The Spirit Is Willing (1967)

A couple and their teenage son rent a haunted New England seaside house, and their summer vacation turns into a ghost-hunt.

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Nathaniel Benchley (novel), Ben Starr

Stars:

Sid Caesar, Vera Miles, Barry Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sid Caesar	...	Ben Powell
Vera Miles	...	Kate Powell
Barry Gordon	...	Steve Powell
John McGiver	...	Uncle George
Cass Daley	...	Felicity Twitchell
Ricky Cordell	...	Miles Thorpe
Mary Wickes	...	Gloria Tritt
Jesse White	...	Fess Dorple
Robert Donner	...	Ebenezer Twitchell
Mickey Deems	...	Rabbit Warren
Nestor Paiva	...	Felicity's Father
Doodles Weaver	...	Booper Mellish
Jay C. Flippen	...	Mother
Jill Townsend	...	Jenny Pruitt / Priscilla Weems / Carol Weems
John Astin	...	Dr. Frieden

Storyline

When Ben and Kate Powell (Sid Caesar and Vera Miles) rent a haunted New England house by the sea, their son Steve (Barry Gordon) gets blamed for the destruction caused by three unruly ghosts. Another of 'exploitation king' William Castle's supernatural films, this one is studded with familiar character actors including Harvey Lembeck, Mary Wickes, John McGiver, Doodles Weaver, Jesse White and John ("Gomez Addams") Astin.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | supernatural | sex with ghost | meat cleaver | teenagers | 

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Taglines:

The first picture to face the biggest problem of our time: the sex life of ghosts!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Allt upp och ner

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Castle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film role for Nestor Paiva.

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Connections

Referenced in All the Way Down (1968)

User Reviews

A Comedic Tingler

I was sure I'd imagined this movie until I found it here. I remember watching it on TV as kid and loving it. I imagine it doesn't hold up much nowadays, though.

The theme song will ring around in my head every now and then; it was an infectuous tune with a tinkly harpsichord. "The spirit is willing... Her kisses are chilling... "The spirit is willing... But the body is weak..."

I'd love to see it again.