Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story (2007)

Bio-doc that examines the life and work of producer/director William Castle, who has often been called the poor man's Hitchcock. Castle was born William Schloss to a poor family of German Jewish decent in 1914 New York City. Orphaned by the age of eleven Schloss, who would later anglicanized his last name to Castle, was drawn to the theater and worked on Broadway in everything from acting to set construction. A natural born charmer by 23 Castle was directing films in Hollywood, though he was pigeon holed into b-pictures, often entries in popular thriller series such as The Crime Doctor or The Whistler. Castle was a capable director who brought in film on time and budget, but he wanted more.

Using his own funds, evening mortgaging his house, Castle produced his first low budget independent production Macabre in 1958. Every bit the showman that Hitchcock was the auteur, Castle afraid people wouldn't go to see his movie hit on a gimmick, a $1000 life insurance policy from Lloyd's of London insuring each audience in case they died of fright. The movie, apparently so-so, but the gimmick a hit. Castle would follow Macabre up with more horror films with more gimmicks, An inflatable glow in the dark skeleton,  "Percepto", and "Illusion-O". In Homicidal (probably the artistic standout of these picture) Castle included a 45 second "Fright Break" to allow audience member too frightened to view the films climax to leave the theater.

Castle did well by these films, but he wanted more, he wanted respect in the industry. He finally got it when be bought the book rights and produced Rosemary's Baby for Paramount in 1968. Unfortunately Castle was unable to follow up on this cue with any further great successes, and would die of a heart attack in 1977 at the age of 63. From this documentary Castle seemed an endearing  man, but one thing that kept coming up from the talking heads who knew him is that he often seemed scared, he investing o much, in both a literal and psychic sense in his pictures and was just terrified that viewers wouldn't like them, hence his reliance on gimmicks. Castle however was also just a big kid at heart, he truly seemed to love mixing with his often young audiences. Those of my generation, who post date William Castle and his movies, might still be indirectly familiar with him from the 1993 movie Matinee (which I recently re-watched and think still holds up), in which John Goodman plays a lovable, cigar chomping homage to Castle. An interesting guy and an interesting documentary. ***