William Castle is the infamous filmmaker known better for his gimmicks to get people into theaters than the movies themselves. His credits include HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, 13 GHOSTS, THE TINGLER, HOMICIDAL and STRAIT-JACKET.
SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY, a documentary about the man, was produced back in 2007. The picture was previously available in a box set of Castle films, but it will be available on stand-alone DVD on June 21 via Automat Pictures. The cover art is below.
They’re not just slapping the previous edition in its own package; this special edition version will contain over five hours of bonus features, including an audio commentary with the filmmakers, a making-of featurette, interview outtakes, a Q&A from the movie’s premiere, an old lecture given by Castle and footage from the original THE TINGLER premiere.
The documentary is directed by Jeffrey Schwarz and features such familiar faces as John Waters, John Landis, Stuart Gordon, Roger Corman, Joe Dane, Fred Olen Ray and Forrest J. Ackerman. I caught this one at a film festival a few years back, and it’s definitely worth a look.
SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY chronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks. In the 1950s and ’60s, Castle treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies. His is a rags to riches tale of a larger than life showman who climbed his way up the Hollywood ladder by reinventing himself as a modern P.T. Barnum, all the while driven by a fear of failure and a longing to be respected among his peers.
Pre-order SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY on DVD HERE.
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