Macabre (1958)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

William Castle

Writers:

Theo Durrant (novel)
Robb White (writer)

Release Date:

October 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest showmanship in a decade... backed by a sensational ticket-selling campaign... from ALLIED ARTISTS

Plot:

A doctor's daughter is kidnapped and buried alive, and he is given just five hours to find and rescue her.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

William Prince	...	Doctor Rodney Barrett
Jim Backus	...	Jim Tyloe
Christine White	...	Nancy Wetherby
Jacqueline Scott	...	Polly Baron
Susan Morrow	...	Sylvia Stevenson
Philip Tonge	...	Jode Wetherby
Jonathan Kidd	...	Ed Quigley
Dorothy Morris	...	Alice Barrett
Howard Hoffman	...	Hummel
Ellen Corby	...	Miss Kushins
Linda Guderman	...	Marge
Voltaire Perkins	...	Preacher

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | UK:X (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

William Castle Productions

Trivia:

During its initial theatrical release, attendees were given a small badge that said, "I'm no chicken. I saw Macabre."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Serial Mom (1994)

"...means Horror!"

William Castle's first excursion into the horror genre is not really scary at all. It's a mild murder mystery about several dislikable characters, one of them presumably having committed a grizzly crime. It gets bogged down midway with some flashback sequences which really don't help the narrative THAT much. The performances are well acted and the film manages to keep a decent level of intrigue and curiosity throughout. It's also unusual to see Jim Backus in a rather unlikable role. However, being advertised as a "horror" film, it fails to provide enough ample shocks to please in that department and it lacks some of the chills and humorous touches of Castle's later work. Still, it's worth a look as the first of the William Castle "gimmick" films.