Scream for Your Lives! William Castle and 'The Tingler'

Scream for Your Lives! William Castle and 'The Tingler' (1999)

*** (out of 4)

If you're a fan of William Castle then surely you're aware of the "hype" he built around his films. For THE TINGLER we not only got a sequence in color and Vincent Price having an acid trip but some folks were treated to buzzers under their seats that would go off and shock them during certain points of the film. I've been fairly hard on Castle's non-horror films but there's no denying he could make the genre films very fun. THE TINGLER is discussed here as having a crazy plot but it's also a very entertaining little gem that manages to be one of the most fun films from this period. Bob Burns, David J. Skal, Lucy Chase Williams and Darryl Hickman are on hand to share their memories of the film and they all tell some good ones. The most fascinating things deal with the film's original showing, which included the buzzers as well as other personal appearances that the director would have. If you're a fan of THE TINGLER then this featurette is a must see (and is included on that film's DVD).

I love William Castle films because they are well-made cheesy fun. Films such as STRAIGHT-JACKET and THE TINGLER are classics of the 50s and 60s shock horror and they are definitely an acquired taste. Some probably see them as pretty tacky but lovers of the genre love this tackiness--this makes the films so wonderful fun. This spirit of silly good old fashioned fun is what makes this short documentary a must-see. Instead of taking a super-serious and dull look at William Castle's films (something Castle himself NEVER would have done), the film is very much tongue-in-cheek and laughs at the films while lovingly applauding them. I especially liked the great interviews with Darryl Hickman--he laughed and laughed and seemed to genuinely love the films while acknowledging their cheesiness!! All the great background behind the film and interviews did a lot to help infect the viewer with a sense of fun! Were Castle's films great art? Of course not--but were very entertaining. In fact, as I watched the documentary, I found myself laughing repeatedly about all the funny anecdotes and background information.