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2007 - 82m.

No matter what your opinion is of such flicks as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, or 13 Ghosts; you just can't deny that William Castle may just be the greatest b-movie showman in history. Here's a guy who knew he wanted to make movies at an early age and worked his way from jobs in the theatre, to churning out low budget b-feature quickies for Columbia Pictures, and eventually directing the titles mentioned above as well as such campy classics as I Saw What You Did and the Joan Crawford potboiler Strait-Jacket.

However, instead of just going down as another forgettable b-movie mogul Castle took his skill for promotion and came up with the idea of attaching gimmicks to many of his films in order to draw in the crowds. We're talking things like offering glasses that would allow you to either see or un-see the ghosts in 13 Ghosts, wiring the theatre seats up with electric shock devices for Tingler, and even giving the audience the chance to take out insurance policies (Macabre) and vote on the fate of a movie's villain (Mr. Sardonicus). He was larger than life, often appeared as himself to introduce the feature, and gave everything an almost circus atmosphere. Nobody has come close to matching his ingenuity and charisma (though Troma's Lloyd Kaufman has certainly tried) and Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story is a loving tribute worthy of your time.

Director Jeffrey Schwarz, a veteran of tons of those DVD extras you might be compelled to check out as well as 2013's enjoyable I Am Divine documentary, has gathered together a who's who of interviewees bringing in people like critic Leonard Maltin and a variety of directors genre fans love such as John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), John Waters (Pink Flamingos), Fred Olen Ray (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers), and Joe Dante (Gremlins) to reminisce about their childhood memories of Castle's films and how they'd go on to influence their own careers. Waters even goes so far as to proclaim Castle is the reason he decided to make films in the first place as well as declaring "William Castle was God." Dante also proved his affection of Castle's films by making 1993's Matinee and having John Goodman star as an obvious homage as the fast-talking Lawrence Woolsey. Daughter Terry Ann Castle also gets a good chunk of screen time and I really enjoyed hearing her talk about her getting to grow up having a father who seemed to do whatever he wanted and be pretty successful at it - even if his dreams of making a big splash in Hollywood never quite happened despite producing 1968's Rosemary's Baby.

It's all not just talking head interviews though. I definitely can't avoid mentioning how well Schwarz edits in various clips for Castle's films as well as wonderful stories about the gimmicks each film attempted and the public's reactions to them - I especially love the entire moment devoted to 1961's Homicidal! and its failed "money back guarantee" one, if mostly because of how Castle managed to come up with an even better idea to stop people from taking advantage of it. There's also good usage of various still photographs (lots of the time he's got a cigar firmly clamped in his mouth) and it was great to hear the handful of audio interviews with the man himself peppered into the film. Spine Tingler! is the best kind of filmmaking based documentary in that it doesn't just rely on standard camera interviews (which can grow tiresome) by giving us a lot more to look at.

Not only did I have a huge grin plastered on my face for the entire 82 minutes of Spine Tingler!, I also came away with a new appreciation for William Castle. It's an inspiring tale, gives respect to someone who may have been dismissed in his day for making lowbrow "drive-in" fare, and made me want to go back and revisit his work. That's the best thing you can ask from a documentary such as this. I won't hesitate in placing this up there with Not Quite Hollywood, American Grindhouse, and Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as essential viewing for any exploitation/b-movie/horror fan. (Chris Hartley, 11/19/14)

Directed By: Jeffrey Schwarz.
Written By: Not Credited.

Starring: Forrest J. Ackerman, John Badham, Diane Baker, Sidney D. Balkin.