13 Frightened Girls

13 Frightened Girls (also known as The Candy Web) is a 1963 Pathécolor Cold War spy film directed and produced by William Castle. Kathy Dunn stars as a teenage sleuth who finds herself embroiled in international espionage.

Castle was famous for promoting his films with gimmicks, and this one was no exception. He generated publicity by advertising for girls from 13 different countries to compete for parts as daughters of diplomats. As usual, he stretched the truth to suit his needs. Not all of the girls were from the countries they represented (for example Judy Pace was an American, not a Liberian). Also, there were 15 girls in all.

After a 16-year-old girl Candy Hull (Kathy Dunn) develops a crush on an intelligence agent Wally Sanders (Murray Hamilton), she helps him to uncover a plot against the United States.

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times noted that "The young Mata Hari is vigorously played by pretty Kathy Dunn" and suggested that the film would be a good double bill with another Columbia release, Gidget Goes to Rome. Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club called it "a fun cold war relic".

It was released on DVD in 2009 as part of The William Castle Film Collection. Also, Sony released a DVD of the film by itself.