Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween Movie #4: The Tingler

I had to take a short break to get dinner and some laundry started. Now I'm back for one more before Papa Cash and I have dinner....and then we'll see how many films I roll through before bed.

This is another one I try to watch every October. I'm a fan of just about every film Vincent Price did, but for some reason I like to watch House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler around Halloween time. They're also two films that Price did for William Castle.

In this one, Price plays a scientist who is studying fear and its effects on the body. He is sure that there is something he can isolate that causes physiological effects of fear and sometimes death. He's also in an unhappy marriage (again!) He's married to a mean lady whose younger sister just happens to be dating the other scientist Price is working with.




This film is also noted for being filmed in Percepto Vision,
which was a gimmick courtesty of William Castle. In the film, if the Tingler attacks, the only defense against it is to scream really loud. In the theater, a handful of seats would be wired with buzzers that would go off at appropriate times in the movie- making the person sitting there scream and inspiring others to scream as well.

Not much else to say about this film- there's a side story involving a mute woman who can't scream to release her fear, and they do eventually find the creature that feeds on fear, 'The Tingler'. I find it a fun one to watch every year and I love watching the glee with which Price investigates 'The Tingler'.

the film is also notable for being the only time that I'm aware of that Vincent Price trips out on LSD- which, according to the special features, was NOT illegal yet. Neato!

Till a little later tonight-
Mother Firefly

2 comments:

harleygirl13 said...

I to loved Vincent Price. I though he was quite handsome and his eyes could tell a thousand different things. He was great. I love all his movies. What was the one where it ends with his wife locked in the thing with only her eyes showing and they were leaving saying the the place would be sealed to never be opend again? Was it The Pendulum?? I loved that one.

Viking Wolf Woman said...

You are correct! That is the Pit and the Pendulum. I would have loved to have gotten that or some of the other Poe movies on my Halloween list, but it wasn't meant to be.

Nice observations about Price as well- he was the best.