Tues, Jan 22nd, 10:45pm

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story chronicles the American showman and filmmaker William Castle, who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks. In the 1950s and 60s, Castle treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies.

Where were you and how did you react when you were told you'd been accepted to Slamdance?

I was at my office in Koreatown separating legit emails from Viagra spamwhen I found out that SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY had been accapted into Slamdance. The Slamdance attitude and the William Castle DIY ethos match perfectly and I'm thrilled to be part of the festival. William Castle would have been 94 this year, and if he were alive right now I'm sure he'd be in Park City spinning tales of his illustrious career. This movie will have to spin those tales for him.

What fascinates you about William Castle? When did you first learn about him?

I didn¹t become fully aware of Castle until I read John Waters' tribute article "Whatever Happened to Showmanship?" in the 80s. It was a revelation. Luckily, this interest coincided with the first revivals of Castle¹s gimmicks in New York City in 80s. The theater rigged up their version of Percepto and when Vincent Price announced that the Tingler was loose in the theater and the buzzers went off, a bunch of jaded New Yorkers started screaming for their lives. I was hooked forever.

I was drawn to William Castle because his life is profoundly American. I was fascinated by how this charismatic and ambitious director reinvented himself as a larger than life showman. He knew that in order to attract people to his films, he needed to create a character that was essentially a brand name, and that going to see one of his films would be an experience like no other. William Castle's life is a rags to riches story that is a perfect illustration of the American Dream.

In your research and hunt for archival footage, which sources were most helpful?

Aside from the usual sources of archival material from photo and stock houses, I found the most amazing stuff in the Castle family vault, aka daughter Terry Castle's attic. She kept all of her dad's files, screenplays with notes scribbled all over them, photos, telegrams, etc. I even found the actual Lloyd's of London life insurance certificate for "Macarbe," which proves that this was no joke. He actually insured the audience against death by fright!

You won an audience award at last year's AFI Fest for the film. How do you anticipate audiences reacting in Park City?

William Castle teaches us that you can trump budget with ingenuity and showmanship. It doesn¹t matter how much money you have for a film. If you can give the audience something they¹ve never experienced before, and make them remember your name, you've got a shot at creating a loyal following. That's what indie filmmakers do every day, and an environment like Park City that celebrates this kind of filmmaking is the perfect place to unspool the film again. I hope audiences who think they know William Castle will learn more about the man behind the myth, and those who don't know him will fall in love with the guy like I did.

Was William Castle's family involved in the film? Have they seen it?

Yes, the Castle family was hugely helpful in making this film. Bill's daughter Terry Castle has been patiently waiting for me to finish the film after like 7 years or so. She worships her dad and really put her trust in me to make a definitive portrait that would portray him as he really was. Thankfully, the family loves the film. In fact, Terry and her husband Tom's kids Kyle and Will are getting to know the grandfather they never knew through the film. They want to be movie directors, of course.

What were your biggest challenges when constructing the film in post-production?

The biggest challenge in post-production was trying to keep Bill's emotional thruline alive. It's not enough to just chronicle his accomplishments. We have to understand what kept him going. I was surprised to discover just how filled with anxiety and self-doubt the man was. For someone so larger than life and full of bravado, it was touching to find out that he had insecurities and fears that were well hidden from the public.

Any other projects in the pipeline?

I'm finishing up my next documentary called WRANGLER: ANATOMY OF AN ICON about 1970s porn superstar Jack Wrangler. He was the biggest gay porn star of the 70s who became the biggest straight porn star of the 70s. It's a romp - a gay BOOGIE NIGHTS with a happy ending. Like SPINE TINGLER!, it's a story of a man who turned himself into a brand name, albeit in a very different manner.

# posted by Brandon Harris @ 1/21/2008 08:14:00 PM

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