A pathologist discovers and captures a creature that lives in every vertebrate and grows when fear grips its host unless you "Scream for your lives!"
Directed by William Castle, written by Robb White, and starring Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, and Darryl Hickman
I really wish I could have been a teenager during the dawn of the William Castle gimmicks! Back when the insanity of something as simple as planting screaming and fainting guests or using smells and vibrations to enhance the film watching experience. Watching a film like The Tingler makes me nostalgic for a time I'll never get to experience. Now all we get is an over abundance of 3D like films and the promise of a ghost possessing out smartphones. Alas, unless I can find an old theater to renovate and a group of obsessed film students to help me ala Popcorn style (without the live snuff film element, preferably) I don't suppose it will ever happen.
Ok, so despite the fact the entire concept is silly and, in light of todays technology, archaic, I love this film. Notable aspects include... the opening warning from the director “Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic! But SCREAM! Scream for your lives!” ...the use of black of white with the bathtube of cleverly placed red (haven't seen this since The Blob)... Vincent Price is masterfully stoic, legitamately creepy and creeped out... and the realization that some people in the audience got to enjoy tingles of their own (via a vibrating seat aka Percepto!)... Lets face it, despite what Jason and Mike say there is nothing about this film that you shouldn't love!
So if you can find an old theater to show this, or just about any of the gimmicked Castle films with SpectraVision, Smell O' Rama, etc.) don't rob yourself of the experience! As a general movie watch it's still fun!
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