FIVE FILMS YOU NEED TO SEE BY:
WILLIAM CASTLE
Most folks consider Alfred Hitchcock to be the go-to guy when it comes to classic suspenseful film fair, and with so many four-star edge-of-your-seat thrillers, that’s a status of course well earned. But if you find that lush-budget, star features are just too lavish to fright, then it’s time to introduce yourself to William Castle. Long hailed as kind of the low-budget Hitchcock, Castle's shockers often tight-roped the line between classic and cheesy – more often than not tipping over into oh-so-very cheesy. But although his horror films could be campy, yes, they were also full of underrated performances, out-of-left-field plot twists and some just plain scary visuals. Not only a filmmaker, Castle was a venerable showman ... introducing in-theater gimmicks to accompany most of his film releases which served as more than mere publicity ... they actually made viewing the films more frightening! From flying skeletons to electrified seats, Castle knew how to put on a shocking show, and audiences were happy to shriek for them.
Although Castle distinguished himself in the first half of his career with the excellent “Whistler” thriller film series based on the classic radio serial, he seemed to spend the second half trying to catch up to Hitchcock – even presenting himself as a personality of sorts, as Hitchcock had for years been doing on screen and off. Never quite reaching that height of respectability amongst his peers (although producing ROSEMARY’S BABY [1968], he wasn’t trusted to direct, and settled for a cameo), Castle died in 1977, leaving behind a 30-year catalogue of classics that are still treasured by fans to this very day. In the late '90s, three of those high-profile Hollywood fans (Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis and Gilbert Adler) formed Dark Castle Entertainment with the goal of remaking all of the B-movie master's classics, although they only made it through two - HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1999) and the annoyingly spelled THIR13EN GHOSTS (2001) – before moving on to original stories and remakes of other classic horror films. Which might not be a bad thing, as they didn’t get anywhere near the atmospheric genius of Castle’s original chillers. (Not that Dark Castle did any better rebuilding Curtiz’s or De Toth’s Houses of Wax, either.)
Now starting tonight at the Film Forum in New York, you can witness not only the return of the original HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) and 13 GHOSTS (1960) (along with 13 other Castle classics), but also the resurrection of his legendary cinema pranks, as many of his classic creepers will be presented with their original theater gimmicks. And if you can’t get yourself to this fantastic festival in the next two weeks, make sure to run out and rent these spooky little gems ... you won’t get all the cool in-house effects, but you can always stock up on joy buzzers and Halloween props and have fun creating your own scare-fests at home!
(Just beware, beware the frightfully awful remakes ...)
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959)
Master of classic Halloween cinema Vincent Price is a millionaire hell-bent on exacting revenge on his cold, calculating wife, while paying a group of strangers to come along for the murderous ride!
The Gimmick
"Emergo" — a skeleton strung up in theater audiences to swoop down over the crowd just in time for a similar creature to make its appearance in the film.
For Fans Of: THE HAUNTING (1963), SCREAM (1996)
Shows Sunday, August 29
THE TINGLER (1959)
Again, Vincent Price is at the center of yet another fiendish plot to bump off his cold, calculating wife — this time in the name of science! — as a mad doctor studying the effects of fear on the human soul. Is fear a physical entity that invades its frightened host? And if so, can screaming really release the beast and save your life? What if one couldn't scream, such as is the case with a deaf/mute woman who falls victim of the twisted experiment?
The Gimmick
"Percepto" — large "joy-buzzers" attached to the seats of various audience members, which buzzzzed menacingly while Price's on-screen character prompted "Scream — scream for your lives!"
For Fans Of: MAD LOVE (1935), THE HAND (1981), ALIEN (1979)
Shows Friday-Monday, September 3-6
13 GHOSTS (1960)
A poverty-stricken family moves into a dream home that was left by a long-lost relative. They'll soon find out, however, that they've inherited more than vintage woodwork and a collection of heirloom furniture.
The Gimmick
"Illusion-O" — a little blue and red viewer handed out to audience members before the film, giving them the option of viewing the ghosts in the film or not. If you were brave enough to face the ghosts, you looked through the red window; if you were too afraid to eye the horrifying creatures, you looked through the blue window, which obscured them from view.
For Fans Of: THE OTHERS (2001), THE UNINVITED (1944)
Shows Wednesday, September 1
(Note – the DVD of “13 Ghosts” no longer includes an “Illusion-O” viewer as earlier versions did.)
HOMICIDAL (1961)
A very PSYCHO-esque little creeper about a strange young blonde who pays a bellboy to marry her then kills the justice of the peace during the ceremony. And that's just the beginning of the film!
The Gimmick
"The Fright Break" & "The Coward's Corner" — just before the final climax of the film (and the pretty good plot twist), the action was stopped for 45 seconds and while a giant clock counted down the break on screen, anyone too afraid to wait for the outcome could exit the theater and get their money back. The caveat? If you did request the refund, you had to stand in a special booth at the exit of the theater called the "Coward's Corner" ... while all courageous viewers filed past you after the film in ridicule.
For Fans Of: PSYCHO (1960), BUDDY BOY (1999), DEAD RINGER (1964)
Shows Friday & Saturday, August 27/28
STRAIT-JACKET (1964)
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? without Baby Jane. A visibly aging Joan Crawford is released from a mental hospital after serving 30 years for the hatchet death of her husband and his lover.
The Gimmick
60 year-old Joan Crawford playing a 30 year-old woman.
For Fans Of: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962), HUSH... HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964)
Shows Friday & Saturday, August 27/28
The film retrospective “The Return of William Castle” runs through September 6th at the Film Forum in New York. All of the above films (and many more William Castle classics) are available on DVD.
You can also follow William Castle on Twitter as he tweets from the grave: @billcastle