at life. The shrieks of the ghosts are what make me uncomfortable, in a good way. Even as a young kid, movies like this scared the pants off me. I was also one to believe in ghosts, so that made it a bit worse on my psyche. William Castle was given an assignment that was expected to terrify people in their sleep, and he aced every moment.
At a time when movies about giant bugs were thriving, 13 Ghosts offered something more for the masses that wanted a more believable movie. In my opinion, the film is far from believable; however, it’s supposed to be a good time. No one said these movies were made to be blockbuster hits. The story was sold to the people who wanted a thrill. Moviegoers even had their own “Ghost Viewers” 3-D glasses. Legend has it that at the premiere of these movies, medics were waiting for anyone who might have passed out.
In The End
We will never see movies as simple as this anymore. Modern horror fans say the more gore, the better. I am guilty of this myself. Sometimes I forget the point of a movie is to have a good time. Sure, I love gore, but films like 13 Ghosts sold me right away as a kid. I still watch this film quite often. I also wish I could have been there to watch the audience’s reaction. Instead, I have stories from the people I miss, so watching films like 13 Ghosts is my safe place when I need it.
