They don’t make movies like they used to. It is a phrase that I often use when discussing many of today’s horror films. I have always been a fan of horror films that were made prior to 1968. The classics are the films that always got it right. One of the most influential horror personalities of the past is William Castle, a man who not only knew how to produce and direct a film, but also had one of the greatest marketing gimmicks to push his films to audiences.
Castle seems to have taken a back seat to most of the other horror personalities of the time. However, he is the man who bought more to the horror film than any other director ever has since. If you know anything about William Castle, you know that one of his gimmicks was to use props in the theaters such as vibrating chairs and skeletons coming out on a wire during the picture. He had odd names for the gimmicks, such as Percepto during a screening of The Tingler and Illusion-O for 13 Ghosts. Finally, Sony Pictures has released The William Castle Film Collection, a set of eight of Castle’s films along with a bonus disc.
The Collection includes 13 Frightened Girls, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Strait-Jacket, The Old Dark House, Mr. Sardonicus, Zotz! and, of course, The Tingler. If you are a William Castle fan, you probably have seen at least two of his films, but most of the people who were able to experience his films in theaters are probably now in their fifties or sixties. Castle’s gimmicks are what really made him a successful filmmaker. Love or hate his films, this DVD collection is one that is worth the time spent.
I’m not going to go through each film to let you know which ones are good because I like them all. We even have a few reviews of some of them on the site. However, while the films are what make the set worth the buy alone, it’s really the bonus features that I enjoyed the most. The Bonus disc includes a documentary about William Castle titled: Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story, as well as commentary with producer/director Jeffrey Schwarz and Terry Castle.
The Documentary is what makes this set worthwhile. Some of the films in the set previously were available on DVD while for some, this is their debut. The documentary tells his biography and as a horror fan, I really was able to learn and appreciate Castle more than I ever have. The man was a big kid at heart, a man whose talent might have been forgotten had not a retrospective like this been released. He was more than a filmmaker; he was one of the world’s greatest salesmen who made horror films for the people. This collection and the accompanying documentary are a must for all fans of horror. William Castle is one of the most influential horror directors and producers in the history of film, and this collection is a great tribute to the man and to the film legacy he has left.
If you are a true horror fan, this is a collection that you must own. I can’t stress it enough as to how great not only William Castle’s films are in this collection, but the documentary alone is worth the price of the set. You will really learn about the man that William Castle was, and how he inspired other filmmakers of his time such as Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. It’s truly a remarkable feature on a man who has done so much for the genre.
– Horror Bob
Special Features included with the set:
The Magic of Illusion-O
Battle-Axe: The Making of Strait-Jacket
Joan Crawford Wardrobe Tests
Axe Tests
Scream For Your Lives: William Castle and The Tingler
Taking the Punishment Poll
Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal
TV spots
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Commentary with Producer/Director Jeffrey Schwarz and Terry Castle
Ghost Story: Pilot (The New House)
Ghost Story: Graveyard Shift
How To Plan a Movie Murder- Vintage Featurette
HOMICIDAL Youngstown, Ohio Premiere.
Original “British” Trailer Introduction
Original Candy Web Trailer
Original “Candy Web” Theatrical Opening Message from William Castle
Original “Candy Web” Theatrical Closing Message from William Castle
Alternate Opening (British)
Alternate Opening (Swedish)
Alternate Opening (French)
Alternate Opening (German)
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
