Tingler (1959)
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71% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
67% of users liked it
(4,806 ratings)
Dr. Warren Chapin is a pathologist who regularly conducts autopsies on executed prisoners at the State prison. He has a theory that fear is the result of a creature that inhabits all of us. His theory is that the creature is suppressed by our ability to scream when fear strikes us. He gets a chance… More Dr. Warren Chapin is a pathologist who regularly conducts autopsies on executed prisoners at the State prison. He has a theory that fear is the result of a creature that inhabits all of us. His theory is that the creature is suppressed by our ability to scream when fear strikes us. He gets a chance to test his theories when he meets Ollie and Martha Higgins, who own and operate a second-run movie theater. Martha is deaf and mute and if she is unable to scream, extreme fear should make the creature, which Chapin has called the Tingler, come to life and grow. Using LSD to induce nightmares, he begins his experiment.
- Directed By
- William Castle
- Written By
- Robb White
- Genres
- Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Jul 29, 1959 Limited
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Could well be William Castle's masterpiece.
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Like any genius pitchman, Castle straddles the line between carnival barker and conceptual artist
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Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
How any red-blooded American could hear 'Vincent Price's acid trip,' and not fall over themselves rushing to find a copy of the movie is beyond my comprehension.
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Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
The Tingler is more gimmick than movie and it lacks the level of tension and terror of other productions, but the showmanship is still a lot of fun.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Better than average Castle thriller with a wonderfully campy Vincent Price.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Vincent Price
as Dr. William Chapin
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Judith Evelyn
as Mrs. Higgins
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Darryl Hickman
as David Morris
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Philip Coolidge
as Ollie Higgins
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Patricia Cutts
as Isabel Chapin
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Pamela Lincoln
as Lucy Stevens
