HOMICIDAL & MR. SARDONICUS (1961): The Gimmicks and Ghouls of WILLIAM CASTLE!!

HOMICIDAL (1961) d. William Castle (USA)
MR. SARDONICUS (1961) d. William Castle (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

Few filmmakers in American horror are remembered as vividly—or as superficially—as William Castle. Mention his name and most movie fans immediately think of outrageous theatrical gimmicks: skeletons flying over audiences, theater seats rigged with buzzing devices, or insurance policies handed out in the lobby. Those promotional stunts became the stuff of legend, helping turn modestly budgeted thrillers like House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, and 13 Ghosts into major box-office successes and cementing Castle’s reputation as horror’s greatest showman. But the enduring popularity of those gimmicks has also has had the unfortunate effect of overshadowing the films themselves.

TASTE OF FEAR (aka SCREAM OF FEAR) (1961) Movie Review

Taste of Fear (aka Scream of Fear) (1961) d. Seth Holt (UK) (81 min)

Following the recent death (by drowning) of her boarding school friend Maggie, wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg) is beckoned to her estranged father’s seaside home in the south of France. After being literally picked up by the family chauffeur Robert (Ronald Lewis), she is informed by her stepmother Jane (Ann Todd) that despite the fact that her father has been suddenly called away on business, Penny is invited to consider this her new home. That night, Penny investigates a mysterious light in the summer house and sees what she believes to be her father’s corpse; in her hasty retreat, she falls into the adjoining swimming pool and is rescued by Robert. The cordial but stern Dr. Gerrard (Christopher Lee) quells her fears, telling her it must simply have been “a case of nerves,” but this marks only the first of Penny’s encounters with her pater’s inanimate form popping up in the most unlikely of places. It’s the kind of thing that could drive a person mad… and out of her inheritance.

STOP ME BEFORE I KILL (1960) movie review

Stop Me Before I Kill! (1960) (1st viewing) d. Guest, Val (UK)

This early Hammer's b/w thriller centers on Ronald Lewis' (Mr. Sardonicus, Scream of Fear) race car driver who, after suffering a near-fatal crash, finds himself entertaining murderous impulses toward his fetching new wife. Guest's spirited direction is commendable; ditto Diane Cilento's (The Wicker Man) lively French-accented turn as Lewis' devoted if increasingly frustrated bride. But the whole thing takes WAY too long to get where it's going (at 107 minutes, it's one of the longest Hammer films out there; apparently the original UK cut is a full 120), especially considering the "twist" is telegraphed miles and miles ahead such that only those who dozed off halfway through would be surprised by the outcome.