The Tingler (1959)
A director mainly known for his infamous gimmicks at screenings of his movies, William Castle has actually made some genuinely good horror films.
The House on Haunted Hill, also from 59, is one such very good horror movie,
The Tingler another.
Yes there's a gimmick as some theaters in the US had seats with buzzers to give unwary viewers what they thought was an electric shock at times during the film but forget that, according to sources this shock tactic for
The Tingler was said to be a rare occurrence.
Starring Vincent Price as a pathologist who discovers that the power of fear in the human body if not released by screaming actually creates a large prawn like creature attached to the spine, which Price calls the Tingler, that kills by crushing the human backbone and all surrounding organs.
Certainly it sounds tremendously daft but thanks to a clever script and a great straight performance by Price it genuinely works and is a fun filled film. One scene is absolutely stunning, especially in a movie shot in black and white. As one woman is being scared to death in a bathroom a crimson blood red hand thrusts out of the water and we see the water is actually bright red blood. It works brilliantly, almost an intrusion of deep red in a totally monochrome film. Once seen, never forgotten.
For whatever reason i'd not seen
The Tingler before until watching it via the Indicator Blu-ray and i absolutely loved it.
/ 5