Great Documentary About the King of Movie Gimmicks
This superbly done documentary covers the life and career of William Castle, the master of movie promotion. He was the guy that popularized gimmicks like a life insurance policy which would pay if anyone died of fright during his film Macabre and wired movie theater seats to give patrons a "buzz" during the Tingler.
His influence is even felt today in the 2011 Spy Kids: All the Time in the World which took a page out of Castle's playbook with their scratch-and-sniff "Aroma-Scope" gimmick.
Furthermore, the DVD is crammed full with over 5 hours of extras presenting a tremendous value for the money.
If you are a horror buff, grindhouse enthusiast or just interested in marketing, you should buy this DVD.
Great Fun!
I can only give the highest review for this documentary. There are tons of this type of material being released right now, but this one is done right. First, they give a very specific life story, showing how the great showman came into being. Second, they went into all of the insane gimmicks that he used in each and every picture he released. Third, they showed his influence, especially on a certain Mr. Alfred Hitchcock, who made 'Psycho' as a direct copy of the production technique and exploitation marketing campaign that William Castle had pioneered.
the interviews are many and wonderful, with such great film makers as John Waters, John Landis, and Joe Dante, among many others. The special features go into much greater details in the interviews. It is especially interesting to see how, late in life, success - in the form of 'Rosemary's Baby' - really ruined him, in a perverse way. My only complaint is that they don't cover "Confessions of an Opiate Eater", an...
a "B" movie god
It was great to relive the Castle experience that I remember so well as a child.
Macabre / House on Haunted Hill / The Tingler / 13 Ghosts / Homicidal are my favorites.
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