'The William Castle Film Collection' DVD Review

A fitting, if incomplete, tribute to a master showman.

This five-DVD set celebrates the career of cult director/producer William Castle, gathering eight of his films made between 1959 and 1964: The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Mr. Sardonicus, Strait-Jacket, The Old Dark House (a lighthearted remake of the 1932 James Whale pic), Zotz! and 13 Frightened Girls. That latter three make their DVD debuts here, justifying their inclusion even though the latter two aren't horror movies (Zotz! is a comedic fantasy and 13 Frightened Girls is a spy thriller.)

For horror fans, it would've been nice to have more of the genre that put Castle's name on the map -- most notably, The House on Haunted Hill, Macabre and I Saw What You Did. That said, for the movies that are included, this collection provides a sparkling array of special features, from behind-the-scene featurettes to trailers to alternate scenes, screen tests and even two episodes from the short-lived 1970s TV show he produced, Ghost Story.

Perhaps the best addition, though, is the entertaining 2007 documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story. Castle's biography is the remarkable tale of a self-made movie icon who, though known for B-movies and circus-like promotion gimmickry, worked with luminaries like Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and Marcel Marceau. In fact, many people don't realize that he produced one of the most critically acclaimed horror movies of all time, Rosemary's Baby, and that The Tingler foreshadowed David Cronenberg's "body horror" flicks of the '70s and '80s.

However, Spine Tingler -- and this set as a whole -- is more about the low-brow fare that made Castle a star and about the infectious enthusiasm he had for his genre work, generating a shared experience for audiences through his admittedly goofy theater tricks.

The DVD

Special features include featurettes, commentary, alternate scenes and more.

Movies: B-
DVD: B+