The Tingler
This movie… was weird. I’m honestly having a hard time coming up with what to say about this film. While I can’t say I particularly liked it, I also can’t say that I was ever bored during it.
The Tingler was written by Robb White (House on Haunted Hill) and directed by William Castle (13 Ghosts) and was released on August 5, 1959. The Tingler was made on a budget of approximately $400,000, though I was unable to find box office information. The Tingler received mixed reviews upon release.
The Tingler follows Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price, House of Wax) discovers a parasite that is attached to every person’s spine, which he dubs ‘the tingler’. The tingler curls around the host’s spine when they are scared, eventually crushing it. However, the host can weaken the creature by screaming.
The Tingler famously employed several gimmicks during its run in theaters including “Percepto!”, which employed buzzers installed in the seats to frighten the audience during the climax, and hiring plants in the audience who would “faint” from fear and need medical assistance. While I’m sure that made for a fun communal experience, watching it alone in my house did lose some of that intended impact.
Price is, predictably, great and Castle’s direction is excellent, but aside from that there is little to write home about. The film is overstuffed with subplots that never get a chance to properly resolve and don’t add much to the story.
Unfortunately I don’t really have much more to say. The film is competently made, but the focus on theatrical gimmicks that can’t be replicated in a home viewing reveals how thin the story really is.
Rating: 2.5 silent movie theaters out of 5
Other Observations:
Does the Dog Die? There are heavy implications that Chapin experiments on cats and dogs, but nothing is shown on screen.
Harrison’s Favorite Scare: The blood in the bathtub sequence is truly gripping and tense. The use of the red in an otherwise black and white film was superb.
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