Director: William Castle
Year: 1960
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Haunted House
Plot:
Learning they have received a new inheritance, a family heads off to their new mansion and finds that the previous owner was an occultist looking to use thirteen legendary ghosts to access a powerful hidden dimension, and must get out of the house alive.
Review:
This one has some really good stuff about it. One of the single best features is undoubtedly the special effects used for the ghosts. Most of the time with them is spent seeing shadowy, translucent forms, which is what ghosts should be, and they are pulled off masterfully. These are done quite well, and while not completely flawless, they are among the best non-CGI-created ghosts possible. The fact that many of them are creepy looking doesn't hurt either, as the few glimpses of them where we can get a clean look at them do look quite unsettling and a little disturbing. The best part is that the background is still visible through them when they appear, and it really helps to give a creepy feel to them.
There's also a slew of likable setpieces here that make fun use of the ghosts inside the house. The fact that they make up a large amount of screentime, resulting in some great scenes, is quite nice. Seeing the hauntings at first is generally creepy and very spooky, and the Ouija game has some of the best shocks in the film. The best, though, is the encounter in the basement, which is simply incredible and really throws up some fantastic moments that are quite chilling, involving a unique type of spirit, while the séance scene has some creepy moments in it and features a lot of spectacular moves along the way. Along with a great pace and action-packed conclusion, these are the film's best moments.
This one didn't have a whole lot wrong with it, but there are some drawbacks here. One of the big flaws is the presence of one of the biggest leaps of logic in movie history. This will become obvious to those who can pay attention without too much difficulty and can be spotted quite easily. The clues can be found towards the end, with all the secrets, but they aren't hidden and are easily found. The other big flaw is that no attempt is made to make the house seem creepy at all. This one really could've played with the atmosphere and turned up the creep factor significantly, and it doesn't do that beyond the eerie moaning that plays out. Some of the effects might be considered cheesy, but on the whole, the other flaws are much more harmful.
Overview: ****/5
It's mostly a gimmicky film, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun one, either, which it is. This one is mostly there for those who enjoy this kind of cheesy film, who are in the mood for something fun, or are fans of the creative crew, while those who don't have an appreciation of them won't find much in here worthwhile.
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