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The Tingler

  • 19591959
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Tingler (1959)
Watch the trailer for the horror film The Tingler, starring Vincent Price.
Play trailer2:18
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror

An obsessed pathologist discovers and captures a parasitic creature that grows when fear grips its host.An obsessed pathologist discovers and captures a parasitic creature that grows when fear grips its host.An obsessed pathologist discovers and captures a parasitic creature that grows when fear grips its host.

IMDb RATING
6.6/10
8.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • William Castle
  • Writer
    • Robb White
  • Stars
    • Vincent Price
    • Judith Evelyn
    • Darryl Hickman
Top credits
  • Director
    • William Castle
  • Writer
    • Robb White
  • Stars
    • Vincent Price
    • Judith Evelyn
    • Darryl Hickman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 123User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos2

    The Tingler: Trailer
    Trailer 2:18
    The Tingler: Trailer
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!
    Clip 5:23
    Cowboys! Detectives! Giant Bugs! B-Movie History!

    Photos124

    Vincent Price and Patricia Cutts in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, and Pamela Lincoln in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, and Pamela Lincoln in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Vincent Price in The Tingler (1959)
    Patricia Cutts in The Tingler (1959)
    Pat Colby in The Tingler (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Vincent Price
    Vincent Price
    • Dr. Warren Chapinas Dr. Warren Chapin
    Judith Evelyn
    Judith Evelyn
    • Mrs. Martha Ryerson Higginsas Mrs. Martha Ryerson Higgins
    Darryl Hickman
    Darryl Hickman
    • David Morrisas David Morris
    Patricia Cutts
    Patricia Cutts
    • Isabel Stevens Chapinas Isabel Stevens Chapin
    Pamela Lincoln
    • Lucy Stevensas Lucy Stevens
    Philip Coolidge
    Philip Coolidge
    • Oliver 'Ollie' Higginsas Oliver 'Ollie' Higgins
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    Gertrude Astor
    Gertrude Astor
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Barthelmess
    Richard Barthelmess
    • David Kinemonas David Kinemon
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Gail Bonney
    Gail Bonney
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    William Castle
    William Castle
    • Prologue Himself - Hostas Prologue Himself - Host
    • (uncredited)
    Pat Colby
    Pat Colby
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    George DeNormand
    George DeNormand
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    Amy Fields
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    Bob Gunderson
    • Ryerson - Screaming Convictas Ryerson - Screaming Convict
    • (uncredited)
    Dal McKennon
    Dal McKennon
    • Projectionistas Projectionist
    • (uncredited)
    Clarence Straight
    • Member of Silent Movie Audienceas Member of Silent Movie Audience
    • (uncredited)
    Ernest Torrence
    Ernest Torrence
    • Luke Hatburn, in clip from Tol'able Davidas Luke Hatburn, in clip from Tol'able David
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • William Castle
    • Writer
      • Robb White
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —garykmcd
    • movie theater
    • fear
    • deaf mute
    • infidelity
    • spinal column
    • 19 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Ghastly Beyond Belief!
    • Genre
      • Horror
    • Certificate
      • Not Rated
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Pamela Lincoln and Darryl Hickman, who play the young suitors, actually got married on November 28th after the Tingler release on July 29th 1959. They had two children, and divorced on December 8th, 1982.
    • Goofs
      In almost every scene in which the Tingler appears, the wires maneuvering it are visible.
    • Quotes

      Isabel Stevens Chapin: The only way Dave Morris will marry my sister is over my dead body.

      Dr. Warren Chapin: Unconventional but not impossible.

    • Alternate versions
      Originally had a short sequence filmed partially in color. It was the scene when the deaf-mute Mrs. Higgins (Judith Evelyn), terrified by unknown forces, runs into a bathroom to hide and sees blood coming from the faucets of her sink and her bathtub filled with blood. Everything else in the scene is black and white except for the blood, which appears in garish red color - a typical William Castle gimmick. The USA home video release and the Turner Classic Movies print shown on Oct. 31, 2008 include the restored partial-color sequence. The short sequence is grainy and appears to have been inserted from an old deteriorated copy, or possibly a 16 mm print, as the rest of the movie's quality is crisp and sharp. Or possibly the image quality jump is due to an optical process or however the color was achieved, adding a generation of grain.
    • Connections
      Edited into FrightMare Theater: The Tingler (2016)

    User reviews123

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    More fun than it has any right to be!
    I was very young when this movie was originally released and my first encounter was when I switched on the TV (no remotes in those days, so I was right in front of the set) and a woman's face suddenly appeared, screaming right at me! It scared the living hell out of me --- and that was only a *commercial* for THE TINGLER! It was years before I saw the actual film and while it wasn't as scary as I imagined (nothing could have been) it had, as William Castle's films frequently do, an unsettling feeling of dread about it. Of course it's also absolutely ridiculous. The whole premise is insane, and the plot twists keep getting more and more loony, but that only adds to the fun! The titular creature itself is a mixed bag, crudely done (even for its day) but somehow effectively disgusting. The acting is uniformly good and the dialogue pretty intelligent. The only weak point for me was Judith Evelyn as the deaf mute wife, who overacted like hell but never seemed genuinely terrified by any of the bizarre goings on. The DVD contains an excellent short called SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES including (among others) co-star Darryl Hickman, now in his seventies, looking incredibly fit and happy and seemingly unable to talk about making THE TINGLER without constantly cracking up. Who can blame him????
    helpful•21
    2
    • horrorfilmx
    • Jan 16, 2007

    FAQ10

    • What is 'The Tingler' about?
    • Is "The Tingler" based on a book?
    • Was the Higgins' movie theater a real theater or a studio set?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 29, 1959 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • American Sign Language
    • Also known as
      • Schrei, wenn der Tingler kommt
    • Filming locations
      • Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • William Castle Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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