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William Castle

If you love the classic B horror films of the 50's you probably know Willaim Castle's work even if you don't know his name. Castle created some of the best 50's camp horror around and practically invented the era of theater gimmiks. Castle mortgaged his house to make the thriller, Macabre (1959), independently--then had the inspiration to insure the lives of its viewers with Lloyd's of London for a $1000, in case they died of fright. The gimmick took. Macabre was a hit, and Castle was well on his way to fame.

**Clicking on any of the film covers will take you to a site that has the film available for purchase.
The House on Haunted Hill (1960) (Frank Lloyd Wright's landmark Ennis House played the title role) was a story of various ne'er-do-wells spending a night in a haunted mansion for cash; the movie comes to a complete stop in a pool of acid in the basement, from which a skeleton emerges to menace the living. Vincent Price in one of his first horror films, but the star is "Emergo," Castle's trick of sending an inflatable skeleton floating down into the crowd on a guy-wire. When you see the film you will know exactly when it happens. It just does not get any better than this.

The Tingler, a creepy tale about a animal that lives in the spinal chord. The thing, "The Tingler" can only be laid to rest by a good, loud scream. The Tingler sports an LSD sequence, as well as a sudden burst of color amidst the black and white, in honor of Hitchcock's ending to Spellbound. To aid the surprise, Castle had installed "Percepto!", a jumbo joy-buzzer that jolted audiences out of their seats at key moments. The Tingler has the mark of Castle at his best: a berserk, dead-serious plot and a gritty willingness to give the audience a good shock, one way or another.

*note for some reason the film has spanish subtitles The peculiar selling point of 13 Ghosts was "Illusion-O," a hand-held viewer featuring two strips of cellophane (sort of like vertical 3-D glasses) that made the tribe of spooks haunting a family visible. The family itself is named, for no apparent reason, after Greek philosophers; in the story, Uncle Plato has just cacked and left the family a mansion haunted by a baker's dozen poltergeists. Unfortunatly the video release does not have the Illusion-O feature. The ghost simply appear in black and white.


In Homicidal, a movie about a schizophrenic killer, Castle outdid himself. A classic Castle style film, in which Jean Arliss is a memorably frightening, frozen-faced killer prowling the Danish-themed tourist trap of Solvang, California. Castle sold the movie with a "Fright Break," a 60-second interlude that allowed those who couldn't stand the terror to depart in peace. If this wasn't enough, "patrons" could also retrieve their price of admission if they were too frightened to go on watching the movie--that is, after they'd followed the "Yellow Streak" down the theater's aisle to the "Coward's Corner" in the lobby.

Castle produced, directed and appeared in over 60 films. His most successfull being Rosemarys Baby featuring a very new director. Roman polansky.

Step Right Up! : I'm Gonna Scare the Pants Off America Willaim Castles biography is one of the best film biographys ever written. A lot of fun and very informative. Director John Waters refers to it as his holy grail. It is also a very, very difficult book to get. Used copies go for well over $100. Amazon does get it in stock occationally. I highly recomend you order a copy and wait. Don't bother checking back from time to time. It sells out within days of a new shipment. When you order it you basically get on the list for when the next shipment arrives.


Filmography

  1. Bug (1975) [Producer] [Writer]
  2. Day of the Locust, The (1975) [Actor .... Director]
  3. Shampoo (1975) [Actor .... Sid Roth]
  4. Sex Symbol, The (1974) (TV) [Actor .... Jack P. Harper]
  5. Shanks (1974) [Actor] [Director]
  6. Riot (1969) [Producer]
  7. Project X (1968) [Director] [Producer]
  8. Rosemary's Baby (1968) [Actor (uncredited)] [Producer]
  9. Busy Body, The (1967) [Director] [Producer]
  10. Spirit Is Willing, The (1967) [Director] [Producer]
  11. Let's Kill Uncle (1966) [Director] [Producer] ... aka Let's Kill Uncle, Before Uncle Kills Us (1966)
  12. I Saw What You Did (1965) [Director] [Producer]
  13. Night Walker, The (1964) [Director] [Producer]
  14. Ride the Wild Surf (1964) [Director]
  15. Strait-Jacket (1964) [Director] [Producer]
  16. 13 Frightened Girls (1963) [Director] [Producer] ... aka Candy Web, The (1963)
  17. Old Dark House, The (1963) [Director] [Producer]
  18. Zotz! (1962) [Director] [Producer]
  19. Homicidal (1961) [Director] [Producer]
  20. Mr. Sardonicus (1961) [Director] [Producer]
  21. 13 Ghosts (1960) [Director] [Producer] ....aka Thirteen Ghosts (1960)
  22. Tingler, The (1959) [Director] [Producer]
  23. House on Haunted Hill (1958) [Director] [Producer]
  24. Macabre (1958) [Director] [Producer]
  25. Houston Story, The (1956) [Director]
  26. Uranium Boom (1956) [Director]
  27. Americano, The (1955) [Director]
  28. Duel on the Mississippi (1955) [Director]
  29. Gun That Won the West, The (1955) [Director]
  30. New Orleans Uncensored (1955) [Director]
  31. Battle of Rogue River, The (1954) [Director]
  32. Charge of the Lancers (1954) [Director]
  33. Drums of Tahiti (1954) [Director]
  34. Iron Glove, The (1954) [Director]
  35. Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954) [Director]
  36. Law vs. Billy The Kid, The (1954) [Director]
  37. Masterson of Kansas (1954) [Director]
  38. Saracen Blade, The (1954) [Director]
  39. Conquest of Cochise (1953) [Director]
  40. Fort Ti (1953) [Director]
  41. Serpent of the Nile (1953) [Director]
  42. Slaves of Babylon (1953) [Director]
  43. Cave of Outlaws (1951) [Director]
  44. Fat Man, The (1951) [Director]
  45. Hollywood Story (1951) [Director]
  46. It's a Small World (1950) [Director]
  47. Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949) [Director]
  48. Undertow (1949) [Director]
  49. Gentleman from Nowhere, The (1948) [Director]
  50. Lady from Shanghai, The (1948) [Producer (associate)]
  51. Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948) [Director] ....aka Girl From Texas, The (1948)
  52. Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947) [Director]
  53. Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946) [Director]
  54. Just Before Dawn (1946) [Director]
  55. Mysterious Intruder (1946) [Director]
  56. Crime Doctor's Warning (1945) [Director]
  57. Voice of the Whistler (1945) [Director] [Writer]
  58. Mark of the Whistler, The (1944) [Director] ....aka Marked Man, The (1944)
  59. She's a Soldier Too (1944) [Director]
  60. When Strangers Marry (1944) [Director] ....aka Betrayed (1944)
  61. Whistler, The (1944) [Director]
  62. Chance of a Lifetime, The (1943) [Director]
  63. North to the Klondike (1942) [Writer (story)]
  64. Lady in Question, The (1940) [Actor .... Juror]
  65. Music in My Heart (1940) [Miscellaneous crew (dialogue director)]
If your a William Castle fan you will love Ed Wood films.
Ed Wood Bio This is a great book! It was the basis of the Tim Burton movie "Ed Wood"
For other Ed Wood films and books check out Ed wood films

Last updated 08/14/99
Email: Danno_W@hotmail.com