The Tingler

Director: William Castle William Castle

Overview

"Director William Castle's classic horror film gets a deluxe 40th anniversary edition from Columbia TriStar.The impeccable black-and-white print is presented widescreen (anamorphic) with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Soundtrack languages offered are English and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono) and the subtitle options are English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai. Special features include a half-hour documentary entitled ""Scream for Your Lives,"" which is a nice overview of Castle's films and features an interview with Tingler actor Darryl Hickman. Also included is ""William Castle's Drive-In Scream! Scene,"" which is an additional scene created for the drive-in market and features Castle's own voice replacing that of Vincent Price. There is also the ""Original Scream! Scene"" which is the same as it appears in the film. Finishing off the extras are two theatrical trailers: one for Tingler and the other for the remake of Night of the Living Dead. This is a commendable DVD release."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/07/1999
UPC:	0043396077799
Original Release:	1959
Rating:	NR
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:21:00
Sales rank:	5,895

Special Features

Digitally Mastered Audio & Anamorphic Video; Production Notes; Interactive Menus; Languages: English (Mono), Spanish (Mono); Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai; Scream For Your Lives! Featurette; William Castle's Drive-In "Scream" Scene; Original "Scream" Scene; Theatrical Trailers; Talent Files; Scene Selections

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Vincent Price	Dr. Warren Chapin
Philip Coolidge	Oliver 'Ollie' Higgins,Actor
Darryl Hickman	David Morris,Actor
Patricia Cutts	Isabel Stevens Chapin
Judith Evelyn	Mrs. Higgins
Pamela Lincoln	Lucy Stevens
Von Dexter	Composer

Technical Credits

Robb White

Robb Shite

William Castle	Director,Producer
Robb White	Screenwriter
Robb Shite	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

So much has been made of The Tingler's gimmick -- theatre seats outfitted with tiny electro-shock devices -- that most people don't know that it's actually a pretty good horror movie. It's no classic like The Exorcist, but it's enjoyable, even at its cheesiest, and delivers more than its fair share of tense moments along the way. Without the interactive electro-shock gimmick, and experienced in one's living room rather than in a theatre, the climax simply doesn't work, but the basic, admittedly silly premise is interesting enough to make most viewers overlook this flaw. There's also some atmospheric lighting and camerawork that make an asset of the film's budgetary constraints, and an outrageous insertion of color into one sequence that's so ridiculous that one can't help but enjoy it. The script has its saggy expository moments, but these are relatively few, and the excitement of most of the set pieces makes the wait worthwhile. Most of all, Tingler has Vincent Price, more restrained than in many of his films, but clearly in control of the film. It's easy to make fun of Price -- and well justified -- but he had an undeniably unique presence, and it's the rare Price thriller that isn't buoyed by his participation. Tingler is a cheap, lowbrow horror flick, but it's professionally made and quite watchable.