Damn straight! A very special double feature celebrating one of our heroes, the great William Castle. For two nights only: Wednesday Sept 24 and Thursday Sept 25. Click here for details and to purchase tickets.
We will present the fascinating new documentary SPINE-TINGLER - THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY and then show Mr. Castle's magnum opus THE TINGLER in the miracle of Percepto, in which select seats are wired to give an (hopefully non-debilitating) electric "tingle" to the lucky persons sitting in them. If everything works out alright there won't be any serious injuries but we will require an audience waiver. And if you've got a pacemaker - stay home and take it easy for this one.
SPINE-TINGLER - THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (2008, D. Jeffrey Schwartz, 84 min.)
There's no greater icon of showmanship than William Castle. When the rest of Hollywood was shivering in its boots over the impact of TV on the bottom line,...
We will present the fascinating new documentary SPINE-TINGLER - THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY and then show Mr. Castle's magnum opus THE TINGLER in the miracle of Percepto, in which select seats are wired to give an (hopefully non-debilitating) electric "tingle" to the lucky persons sitting in them. If everything works out alright there won't be any serious injuries but we will require an audience waiver. And if you've got a pacemaker - stay home and take it easy for this one.
SPINE-TINGLER - THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (2008, D. Jeffrey Schwartz, 84 min.)
There's no greater icon of showmanship than William Castle. When the rest of Hollywood was shivering in its boots over the impact of TV on the bottom line,...
- 9/17/2008
- by Lars Nilsen
- OriginalAlamo.com
Producer of Rosemary's Baby, director of House on Haunted Hill, and mad genius marketer behind "Percepto" (seats with buzzers) and "Emergo" (a skeleton that floats over the audience), William Castle is the focus of the new documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story screening this week at AFI Dallas. The director Jeffrey Schwarz talked with Monsterfest about his doc and the man behind the gimmicks. Q: How did this film...
- 4/1/2008
- AMC News: Film Festivals
AFI Fest
The man who brought the world such immortal movie house gimmicks as Emergo, Percepto, Illusion-O and Ghost Viewer glasses is finally given his due in Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.
A fittingly lively portrait of the B-movie artist who put the show back into showmanship, Jeffrey Schwartz's documentary portrays the late director-producer as a man with the heart of a carny who dreamt of one day shedding his reputation as a low-rent Hitchcock and winning the artistic respect of his peers.
While the 80-minute film's a natural for festivals, Castle's affectionate fan base could also warrant a theatrical release, especially if somebody could figure out a cost-effective way of rigging theater seats to vibrate at pivotal moments.
Director Schwartz, whose company, Automat Pictures, specializes in producing making-of docs for TV and DVDs, takes a standard issue approach here, gathering together Castle family, friends, colleagues and historians--daughter Terry, John Waters, John Landis, Joe Dante, and the late Marcel Marceau among them--to provide the obligatory testimonials and anecdotes.
But when you've got a guy as colorful as Castle, you don't need a lot of fancy frills to attract attention, especially when you've got a generous clip assortment from such immortal movies as Macabre, which offered patrons insurance by Lloyds of London in the event of "death by fright," 13 Ghosts, Mr. Sardonicus and intended Psycho rival, Homicidal.
Although most were accompanied by publicity stunts designed to lure audiences of the late '50s and '60s away from their TVs and back into theaters, Castle craved something beyond profitability, and would eventually land his biggest gimmick in the form of Joan Crawford, who starred in his 1964 thriller, Strait-Jacket, penned by Psycho author Robert Bloch.
While Crawford essentially ran the whole show, insisting the set be kept at freezing temperatures to "tighten the skin," the experience made Castle more determined than ever to beat Hitch at his own game.
Bittersweet success would come with "Rosemary's Baby," a vehicle he had wanted to direct himself, but he'd have to settle for a producer's credit after Paramount brought in a hot young Polish filmmaker by the name of Roman Polanski.
Castle was never able to build on that newfound artistic credibility but his death, in 1977, marked the end of a truly spirited era.
SPINE TINGLER! THE William Castle STORY
Automat Pictures...
The man who brought the world such immortal movie house gimmicks as Emergo, Percepto, Illusion-O and Ghost Viewer glasses is finally given his due in Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.
A fittingly lively portrait of the B-movie artist who put the show back into showmanship, Jeffrey Schwartz's documentary portrays the late director-producer as a man with the heart of a carny who dreamt of one day shedding his reputation as a low-rent Hitchcock and winning the artistic respect of his peers.
While the 80-minute film's a natural for festivals, Castle's affectionate fan base could also warrant a theatrical release, especially if somebody could figure out a cost-effective way of rigging theater seats to vibrate at pivotal moments.
Director Schwartz, whose company, Automat Pictures, specializes in producing making-of docs for TV and DVDs, takes a standard issue approach here, gathering together Castle family, friends, colleagues and historians--daughter Terry, John Waters, John Landis, Joe Dante, and the late Marcel Marceau among them--to provide the obligatory testimonials and anecdotes.
But when you've got a guy as colorful as Castle, you don't need a lot of fancy frills to attract attention, especially when you've got a generous clip assortment from such immortal movies as Macabre, which offered patrons insurance by Lloyds of London in the event of "death by fright," 13 Ghosts, Mr. Sardonicus and intended Psycho rival, Homicidal.
Although most were accompanied by publicity stunts designed to lure audiences of the late '50s and '60s away from their TVs and back into theaters, Castle craved something beyond profitability, and would eventually land his biggest gimmick in the form of Joan Crawford, who starred in his 1964 thriller, Strait-Jacket, penned by Psycho author Robert Bloch.
While Crawford essentially ran the whole show, insisting the set be kept at freezing temperatures to "tighten the skin," the experience made Castle more determined than ever to beat Hitch at his own game.
Bittersweet success would come with "Rosemary's Baby," a vehicle he had wanted to direct himself, but he'd have to settle for a producer's credit after Paramount brought in a hot young Polish filmmaker by the name of Roman Polanski.
Castle was never able to build on that newfound artistic credibility but his death, in 1977, marked the end of a truly spirited era.
SPINE TINGLER! THE William Castle STORY
Automat Pictures...
- 11/1/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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