The Tingler

Perhaps the crown jewel in producer/director/huckster extraordinaire William Castle's catalog of films, The Tingler (1959) featured a couple of gimmicks, one of them he dubbed `Percepto'. The gag was he had an army surplus motor rigged up to some seats within the theater that was showing The Tingler, with a control button in the projectionist's room and at a certain point in the feature, the projectionist would push a button sending a mild, electrical shock to some unwitting patrons to give the impression the creature in the movie was actually skulking around in the theater...it was an expensive gag, one many theater owners weren't willing to shell out the bucks for, so it didn't see widespread use...I doubt something like this could be done today in our overly litigious society, but I sure would have loved to have been there back in the day to witness the spectacle that must have ensued. Produced and directed by Castle (House on Haunted Hill, Homicidal), and written by Robb White (House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts), the film stars Vincent Price (The Fly, Scream and Scream Again, The Abominable Dr. Phibes) in the second of two features he made with Castle (the first was House on Haunted Hill). Also appearing is Darryl Hickman (Tea and Sympathy, The Iron Sheriff), Patricia Cutts (The Man Who Loved Redheads), Judith Evelyn (The Brothers Karamazov), Pamela Lincoln (Anatomy of a Psycho), and Philip Coolidge (The Mating Game, North by Northwest).The movie opens with director Castle appearing on screen, issuing a warning to the audience that if they feel a tingly sensation, they should let out a scream as it just might save their lives. Now we see a prisoner being taken down a hallway, headed for the electric chair to be juiced up...after a dimming of the lights, we then see Dr. Warren Chapin (Price) preparing to perform an autopsy on the deceased. Prior to his starting, a man named Ollie Higgins (Coolidge) enters the room, stating he's the dead man's brother-in-law. During the autopsy Warren notes the dead man's vertebrae is cracked, a mysterious but not uncommon phenomena within people who die in fear, as if some unseen force were at work (Ollie gives it the name of The Tingler). Seems Warren, when not performing the occasional autopsy for the state, is engaging in experiments involving fear and postulates if enough fear tension is built up without being released (i.e. screaming), it might actually kill a person...Ollie wheedles a ride home from Warren, whom along with his creepy, bug-eyed, deaf-mute, germophobic wife Martha (Evelyn), run a movie theater specializing in old timey movies. Eventually Warren heads home and we meet his sister-in-law Lucy (Lincoln), who's dating his assistant David (Hickman). Turns out Warren's wife Isabel (Cutts), Lucy's older sister and guardian, doesn't approve of the relationship, specifically because she doesn't want Lucy to make the mistake she did involving herself with a scientist (she seems hardly one to be making judgments on others since she spends most of her time unfaithfully tramping around on her husband), and seeing as how she controls the purse strings, it creates a problem. Warren continues his experiments, convinced there's a physical entity present when someone is in a state of fear, one that grows along with the level of terror, but the problem is once the person screams, the entity disappears...what he really needs is someone who can't release their fear tension, thereby allowing the entity to grow...hmmm, sounds like Martha might fit the bill...One of the things I like about William Castle, who tended to emulate Alfred Hitchcock, and this is entirely my own perception, is that the man seemed to have no illusions about what he was doing, or the films he was making. There aren't any attempts at grand, artistic statements here, only solid filmmaking with an eye towards entertaining audiences and making a few bucks in the process. I'm not saying he couldn't have been more than what he was (with his last film, Shanks, released in 1974, he seemed to go beyond a bit), but he knew his talents and capabilities, used what he had, the result being some of the more memorable B films of the time...again, that's just my impression after seeing a number of his later features, so I could be way off base. As far as The Tingler, apparently the idea for the story related in this movie came about after writer Robb White saw a worm-like prop intended to be used in the film House on Haunted Hill (1959). Also, I believe the financial success Castle saw from House on Haunted Hill allowed him to have the better than average production values for this film. The direction her is very strong, the performances solid, and the dialog sharp and sometimes witty. The story is actually fairly complex, as are a few of the characters, some of whom are interested in Warren's research for their own gain. I don't know what it is about Vincent Price and his characters, but it seems rare they ever have decent relationships with their wives, and here is no different...the benefit is it allows for some deliciously caustic exchanges including the following...Isabel: There's a word for you.Warren: There are several for you.Along with this one...Isabel: The only way Dave Morris will marry my sister is over my dead body.Warren: Unconventional but not impossible.As far as the creature itself it's black and looks like a cat-sized slug, sporting numerous legs and two, large antennae on one end. It's kinda hokey, but it works for the movie. While this is a black and white feature, there is an effective sequence that does use some color...I won't spoil it by going into detail, but it is one of the more interesting bits of the film. One of my favorite sequences is when Price's character, in an effort to scare himself enough to experience the effects of his own Tingler (seems everyone has one), doses himself with a whopping amount of acid, making this one of the first features to depict the drug's usage. As I said, the story is solid, but things do get a little weird by the end as Warren realizes his folly and tries to set things right. The quest for scientific discovery is important, but sometimes the end results are not worth the price.The picture quality on this DVD release, presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), looks very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital audio comes through excellent. Extras include both English and Spanish audio tracks, a featurette titled `Scream for Your Lives', an original scream scene sequence with voice-over by Price, another scream scene sequence made for drive-ins with voice-over by Castle, subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai, liner notes on the insert, and a trailer for this film along for one for Night of the Living Dead (1990).Cookieman108Just a note, the scream scene sequences included as part of the extras involved another gimmick, one where, at a certain point in the movie, the film would be interrupted and audiences would hear Price's voice stating The Tingler is loose in the theater, and the patrons had to scream as loud as they could to avoid being the creature's next victim (the idea was to have a plant in the audience, one who would scream, faint, and subsequently have to be carried out of the theater). Castle, using his own voice, created a similar voice-over for the drive-in crowd.

This was when they made good sci-fi movies.

As a big fan of Vincent Price, I have been within the last 8 years or so getting many of his movies on the Blu-ray format. Not all of his horror/thriller movies are on the 3 Volume box sets put out by Shout Factory and this is one of them.The movie looks gorgeous on HD Blu-ray and even better when played back on the 4K player with the 4K TV.This edition does come with some fun features that are NOT on the Columbia DVD released years ago.That DVD doesn't even come close to this release. Do yourself a favor if you are a Vincent Price fan, get this while it still exists. Some of his Blu-rays seem to go out of print quickly and then the prices are sky high.I'm referring to Volume 1 of his movies. It went out of print quickly by the company and now the prices for those are as high as 399.99.** Special Features are ** ~ Theatrical Trailer~ Still Gallery of various posters, etc. of the movie~ The Original Theatre 1959 Lobby Recording~ Original "Scream" Scene~ William Castle's Drive-In "Scream" Scene~ "Scream For Your Lives" William Castle and The Tingler Featurette~ "Unleashing Percepto" Interview with Publicist Barry Lorie~ "I Survived The Tingler" Interview with Pamela Lincoln~ "New Audio Commentary by Author/Historian Steve Haberman

Fantastic aold-school horror.

I'd never heard of this movie before listening to a Pod Cast where the topic was old horror movies. This one came up, and it sounded so weird I had to have it!Vincent Price was his old handsome suave self, and did a wonderful job keeping me guessing as to what might or could happen ~ and then being totally surprised and shocked when things turned out the way they did in the end. Very suspenseful. The premise for this story was so unique a thing... I can't recall seeing anything like it, ever.The other VERY scary thing about this movie is the awful hairdo the woman has, who plays the wife of Dr. Warren Chapin [Vincent Price]. I couldn't take my eyes off the oddly placed lumps of hair in every scene she was in, and wondered if Mr. Price was just as distracted.

I had this personalized for my daughter and it'll be a great Christmas gift as she loves the show! It came fast but check the delivery date to make sure you can get it in time for Christmas.

So many critics, and editors have discredited this film, for no reason. It is one of my favorite Vincent Price movies, after Dr. Goldfoot. In so many of his movies, the explanation of the cause of the problem that he comes up with, somehow, kinda, makes sense. (No, I don't do drugs, smoke or drink) To this day, I hate doors and windows that open and close by themselves. Never come up behind me, I will swing whatever I'm holding, or can reach. RIP Vincent. You are missed. Hugs to all fellow fans! 😍

Horror master; Vincent Price (HOUSE OF WAX; HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL; THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS; BRIGHAM YOUNG) stars in William Castle's THE TINGLER. Alongside; Darryl Hickman, Philip Coolidge, Judith Evelyn, Pamela Lincoln and Patricia Cutts as the family and colleagues of Vincent Price's character; Dr. Warren Chapin. Dr. Chapin is a doctor searching for the causes of these strange deaths in town. He discovers the tingle you get in your spin when you're scared is a Tingler. A Tingler is a parasite that feeds off of your fear and it gets paralyzed if you scream. Later on while imprisoning the Tingler, it escapes and unleashes terror upon the local movie theater. After it gets captured once again, Dr. Chapin betrays his newfound friend and feeds him to the wrath of the Tingler. This movie is great with Vincent Price supporting it with his role, but it is a silly movie, but worth watching. 5 out of 5 star rating!

Totaler Unsinn, aber auf die liebenswürdigste Art.Gute Schauspieler und eine abgefahrene Idee.Mit Judith Evelyn und Darryl Hickman hatte Price ja schon früher zusammen gespielt. Das hat auch in diesem Film wieder gut harmoniert.Die Scheibe hat auch ein paar Extras wo u.a. Hickman in einem Interview von 1986 ein paar interessante Infos gibt.Die DVD kam schnell und günstig an- also alles in allem 5 Sterne. 👍🏻

Con que salga Price es suficiente.

B grade horror very dated now but still fun, but I already received this dvd previously and what I ordered was “Them” an old sci-fi pic about giant ants!

...From the moment the film opens with a dry caution from William Castle to the viewing audience, one is taken back to the generation of movie-going as an ultimate experience, involving all the human senses and impacting our emotions and leaving deep psychological triggers to ever effect us. The movie though somewhat dated still manages to evoke "shivers" and the "frightened to death" scene does still have a "spine-Tingling" effect to this day.On the whole, the premise of the film is a unique venture though typical of the genre during this period. The storyline maintains a level of believability supported by the film's dead-pan performances, lead by a stoic Vincent Price. A must for fans of Price, Castle or any 50's Sci-Fi in glorious B&W (Although there is a brief Colour moment in this offering)...And don't be affraid to scream!

Vincent Price what more needs be said, video quality is great.