Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story

While it's as much a loving portrait of a master showman as it is a history lesson, the documentary "Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story," part of the Indianapolis International Film Festival, is a yarn that will keep you entertained as it sheds light on a splendid time in the history of American cinema.

Castle was a director and producer of horror films in the 1950s and 60s, a master showman who listed P.T. Barnum as one of his major influences, especially apt given his penchant for gimmicky film promotion.

Castle pioneered interactive gimmicks like "Percepto" for the film "The Tingler," which was joy-buzzer like devices put in theater seats, and "Emergo," obstensibly a plastic skeleton designed to scare an audience.

The film paints him as a rival to Alfred Hitchcock, who at times employed similar (though more subtle) tactics for promoting his films. His legacy is that he inspired and influenced a generation, including critics and filmmakers like John Waters, Joe Dante and Roger Corman, all of whom speak in the documentary.

Perhaps the most interesting segment of the film centers around the end of Castle's run, as he contemplated directing the film based on a property he bought the rights to, a novel called "Rosemary's Baby." When the studio tapped Roman Polanski to direct instead, Castle was incensed, but in the end had his biggest, most legitimate hit.

The film focuses mostly on his eccentricities, his endearing qualities, and his passion for the business.

"Spine Tingler" is a fun, engaging, lighthearted look at one of the great characters of 1950s cinema.