Review of Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007) by Mark S — 02 May 2008

William Castle was a showman who made Grade B horror films and sold them to mass audiences through showmanship and gimmicks. Seats were wired to buzz during THE TINGLER, a skeleton floated over the theatre audience in HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, life insurance policies were given out at MACABRE.

Castle's films made money but the man never got the respect he craved and deserved. Filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz has crafted a wonderful documentary now making the rounds of the festival circuit and it's a must-see for fans of the Castle ouvre and movie fans in general.

Schwarz has gathered an impressive list of family, fans and friends of Castle - from his daughter to directors Joe Dante (who made the Castle homage MATINEE) to John Waters (who honored Castle with his own gimmick, Odorama for POLYESTER) - to craft a loving tribute to the man who loved entertaining the masses but wanted to be known for classier films as well (Castle produced - and wanted to direct - ROSEMARY'S BABY!).

I wish I had been around during Castle's reign as the king of the gimmicks and watching Schwarz' film only makes me wish those days were still here. Hopefully this film will get more people to check out Castle's legacy on film and video!