Listen "13 Ghosts (No, Not the One with Tony Shalhoub)"
Episode Synopsis
Send us a textIn 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.Support the show
More episodes of the podcast The Introverted Obelisk
Death at the Altar, Again
18/11/2025
Everybody Loves a Good Bat Panic
07/11/2025
Murder as a Party Game
31/10/2025
Scream Therapy, Courtesy of William Castle
17/10/2025
Agnes Moorehead Deserved a Better Movie
03/10/2025
When the Real Horror Is Medical Malpractice
26/09/2025
Bananas, Bullets, and Bela Lugosi
19/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.