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DVD Review

The William Castle Film Collection

Official Synopsis:

Iconic horror director William Castle created a simple, but winning formula for his films: a little comedy, a lot of scares, a preposterous gimmick, and a clear sense that fright films should be fun. This even meant Castle would, like Hitchcock, appear in his trailers and even the movies themselves.

Though his career spanned 35 years and included everything from westerns to crime thrillers, he'll always be remembered for his horror films from the late 50s to the mid-60s. And now Sony presents all eight of his Columbia features - three making their DVD debut, the rest newly-remastered - in one “spook-tacular" collection. And as a bonus, it includes the award-winning feature-length documentary, Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.

Includes:
13 Frightened Girls
13 Ghosts
Homicidal
Strait-Jacket
The Old Dark House
Mr. Sardonicus
The Tingler
Zotz!

Our Take:

The William Castle Film Collection is the latest collection from Sony Pictures that brings some archived films to DVD for the first time (like their “Icons of…” series). Of the eight films in the set, three are being made available on DVD for the first time. Now as for the films themselves, this set is a must-own for horror genre fans and perhaps will be of limited interest in cinematic pop history.

William Castle was a gimmick director/producer if there ever was one. His promotional and marketing campaigns were more inventive than the films themselves in some instances. For example, with The Tingler, Castle attached small vibrating buzzers to the underside of seats in the audience and encouraged audience participation (screaming) during the movie. In fact, even on the DVD, the film goes to black screen for a period of time that was clearly intended to be the “audience scream” segment. As one would expect, the inventiveness of such gimmicks do not translate to one’s living room.

Yet, even without the gimmicks, these eight B-movies are enjoyable enough, at least if cheese is your thing. Horror is never my cup of tea, but I am generally a sucker for any director-themed box set as even the hint at a potential undiscovered auteur will lead me to check out the films. Unfortunately, this is merely a set dedicated not to an auteur, but to a marketing master. The films are not special on their own, but Castle certainly was a special personality.

Highlighting the uniqueness of William Castle is the excellent documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story included on a 5th Bonus Disc in the set. The feature-length documentary will give viewers who have never heard of Castle previously an excellent frame of reference going into the films and also a hindsight appreciation of a man who was rightly dismissed by critics in his time, but just as rightly held in high regard by horror aficionados.

Special Features:

The William Castle Collection is a 5-disc set with two films per disc (4 discs) and the feature length documentary by itself on the fifth disc. The special features by film as are follows:

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 -

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
Ghost 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

Bonus Disc -

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.
Commentary with Producer/Director Jeffrey Schwarz and Terry Castle

Conclusion:

The William Castle Film Collection is an excellent introduction to the works of the director/producer and highly recommended for horror fans across the board. As for the average film fan with an indifference towards the horror genre, the set may be overkill, but I would still at least try to rent the documentary.

Overall Picture:

Movies (average): B (how fitting!)
Extra Features: A-

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer