Review of The Tingler (1959) by Deke P — 16 Oct 2015

There's a bit of a novelty to a movie like this, but it's not something that will ever scare you or that you'll want to watched repeatedly. It was made way before home video was even a thought, so William Castle was never concerned about home viewing for something like this later.

It was made specifically for the theater, and it plays more like something you'd see at an amusement park than something you want to watch at a normal theater. May have been an interesting idea a in its time, but it hasn't aged well in the slightest.

The gimmicks are laughable, with the movie literally stopping at times to address the audience about the tingler being loose in the theater. William Castle comes on screen beforehand, urging the viewer to scream whenever something terrifies them.

The entire plot of the movie centers around screaming to release the fear tingling that can cause death. You could make a drinking game out of how often they talk about screaming to save your own life.

As a movie, it really is nothing special, and the amusement wears off very quickly. For something that is supposed to be all gimmicks, it's actually really dull, with nothing of interest happening until almost 45 minutes in.

This entire thing could have been condensed to an hour (or even a 10 minute theme park ride). The best scene is when a deaf, mute woman is being scared to death. There's a shot of a bathtub filled with blood and a hand reaching out that's in color.

It's easily the best part and the only thing worth your time with this movie.