The Introverted Obelisk
The Introverted Obelisk is a sardonic stroll through the graveyard of classic horror cinema, where monsters are rubber, dialogue is stilted, and logic is optional. Join us as we unravel the plots (and seams) of horror films from the 1930s to the 1960s — the golden age of fog machines, mad scientists, and questionable acting choices. Each episode serves up a dry-witted recap, thematic commentary, and trivia morsels about the strange, charming, and sometimes laughably earnest world of vintage horror. It’s film history with a smirk — perfect for fans of cult classics, spooky nostalgia, and undead absurdity.
The Introverted Obelisk
13 Ghosts (No, Not the One with Tony Shalhoub)
In this episode of The Introverted Obelisk, we slip on our ghost viewer glasses and stumble through the cobweb-covered corridors of William Castle’s 1960 spookfest 13 Ghosts—not to be confused with the blood-slicked, glass-walled 2001 remake that somehow starred both Tony Shalhoub and a jug of ectoplasmic rage. We follow the ill-fated Zorba family, who inherit a haunted mansion from a dead uncle with a ghost collection hobby and no sense of boundaries. There’s a Ouija board, a witchy housekeeper played by none other than Margaret Hamilton (yes, that Margaret Hamilton), and a child who is entirely too enthusiastic about the undead.
We’ll explore Castle’s wild gimmick, “Illusion-O,” which asked audiences to peer into colored filters to “see” or “not see” the ghosts—because nothing enhances terror like 3D cardboard glasses. Along the way, we’ll dissect the film’s charmingly bizarre tone, its ghost designs that look like haunted bedsheets with union benefits, and its oddball commentary on family, greed, and the supernatural.
So grab your spirit viewers and prepare for a low-budget haunting with all the sincerity of a Scooby-Doo episode and none of the meddling kids. It’s time to get spectral with 13 Ghosts—the original one.
