Main Cast: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary de Camp, Donald Woods
Release Year: 1960
Country: US
Run Time: 88 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
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
Cary O'Dell - Art Director, Max Stein - First Assistant Director, William Castle - Director, Edwin H. Bryant - Editor, Von Dexter - Composer (Music Score), Ben Lane - Makeup, Joseph Biroc - Cinematographer, William Castle - Producer, Louis Diage - Set Designer, Harry D. Mills - Sound/Sound Designer, Robb White - Screenwriter, Robb Shite - Screenwriter
When occultist uncle Dr. Plato Zorba wills a huge ramshackle house to his nephew Cyrus and his impoverished family, they are shocked to find the house is haunted. Their new furnished residence comes complete with a spooky housekeeper, Elaine, plus a fortune in buried treasure and 12 horrifying ghosts. His family soon discovers that these spirits include a decapitated man, a fully-grown lion, a wailing lady and a flaming skeleton, who are held captive in the eerie house and must find an unlucky thirteenth ghost to free them. Dr. Zorba leaves a set of special goggles, the only way of seeing the ghosts. However, there is someone in the house who is also looking for the money and is willing to kill for it.
Illusion-O
As with most of his productions, Castle used a gimmick to promote the movie. In this film, the ghosts could only be seen with the special glasses left by Dr. Zorba. In the theatres, scenes involving ghosts were shown in Illusion-O. That is, the filmed elements of the actors and set were tinted blue while the ghost elements were tinted red, and the two were overlayed. Audiences received viewers with red and blue plastic filters. The red filter augmented the ghosts while the blue filter "removed" them. Later DVD versions have varied in their preservation of this effect, with the latest DVD release including versions with and without the ghost outlines and a set of the special viewer.
