Gimmicks that never grow old
William Castle was notorious for inventing gimmicks to give his audience the best experience. It’s something that you don’t find anymore with today’s filmmakers. Most of today’s movie budgets are used on flashy stars or special effects. With Castle’s way of doing things, who knows how well a movie could be in this day and age. For example, in his movie The Tingler he warns the audience that there might be a tingling sensation happening during the film. If you’ve ever seen the movie Matinee, starring John Goodman, you’ll find Castle’s ‘tingling’ invention getting installed in Goodman’s theater. All the ‘inventions’ consisted of were joy buzzers on the underside of the seats. This type of gimmick enhanced the movie experience and Castle was determined to get the most out of his movies and his audiences.
With that said, the horror movies that Castle made was more than just gimmicks. 13 Ghosts was a concept that was far ahead of its time. A man dies and hands his estate over to some relatives. Thinking they just got a new house, they begin to uncover frightfully bad things inside the house; mainly they find out that there are 13 ghosts residing in it, who want to kill them. The movie, while in its older form, is a bit goofy, but it certainly does emit a creepiness to it. Well, the movie worked so well that it was remade in 2001 and the main story was kept intact. It provided the backdrop to all sorts of creepy ‘ghost’ movies. That last sentence really does define why this collection is so impressive and important.
Speaking of the collection, here is what you get with it:
– 13 Frightened Girls
– 13 Ghosts
– Homicidal
– Strait-Jacket
– The Old Dark House
– Mr. Sardonicus
– The Tingler
– Zotz!
Now going into this collection understand that the acting is very ‘old-school’. You’ll find plenty of goofy dialogue accompanied by goofy acting and goofy music. Make no bones about it, this collection is old and it doesn’t apologize for it. For people who are looking to get into film this might be perfect for those. If you’re expecting me to give you an honest review of the collection here it is: The films are indeed old and have their issues when compared to today’s films. If you want a review of the collection as classics then they’re absolutely brilliant. The stories are very creative and the acting, when compared to other acting of that particular span of time, was quite good in the long run. The best thing about these movies is how well Castle keeps the set up in each film close to the chest. For example, in Homicidal you’re not sure what the hell is happening. The movie begins with a woman checking into a hotel. This woman chooses a young bellhop to accompany her upstairs, only to buy his love into a marriage. You have no idea why this is all happening, but it’s not terribly far-fetched. The movie gets even more complicated when the woman ends up killing the preacher marrying the couple. Story aside, that scene is gruesome and well done for a movie that is so old. You, the viewer, are sitting there wondering just what the hell is going on and then BAM! You realize what has happened. Each one of Castle’s movies is set up the same way and it works every time.
As for the features on this set, here’s what you’re looking at:
–13 Frightened Girls
Original Theatrical Trailer
Original ‘British’ Trailer Introduction
Original Candy Web Trailer
Original Candy Web Theatrical Opening and Closing Message from William Castle
Four International Alternate Openings
– 13 Ghosts
The Magic of Illusion-O
Original Theatrical Trailer
– Homicidal
Psychette: William Castle and Homicidal
Homicidal Youngstown, Ohio Premiere
Original Theatrical Trailer
– Strait-Jacket
Battle-Axe: The Making of Strait-Jacket
Joan Crawford Wardrobe Tests
Axe Test
Strait-Jacket TV Spots
How to Plan a Movie Murder
Vintage Featurette
Original Theatrical Trailer
– The Old Dark House
Original Theatrical Trailer
– Mr. Sardonicus
Taking the Punishment Poll
“Ghosts Story”: Pilot (The New House)
Original Theatrical Trailer
– The Tingler
“Scream For Your Lives: William Castle and The Tingler“
Alternate Drive-In Sequence
Original “Scream” Sequence
“Circle of Fear: Graveyard Shift”
Original Theatrical Trailer
– ZOTZ!
Original Theatrical Trailer
Folks for an older collection of movies you have to commend the studio for digging up as much goodies as possible. Knowing that William Castle’s material needed to be treated with the upmost respectfulness seemed to be important when they were releasing this on DVD. Sure it’s unusually good timing that these classics are hitting right before Halloween, but the special features seem to make it more than worth your time.
Plus, you get to see a screen test for a real horror show….. Joan Crawford. That is scary enough.