The Tingler: Vincent Price, William Castle & 1959 Ballyhoo

Hello wonderful people!

 

You can follow the podcast on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky.

 

Thank you so much to Patreon subscribers! If you would like to support the podcast and get ad free versions you can subscribe for $3 or £3 a month at https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm

 

The idea behind the podcast is we all watch the film (with film choices and where to watch given in the show notes of the previous episode) and then you can listen to the podcast after two weeks and learn more about the film.

 

It has been brought to my attention (thank you, Olivia!) that sometimes a synopsis might be very helpful to know what on earth is going on. It seems not everyone is watching these films before listening. So, I have added more information further below. As always there are spoilers ahead!

 

The Tingler (1959) was released in cinemas with the expectation that cinema owners would install “Percepto!” under certain seats. This was a small electric buzzing device that would be triggered during key moments of the film.

 

Director William Castle was known for these kinds of interactive, promotional gimmicks and had used them many times before. The tradition of “Ballyhoo” in cinema is an old one and involves enticing audiences to the movies with various types of marketing stunts.

 

Vincent Price plays the hammy lead with a gravitas very few people can pull off. I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable film despite the lack of “Percepto!” in my own home.

 

As always, I am lucky to have two excellent guests joining me.

 

Scott Higgins is Professor of Film at Wesleyan University as well as being the Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives.

 

Matthew Rule Jones is a senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Exeter.

 

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:57 William Castle the King of Ballyhoo

04:21 William Caste’s background

10:19 The death of Florence Lawrence and movie myth-making

13:50 The Avant Garde, The Grand Guinol and The Surrealists

18:40 Red blood in a black and white film

21:50 A brink film: LSD, insanity and the impending Psycho

25:53 Loose ends and ethical loopholes

29:03 Vincent Price as the part-time mad scientist

33:33 The bad wife

34:57 The Tingler, teen audiences and a screaming crescendo

40:07 Manly screaming and scream queens

42:33 The silent era references

46:32 Legacy

52:14 Recommendations

 

NEXT EPISODE!

Next episode we will be talking about The Wasp Woman from 1959 directed by Roger Corman. I believe the film is in the public domain and is easily available online for free or to buy and rent on many streaming services.

 

It is also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpPAN6frZmU

 

Synopsis of The Tingler

The Tingler begins with the director William Castle addressing the audience about how they are about to experience a tingling sensation that no audience has ever experienced before. Relief can be gained by screaming!

 

The story involves Dr Warren Chapin (played by Vincent Price) investigating the cause of why some inmates are frightened to death before their executions. A man names Olly Higgins visit Dr Chapin and tells him that it is his brother-in-law that Chapin is doing an autopsy on. Chapin is convinced there is something physical in the body that causes death by fear!  

 

Olly Higgins runs a silent cinema with his deaf-mute wife Martha.

 

Warren Chapin is  obsessed with his work and ignores his wife who has decided to spend her time cavorting with other men! Her sister Lucy is good, kind and the epitome of idealised 1950s femininity. Lucy is in love with Dr Chapin’s assistant David.

 

In his experiments Dr Chapin pretends to kill his wife to scare her, tests LSD on himself (a relatively new drug that is in 1959 legal and used by psychologists) and experiments on animals and potentially on Martha Higgins with LSD although that part isn’t really clarified.

 

In an x-ray of his wife (who he has frightened into believing she’s dead – we can’t expect things to make sense) Dr Chapin discovers there is a long caterpillar-like creature that hugs the spine when people are terrified.

 

Dr Chapin visits Martha Higgins to give her some medication which may or may not be LSD. After this she experiences many frightening experiences including a bath filled with red blood (in a black and shite film). Martha is terrified of blood and collapses.  

 

Olly Higgins brings his wife Martha to Dr Chapin. She is very sick or dead. Dr Warren declares Martha dead but after she moves he gets permission to find out why. He discovers and extracts the tingler!

 

Shenanigans commence involving a murderous wife, an escaped tingler in the silent cinema and Martha’s revenge!