The Tingler

Part of the special NACHTBLENDE series

Screening in "Percepto!", with shock effects on individual seats!

**PERCEPTO!**

**THE TINGLER** is the pinnacle of William Castle's series of gimmick films. To bring the terror from the screen directly to the audience, the so-called Percepto system is installed under select seats, a series of vibration motors that make you feel as if the Tingler is gnawing at your spine. In a live performance segment, a victim of the Tingler is taken from the theater before the film can continue. But... who will be the victim of the Tingler this time?

"If you are truly frightened
and fear builds up inside you,
but you can't release it with a scream,
a small creature will grow and strengthen in your spinal cord.
This is still just a theory,
but soon it will be proven!"
Daniel Krunz on Letterboxd

Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic! But SCREAM! Scream for your lives!

William Castle, the god of directing and marketing genius of B-movies, revered as an icon by John Waters and Joe Dante, directs Vincent Price for the second and unfortunately last time: as pathologist Dr. Warren Chapin, he discovers that human fear has a creature-like origin, namely the "Tingler," which attaches itself to the spine and makes it burst if it is stimulated long enough. The only way to counter the monster within us is by screaming loudly and forcefully. Dr. Chapin discovers an especially impressive specimen in the corpse of a deaf woman, and it doesn't take long before the Tingler breaks loose and causes fear and terror.

**THE TINGLER** is the ultimate William Castle experience: a legendary performance by Vincent Price, inventive direction, and a good dose of weirdness – including the first LSD trip ever seen in cinema! – ensure racing hearts and a warm nostalgic feeling of "They don’t make them like that anymore!" The ingenious highlight of this masterpiece of all B-movies is undoubtedly the live component made possible by "Percepto!" because, as the trailer promises: "The Tingler will break loose in the theatre while you are in the audience!"

(Text: Markus Keuschnigg | SLASH Filmfestival)

In cooperation with SLASH Filmfestival