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Castle made mostly low budget B-flicks like The Tingler, but pair this creative director with the likes of Vincent Price and Joan Crawford, and you have the makings of incredible cinema that leaves nostalgic memories for parents and grandparents, and appealing camp for young audiences.

What makes Castle a legend that today’s directors can’t touch are the incredibly creative gimmicks he used to draw thousands to theatres. He used hearses for “bodies” and had nurses on hand for anyone who got nearly frightened to death. And if you died? Well, Castle was right there, handing out death benefits to ticket holders before they even got a glimpse of the film.

Castle didn’t have computers to rely on for creativity. He had to use his brain to find ways to terrify audiences in the 50s and 60s. Unfortunately, moviegoers got jaded with world events and wanted more gore, more guts, instead of the family-friendly camp Castle offered. He died at the bottom of the Hollywood sphere, a relic people honored in passing until they realized that the showmanship standard he created had died along with him.

Classic film buffs will enjoy this documentary honoring the director, whose films are great fair for families today. Keep a notebook handy – you’ll want to write down the titles of all his movies, then buy them on Amazon.

Q: Why was it important to tell the William Castle story?

A: I was drawn to William Castle because his life is profoundly American. His story is an unwritten part of American history that I didn’t want to be forgotten. I was fascinated by how this charismatic and ambitious director reinvented himself as a larger than life showman. He knew that in order to attract people to his films, he needed to create a character that was essentially a brand name, and that going to see one of his films would be an experience like no other. He put himself on the line financially and emotionally for his films, and for that reason SPINE TINGLER! is a tribute to dreamers everywhere. William Castle’s life is a rags to riches story that is a perfect illustration of the American Dream.

Q: When did you first learn about William Castle?

A: I didn’t become fully aware of Castle until I read John Waters’ tribute article “Whatever Happened to Showmanship?” in the 80s. It was a revelation. Luckily, this interest coincided with the first revivals of Castle’s gimmicks in New York City in 80s. The theater rigged up their version of Percepto and when Vincent Price announced that the Tingler was loose in the theater and the buzzers went off, a bunch of jaded New Yorkers started screaming for their lives. I was hooked forever.

Q: What’s your favorite Castle film? Why?

A: My favorite William Castle film has got to be The Tingler. First of all, it’s one of the weirdest and wildest plots of any film ever made – about a monster that lives on your spine and feeds off your fear. It seems that Castle came up with the Percepto gimmick of buzzing the theater seats first, and then fashioned this insane plot around it. It’s also a mediation on cinema itself. One of the characters is a mute woman who runs a silent motion picture house, who looks and performs as if she stepped out of a silent picture. Of course at the end of the film the Tingler gets loose in a movie theater, and it also gets loose in the theater that you’re sitting in. So the terror literally comes off the screen and into your own personal space. I agree with John Waters that it’s the greatest movie ever made.

Q: How did William Castle influence you?

A: I’ve definitely had to embody the spirit of William Castle when promoting the film during our AFI premiere. I’ve been running around with a Tingler on my back with a nurse handing out life insurance policies. He knew that you didn’t need a ton of money to get people interested when promoting your film – just do something people haven’t seen before. All it took was a rubber monster on my back on the red carpet and the flashbulbs were popping. I learned from him that you have to put yourself out there as a personality, that you can’t just hope people will come to see a film on its merits. You have to make them think they’re really missing out if they don’t go!

Q: How do filmmakers today compare to Castle when it comes to filmmaking and gimmicks?

A: Today, show business places the emphasis on the business, but pretty much neglects the show. Castle didn’t need a $50 million dollar marketing budget to get his audience excited about his product but he was able to make audiences feel they were part of something truly unique. Unfortunately it’s really difficult for an entrepreneur like Castle to break through and control his own destiny.  I’d love to see some of the indie horror outfits do some in-theater stunts - it’s just a matter of time before this stuff is revived for a new generation. I did appreciate the campaign for The Blair Witch Project and the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They both successfully convinced a young audience that what they were seeing was true and they became big smash hit films because of the curiosity that engendered.

Q: What was it that made Castle’s films so incredibly successful?

A: Castle made his audience feel like they were part of the experience. It wasn’t just going to see a movie in a passive way – something was going to actually happen to you in the theater. It’s almost as if he were daring the audience to take him up on his offer to be completely terrified out of their minds. Maybe the movies weren’t actually as scary as people remember them to be, but because the experience was so heightened, kids who saw the films at that time still talk about what a terrifying experience it was.

Q: What is the single most important thing filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers can learn from William Castle?

A: William Castle teaches us that you can trump budget with ingenuity and showmanship. It doesn’t matter how much money you have for a film. If you can give the audience something they’ve never experienced before, and make them remember your name, you’ve got a shot at creating a loyal following.

Q: What was the most important thing you took away from making this documentary?

A: I realized that the William Castle who became a brand name was a very deliberate creation, and behind all the bravado was somebody who was incredibly insecure. Although he was a big success he lived in fear of failure and that the roof could fall in at any moment. He essentially created a character called William Castle, this larger than life showman, and went through his career being the guy that people expected him to be. I found it a very moving to uncover the man behind this construction, to try and understand why he did the things he did.

Q: If Castle hadn’t been so savvy with the press, do you think he would have been as successful?

A: Castle would have probably continued working in Hollywood as a contract director, maybe moved on to television, but would never have become as famous had it not been for the fact that he was a genius at manipulating the press. It’s fascinating to think that he was able to get so much mainstream press attention with things like rubber skeletons and kids dressed as ghosts wandering the streets. He was shameless, but that worked then and it still works today.

Q: How do you think Castle changed Hollywood?

A: There were very few directors who the public actually knew anything about. Most kids had no interest in the people who actually made the films, but yet Castle was able to round up his fan club and meet him at the airport with signs that said “William Castle is our favorite director!” He definitely made kids more aware of the role of the director, and inspired tons of them to get into the movie business. John Waters, John Landis, Joe Dante and Stuart Gordon, who are in the film, certainly fit into that category.

Q: What was the most important influence in Castle’s life?

A: Orson Welles who inspired him to push himself forward as a personality and put his name out there in a big way. Orson also inspired his cigar smoking, since Castle wanted to emulate the perception of power and gravitas that a cigar can lend. Alfred Hitchcock was a huge influence in putting himself in his trailers and in the films themselves, and connecting with the public as a personality. P.T. Barnum was certainly an influence in Castle’s approach to ballyhoo.

Q: Castle’s story has, at times, fairy tale proportions in the early years, then incredible lows at the end of his life. What does his story tell us about the highs and lows of Hollywood, and what happens when Hollywood decides you’re not a hot property anymore?

A: William Castle’s story certainly is reflective of how cruel a town Hollywood can be, but that has as much to do with the public’s fickle taste as it has to do with ageism or the town smelling failure and running for the hills. You can be completely in sync for a few years, but it’s very easy to fall out of sync and that’s completely out of one’s control. Castle wasn’t really able to adapt to the changing cultural landscape of the 1960s with the films he directed. Rosemary’s Baby, which he produced, is a major exception of course. This is still happening today, when a successful director can be perceived as a failure and they kick him while he’s down, but then will come back with a big hit movie and everyone wants to be in business with him again. It’s sort of the classic Hollywood story, isn’t it?

Q: How does Castle’s work impact today’s audiences?

A: I think he definitely inspired the kinds of things you see at amusement parks as well – the interactive movies that play at Universal and Disney parks. They might not know the roots of this kind of stuff, but you can definitely see an influence there.

Q: Would filmmakers be able to do things like Percepto, Illusion-O, and Emergo with today’s audience?

A: I don’t think you can do in-theater experiences on a mass scale today because a movie opens up on 3000 screens. Could you have 3000 nurses on duty? Don’t think so. But there’s definitely room for more showmanship in exhibition today. It’s just that the exhibitors aren’t able to take the initiative themselves because of the corporate control the parent companies hold. Independent theaters can certainly revive the gimmicks, and have on many occasions done so. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen The Tingler with Percepto, trust me.

Q: How can Castle’s ideas be translated to 21st century audiences, who sometimes prefer to stay at home to watch films, rather than go to the theater?

A: Castle made his films for a country that prided itself on its regional differences - a far cry from today’s fast food and big box landscape. Unlike today, when a film will open simultaneously on 3000 screens, Castle’s pictures opened city by city. He traveled from place to place and each campaign was tailored for that particular area. It was as if the circus was coming to town and Castle was the jovial ringleader. I feel this fostered a sense of community and allowed folks to make the experience their own. Today’s movie going is becoming increasingly solitary, and I hope this film reminds people of the joy of a shared experience, and how movies can encourage community and connectedness. We’re starting to see that kind of thinking in how films are marketed – “only in theaters” they’ve been saying in commercials. 3D is making a big comeback now too for the same reasons it was big in the 50s – to get people off their couches and into a movie theater!

Q: Are any filmmakers today as creative as Castle?

A: You have to look to the regional filmmakers who make small horror films and are able to penetrate the consciousness somehow. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m dying to see Blood Car. You know exactly what that’s all about when you hear that title, and I can see lots of opportunities for promotion there. I also appreciate the After Dark Films 8 Movies To Die For campaign. That’s taking a group of films with no stars that would’ve gone straight to Blockbuster and turn them into a must see event. The campaign says something like these are the movies THEY wouldn’t let you see. Love that.

Q: Castle was frugal – and incredibly successful. Could filmmakers today do that and have an audience for their movies?

A: Absolutely, but the tricky thing is that because of the corporate stranglehold on distribution, it’s difficult to get low budget genre films to the audiences who want to see it in a group setting. It’s next to impossible for a small timer to get the kind of attention Castle did. I love film festivals because filmmakers have to do all kind of outrageous things to get people to notice their movie.

Q: Does any movie maker today compare to the William Castle brand?

A: There are directors who are attempting to brand themselves as directors of a certain kind of film and putting themselves out there for the press. Eli Roth is definitely doing that. Barry Sonnenfeld has been cultivating a particular kind persona in the media for years. Quentin Tarantino is definitely a brand – he both directs and puts his name on other people’s movies the way Castle sometimes did. But the sheer shamelessness of a William Castle who was as much of a promoter as he was a filmmaker – those are few and far between.

Q: Transplant William Castle in 21st century Hollywood. Would he be as successful as he was, or would he even get his foot in the door?

A: Castle worked his way from the ground up within the studio system. He started out as a dialogue director at Columbia Pictures, then did pretty much every other job until he became a director. That kind of training ground simply does not exist today. Film school can help with your craft, but working within the Hollywood system and knowing how to do every single person’s job on the set – that doesn’t happen any more. Directors are being plucked from the music video and commercial world these days. You can’t just barge into a studio and get a job on chutzpah alone, the way Castle did. Sadly, it’s a very different town.

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story

USA, 2007, 80 min, VIDEO

DIR: Jeffrey Schwarz
PROD: Jeffrey Schwarz
SUP PROD: Sonja Nelson
ASSOC PROD: Taryn Teigue, Jack Mulligan
ED: Philip Harrison, Jeffrey Schwarz
GRAPHIC DES: Grant Nellessen
MUS: Michael “The Millionaire” Cudahy
FEATURING: Terry Castle, John Waters, Joe Dante, Leonard Maltin, Roger Corman, John Badham, Diane Baker, Marcel Marceau

This fantastic and little-known Hollywood story reveals William Castle—largely remembered for installing electrical shocking devices in seats for added scares at his horror films—as a fascinating, multi-dimensional man.

A master of ballyhoo and a brand name in movie horror, Castle in the 50s and 60s treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies. But his career began as assistant to director Orson Welles, where he did much of the second unit location work for THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Driven by a fear of failure and longing for respect from his peers, Castle’s life was a rags-to-riches tale of a larger-than-life showman who reinvented himself as a modern P.T. Barnum. And his influential role in producing and nearly directing one of the most revered horror films of all times, ROSEMARY’S BABY alone is worth the price of admission.

Director Jeffrey Schwarz tells the tale, lining up interviews with Joe Dante, Leonard Maltin, Stuart Gordon, John Landis, and the provocative John Waters.

Screening Times:

Sunday, March 30, 12:15 p.m. | Angelika 6

Monday, March 31, 4:30 p.m. | Magnolia 5

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