The Tingler
| The Tingler | |
|---|---|
Pressbook ad for The Tingler
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| Directed by | William Castle |
| Produced by | William Castle |
| Written by | Robb White |
| Starring |
Vincent Price Judith Evelyn Darryl Hickman Patricia Cutts Philip Coolidge |
| Music by | Von Dexter |
| Cinematography | Wilfred M. Cline |
| Edited by | Chester W. Schaeffer |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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1959 |
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Running time
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82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
The Tingler is a 1959 horror-thriller film produced and directed by William Castle. It is the third of five collaborations between Castle and writer Robb White, and stars Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, Patricia Cutts, Pamela Lincoln, Philip Coolidge, and Judith Evelyn.
The film tells the story of a scientist who discovers a parasite in human beings, called a "Tingler", which feeds on fear. The creature earned its name by making the spine of its host "tingle" when the host is frightened. In line with other Castle horror films, including the 1958 Macabre and 1959 House on Haunted Hill, Castle used gimmicks to sell the film. The Tingler remains most well known for a gimmick called "Percepto!", vibrating devices in some theater chairs which activated with the onscreen action.
The Tingler received mixed reviews and is generally considered a camp cult classic.
A pathologist, Dr. Warren Chapin (Price), discovers that the tingling of the spine in states of extreme fear is due to the growth of a creature that every human being seems to have, called a "Tingler", a parasite attached to the human spine. It curls up, feeds and grows stronger when its host is afraid, effectively crushing the person's spine if curled up long enough. The host can weaken the creature and stop its curling by screaming.
Movie theater owner Oliver Higgins (Coolidge), who shows exclusively silent films, is an acquaintance of Dr. Chapin. Higgins's wife Martha (Evelyn), who is deaf and mute, dies of fright after weird, apparently supernatural events have occurred in her room. During her autopsy, Chapin removes the Tingler from her spine.
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