William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 23, 2016

Mill Creek's double feature contains two films, and at present this set is the only way to own them. Individual reviews, and more screenshots, can be seen through the links below.

• 13 Ghosts
• 13 Frightened Girls!

13 Ghosts
Score: 3.0/5.0

The Zorba family is in dire financial straits. Their furniture is being repossessed, and there's nothing they can do about it -- they just don't have the money to make ends meet. They do, however, scrape together enough dimes to buy son Buck (Charles Herbert) a spooky book and a chocolate cake for his birthday. His birthday wish: a house with furniture. No sooner does he speak those words does a gusty wind blow through the house. Followed by a knock at the door. Father Cyrus (Donald Woods) answers the door and receives a telegram which, he soon learns, seems to be the answer to the family's prayers. The family has been bequeathed Cyrus' uncle's old mansion, a house that's said to be haunted. A Ouija board they discover there confirms: 13 ghosts haunt its walls. Can the family survive the terror that lingers and threatens to tear apart all they hold dear?

13 Ghosts is silly, innocent fun, a classic Haunted House tale, except it's doesn't take place in the traditional spooky, run down, dilapidated mansion which is otherwise, seemingly, a prerequisite for this type of movie. Special effects are fair, if not simple. Characterization is crude, but effective. Classic overacting runs rampant, but it accentuates the mix of playful fun with simple scares. The movie is probably best known for another of William Castle's gimmicks whereby theatergoers could choose whether to see the ghosts or not via red and blue filtering. Unfortunately, Mill Creek has not included a replica eyepiece that moviegoers were given back in the day; today's audiences will have to settle for seeing both the red ghosts and the blue background at once.

13 Frightened Girls!
Score: 2.5/5.0

Teenage girls, from all over the globe and each the daughter of very powerful people, attend the prestigious Ms. Pittford's Academy for Young Ladies. Amongst them is Candace (Kathy Dunn), daughter of an important US diplomat. She returns to his place of work, but before seeing him stops by to meet her crush, the much older Wally (Murray Hamilton). When she overhears that her father's job may be in jeopardy, she takes it upon herself to do a little snooping, see what she can find that might help him. That leads her to a body in a meat locker. She reports the death, but clandestinely, signing her notice as "Kitten." Her work piques her father's interest, but he has no idea it's his own daughter. She begins to groom herself into a super spy and finds herself in deep. Soon, "Kitten" becomes a world-renowned spy in high demand...and in plenty of danger.

Most movies are titled in some or fashion that more or less describes the story's comings-and-goings. Not so much here. It sounds like a Horror film, particularly as the Blu-ray is paired with another of Castle's films, 13 Ghosts, but it's instead a...spy comedy, more or less. Sort of like Spy Kids meets Austin Powers. Regardless, scary it is not. Fun, in a way, it is. It's madly simple and absurd, childlike and giddy but those latter qualities at least reflect the protagonist and her drive into spy-dom. It's innocent, disposable entertainment, hammy and seriously overdone in a good way.

William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

13 Ghosts
Score: 4.0/5.0

13 Ghosts is a predominantly black-and-white affair, with only the blue- and red-tinted scenes appearing anytime ghosts are on the screen. The blue and red imagery is rather crude, heavily saturated and affecting detail, too, rendering even basics as a bit more globular than sharp. Fortunately, the B&W imagery is rather good. A moderate grain structure hovers for the duration, yielding a positive film-like texturing. Various spots and speckles and scratches interfere, but never really get in the way. Details are quite sharp. Clothing, ornate backgrounds, and nicknacks all present with tangible, agreeable sharpness. All things considered, this is a very nice image from Mill Creek.

13 Frightened Girls!
Score: 3.5/5.0

13 Frightened Girls! features a nicely presented 1080p transfer. Details are acceptable, not particularly stout compared to the best releases but finding enough pull to reveal clothing and location textures with adequate intimacy and tactile definition. Colors are balanced and true, from purple schoolgirl uniforms to lush natural greenery. Black levels struggle and appear too bright. Flesh tones seem spot-on. There's not an abundance of wear and tear and compression issues are not particularly prevalent. For a budget release of an aging film (and presumably an older master), this is a rather solid presentation.

William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

13 Ghosts
Score: 2.5/5.0

13 Ghosts' Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is rather crude, but that crudeness, at least at times, actually seems to heighten the (sense of) fear, particularly over the opening titles where moans, shrieks, and screams pierce, rather sharply and messily, the front-center portion of the stage. The track does well enough to push sound to the center. Dialogue is surprisingly clear and articulate, while various supporting music and effects are, like those sounds of terror from the beginning, lacking more than the most simple of clarity and definition.

13 Frightened Girls!
Score: 3.0/5.0

13 Frightened Girls! features Mill Creek's basic Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Unlike the companion 13 Ghosts and other Castle releases from Mill Creek like Homicidal, this track plays with a bit more liveliness to music and spread to the sides. Definition and clarity are honest, though hardly terrific. Little support details play with just enough definition and sense of place to create, at least along the front, a fairly defined soundstage. Dialogue pushes to the center with commendable clarity and firmness in delivery.

William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No extras are included.

William Castle Double Feature Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Both films are entertaining in a simple, disposable way. Both are relics of their time, obviously, lacking imagination but not lacking charm that holds up today. Mill Creek's double feature contains no bonus material. Technical specs are as straightforward as they come. Recommended.