Plot

A family inherits a house with 12 ghosts who want a 13th.

Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his eerie mansion to his penniless nephew Cyrus Zorba and his family. Along with the house, the Zorba family has also inherited the occultist's collection of 13 ghosts, who can only be seen through Zorba's special goggles. The family members, their lives at risk upon the discovery that Dr. Zorba's fortune lies hidden somewhere in the house, receive aid from unexpected quarters as the threat to their lives is revealed.—Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>

Cyrus Zorba works at a local museum but is having trouble providing for his wife and two children. Their furniture has just been repossessed and they're not too sure what they're going to do when lawyer Ben Rush tells Buck his late uncle, a Doctor Zorba, has recently died and left him his house. The doctor, they are told, had perfected a way to collect ghosts. There are currently 12 living in the house, the doctor's diary had space for a 13th. Who will be the thirteenth ghost to join them?—garykmcd

The Los Angeles based Zorbas - paleontologist father Cyrus, mother Hilda, young adult daughter Medea and young teen son Buck - have just inherited a furnished old mansion from Cyrus' recently deceased uncle, Dr. Plato Zorba, a widely dismissed but wealthy occultist. This inheritance coincides with Buck's birthday wish that they have a furnished house in which to live, as they have always rented, and their furniture often repossessed because of Cyrus' forgetfulness to save money or pay the bills. The will states that they have to live in the mansion or else it reverts back to the state. The lawyer, Benjamen Rush, tells them that the mansion also comes with a housekeeper, the witch-like Elaine Zacharides who decides to stay until she can find other arrangements, and the ghosts that Plato collected from around the world. The Zorbas brush off the notion of ghosts as crazy. Ben, however, does believe in the ghosts' existence, that belief based on what he saw of Plato when Plato was alive. Living at the mansion, the Zorbas do believe that there are ghosts there which Plato tried to control as part of his work. They also believe that they are in possible mortal danger because of the ghosts. While Hilda wants to leave, Cyrus wants to stay as he believes Plato willed the mansion to him for a reason, and he is determined to find out what it is, even at the risk of their lives. There is also the issue of Plato's vast monetary fortune, which some believe may be hidden in the mansion.—Huggo

The movie opens with eerie music and a darkened screen followed by screams and moans and splotches of paint thrown at the screen. Each ghost and its number appears with the number thirteen as a "?". Titles and credits follow.

The opening shot is the front (south entrance) of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods) is a paleontologist and is lecturing to a group of college students. He encourages them to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. He is interrupted by his boss, Mr. Van Allen (John Van Dreelen), who tells him his wife needs to speak to him on the telephone. Hilda Zorba (Rosemary DeCamp) tells her husband their furniture is being repossessed, again! Payments are three months overdue. Cy is a poor money manager and very forgetful. She reminds him that it is Buck's birthday, so don't forget his gift. Buck Zorba (Charles Herbert) arrives home to an empty house. "Why do they always take our furniture?" he asks his mother knowing the answer.

The cake says, "Happy Birthday, Buck" and contains eleven candles. His sister, Medea (Jo Morrow) gave her brother a tome of "Ghost Stories." They eat on the floor, as all the furniture is gone. Buck makes a wish and prepares to blow out the candles. His wish is for, "A house with furniture that no one could take away from us." At that a gust of wind blows out the candles. Simultaneously the doorbell rings. Cy answers it. He sees no one at the door. He ventures out into the darkness a few steps and a short, cadaverous man (David Hoffman) asks, "Mr. Cyrus Zorba?" He hands him a telegram then disappears into the darkness. Cy opens and reads the telegram out loud. He is to report at 10:00 a.m. to an attorney's office. Medea looks up his name in the phone book and tells her father he's in the Petrol Building.

The next morning Cy and Hilda Zorba appear at the law office of Benjamin Rush (Martin Milner). Ben Rush tells the pair that Cy has inherited a house from his uncle, Dr. Plato Zorba. It includes furniture, but Ben tells them they will be disappointed. It is a fifty year old house in need of work. A wrapped package sealed with wax was also included in the inheritance. According to Ben Rush, Dr. Zorba was his client for a year and he had collected ghosts from all over the world. "You inherit them too," he warns. Cy and Hilda chuckle in amusement, but Ben is dead serious, reiterating, "They go with the house." Ben leaves to get a notary. They open the package and find a wooden box. When they open it a gust of wind blows the papers around the lawyer's desk. Inside is a pair of peculiar looking glasses. A fly buzzing around the room annoys Hilda, who keeps brushing it away. It lands on the glasses and explodes like it was a bug zapper.

Ben drives up to the house to see Cy about more paperwork. The family has moved into the house. It is a large Victorian place, very overgrown and obviously untended for years. Ben encounters Buck skating on the porch. Buck is excited about the house and claims they have a "live" witch living there. When Ben rings, Medea answers, much to Buck's annoyance. He wanted the housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton) to answer as she usually does. Medea introduces herself to the lawyer and is instantly attracted to him. She invites him in. Elaine is on the stairs and holding a broom. She glowers at Ben and the children, and turns and walks upstairs. They discuss Plato Zorba and his picture over the fireplace. Ben explains the ghosts had nearly killed him and altered his appearance, "back broken, face torn to shreds, lips ripped away." He tells Medea he wishes they had not moved into the house. Medea invites Ben to stay for dinner. Cy finishes signing all the paperwork for the house and they discuss "the witch." Cy explains they can't pay her, but she begged to stay on until she found something else. Ben explains she must have money, as Zorba paid her well. Buck finds a OUIJA board and brings it to the table. Buck explains he pushed something on the fireplace and a door opened. Buck walks over to the fireplace, pushes a button and the door opens revealing a deck of cards, the book and the planchette. Cy retrieves the planchette and hands it to Buck. He removes the white bound book. It is written in Latin. Medea suggests they play with the OUIJA board. Cy explains how the board works. All five put a finger on the planchette. Ben asks, "Is Medea in Love?" Buck asks a question, "Are there any ghosts in this house?" The pointer goes to Yes, despite Hilda and Ben saying they pushed towards No. After that, just Medea and Buck play with the board. He asks, "How many?" It answers 13. Medea asks, "Are they going to hurt us?" It points to Yes. Ben warns Medea, "Don't fool around with that thing anymore." Buck finally asks, "Are they going to kill any of us?" The glass framed portrait of Dr. Zorba falls off the wall and nearly kills both Buck and Medea. The planchette starts moving on its own, levitating above the couch and landing in Medea's lap.

Cy and Hilda prepare for bed. Hilda is scared. Cy explains to his wife if they don't live in the house it goes to the state. Cy opens the box and pulls out the glasses. Hilda complains of a freezing draft. The flowers on a table wilt. Cy checks on the children and then goes downstairs for a book. Down in the living room we see some of the ghosts re-enacting their crimes, perpetrators and victims. Cy hears moaning and is drawn to the source. He walks down a hallway and opens a door that leads to a walled up room. He presses on it and it slides open. The moans are louder. He turns on a light. This must have been Zorba's laboratory. Someone whispers "13" over and over. He puts on the glasses and sees the book burning. He looks up to see four apparitions floating in midair. The four burst into flames and scream. He is attacked by a pinwheel of fire. He takes the glasses off. The door open and he retrieves his Uncle's book. The number "13" is seared into his flesh on the back of his right hand.

The next morning at work he asks Mr. Van Allen how the translation is going on the book. Van Allen has a hard time putting it into words. He refers to a University Publication from ten years prior. It is about Plato Zorba and his solicitation of haunted houses so he can photograph ghosts. The book is a record of his work. There is a chapter for each ghost. One is from Ireland, a couple from Italy and one from Tibet is mentioned. "I, Plato Zorba, am the twelfth." The phone rings and Van Allen answers it. It is Hilda again, and she demands Cy return home immediately.

The ghost of a chef kills his wife with a cleaver. When Cy gets home there is commotion in the kitchen. The floor is a mess of broken plates. Hilda tells her husband they just flew off the shelves. They watch as a can of flour pours itself on the floor. Hilda says, "I have had enough, Cy." A bottle of milk floats over the mess and falls. Buck walks into the kitchen and explains, "That was Emilio." He was an Italian chef who killed his wife and two other in-laws. The final act is a cleaver that flies across the room and imbeds itself in the wall, nearly hitting Cy. Hilda pleads with Cy to move out now. Elaine appears and answers some of Cy's questions. She tells him she helped Dr. Zorba with his work. She adds that Zorba turned against her. Zorba converted all his wealth into cash. She and Ben searched the house after his death but found nothing. Cy asks about Zorba's death. Elaine shows him Zorba's bedroom. She lights a few candles and tells Cy he died in bed, the official cause of death was suffocation. Elaine pleads with Cy that he and his family should leave tonight. A gust of wind blows out the candles, and then they relight themselves. One candle levitates over to the bed, directing attention to a switch that raises and lowers the canopy. Cy operates the switch.

Ben and Medea return home from a date. Everyone in the house is asleep. In Zorba's bedroom a man with cobweb covered pants and dirty shoes walks towards the door. Medea turns out her light and goes to bed. The figure walks the house. It opens Medea's bedroom door. She is awakened to a window banging. She gets up to latch it. The visage of Dr. Zorba approaches her. She screams and walks backwards. Elaine goes into her room and reopens the window.

The next morning Buck makes his bed and then slides down the bannister. Two one-hundred dollar bills appear and float to the floor, unnoticed. He takes the glasses and walks down into the basement. He finds an old trunk and opens it. He finds a lion tamer's hat and whip used by Shadrack the Great. He opens an empty cage and is floored by a lion's roar. He puts the glasses on and sees both the ghost of the lion and the headless Shadrack. He is both frightened and fascinated. Buck takes Medea her breakfast. He sees the $200 and picks it up. The doorbell rings--it is Ben. Ben notices and asks about the money. Buck brings his sister her tray. Ben tells Buck that, "there's a treasure hidden in this house." Ben wants Buck's help finding it.

Ben stops at the Museum to see Cy. Ben tells Cy that he thinks he can arrange for the state to pay for the house and grounds. Ben is a little too anxious to get the Zorba family out of the house. Van Allen comes in an reads a passage from the book, "Today, I finished converting my assets into cash and put it where unscrupulous men can no longer steal it from me." Van Allen suggests he find Elaine to get some answers. Cy explains Elaine is the housekeeper. Van Allen suggests a séance to converse with Dr. Zorba.

That evening Elaine holds a séance with Medea, Hilda and Cy. She will act as medium. Cy retrieves his glasses as Buck slides down the bannister again. He finds more money, wiggles the balustrade posts and it opens a hidden door. Behind the door is a stack of money. Dr. Zorba speaks through Cy. He puts the glasses on and sees Zorba materialize from his portrait, but not the distinguished man in the picture, but a disfigured visage. Ben shows up at the house and Buck shows him the money. Ben tells him to go to bed, and then follows him upstairs. Dr. Zorba's ghost inhabits Cy. He says, "Death tonight, one of you." Zorba returns to his portrait. Cy wants to know more, but Elaine deflects the questions and predicts, "Tonight death walks again in this evil house."

Ben is in Dr. Zorba's bedroom dressed up as the visage of Dr. Zorba. He is wearing the cobweb pants and dirty shoes, but not the mask. He checks the switch on the bed's canopy mechanism. Ben steals into Buck's bedroom and lifts the sleeping child. He takes him to Dr. Zorba's bedroom and places him on the bed. Ben activates the canopy switch and watches it slowly descend. The ghosts react to the impending murder of a child. Through a ventilation duct, a mist appears. Ben sees Dr. Zorba's ghost. It approaches as Ben retreats. It directs Ben to the bed and forces him under the lowering canopy. Buck wakes, runs out of the way and screams. He sees Zorba's ghost hold Ben under the canopy. The family rushes into Zorba's bedroom.

The next morning they are counting cash. Cy explains to his daughter that Ben murdered Dr. Zorba and tried to find the hidden money. Elaine calls the family to breakfast. Buck asks Elaine, "You really are a witch aren't you?" Elaine replies, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies." She tells Buck the ghosts will be back. The glasses levitate above a table and explode. Elaine takes a broom, smirks, and exits the room. We close with a panning shot around the inside of the house, and see the ghosts again. The front door closes and "House for Sale" appears.