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, Rovi
The special effects were low-budget even for their time, but there are a couple of jump-out-at-you moments and plot twists that still work pretty well.
This is a fun little horror movie from Castle, it's about a family that moves to a haunted house that has 13 ghosts, and it's fun for the whole family. I really like this movie.
Another William Castle underachiever. A family on the edge of financial ruin inherits a fully furnished home....and some ghosts. I guessed the big climax 1/2 through the film. I fell asleep a couple of times and still wasn't lost when I woke back up. That says a lot, doesn't it? I must give credit where credit is due
in that Castle went out on a cinematic limb and used actual hardwood boards as actors rather than people. And got pretty good performances out of them too. What was that? Those WERE people? Oh. Never mind then.
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