6.7/10
5,860
98 user 67 critic

The Tingler (1959)

Not Rated | | Horror | 29 July 1959 (USA)
The Tingler Poster
Trailer
2:18 | Trailer

On Disc

at Amazon

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

Director:

Writer:

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

See all 1 video  »

Photos

See all 25 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

0 Next »
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A millionaire offers $10,000 to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.

Directors: William Castle, Rosemary Horvath
Stars: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long
0 Next »
House of Wax (1953)
Certificate: GP Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

An associate burns down a wax museum with the owner inside, but he survives only to become vengeful and murderous.

Director: André De Toth
Stars: Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk
0 Next »
Tales of Terror (1962)
Comedy | Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Three tales of terror involve a grieving widower and the daughter he abandoned; a drunkard and his wife's black cat; and a hypnotist who prolongs the moment of a man's death.

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Maggie Pierce, Leona Gage
0 Next »
House of Usher (1960)
Drama | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Upon entering his fiancée's family mansion, a man discovers a savage family curse and fears that his future brother-in-law has entombed his bride-to-be prematurely.

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
0 Next »
Homicidal (1961)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The brutal stabbing murder of a justice-of-the-peace sparks an investigation of dark family secrets in a sleepy small town in Southern California.

Director: William Castle
Stars: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich
0 Next »
The Fly (1958)
Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A scientist has a horrific accident when he tries to use his newly invented teleportation device.

Director: Kurt Neumann
Stars: David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price
0 Next »
Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
Drama | Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr
0 Next »
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Horror | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.

Directors: Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow
Stars: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli
0 Next »
The Bat (1959)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A crazed killer known as "The Bat" is on the loose in a mansion full of people.

Director: Crane Wilbur
Stars: Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Gavin Gordon
0 Next »
The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A man's obsession with his dead wife drives a wedge between him and his new bride.

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
0 Next »
13 Ghosts (1960)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

A family inherits what proves to be a haunted house, but a special pair of goggles allows them to see their ghostly tormentors.

Director: William Castle
Stars: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner
0 Next »
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A European prince terrorizes the local peasantry while using his castle as a refuge against the "Red Death" plague that stalks the land.

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Hazel Court, Jane Asher
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
... Dr. Warren Chapin
... Mrs. Martha Ryerson Higgins
... David Morris
Patricia Cutts ... Isabel Stevens Chapin
Pamela Lincoln ... Lucy Stevens
... Oliver 'Ollie' Higgins
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

fear | deaf mute | infidelity | spinal column | theatre audience | See All (23) »

Taglines:

Fright-Filled SHOCK Thriller! See more »

Genres:

Horror

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

29 July 1959 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Le désosseur de cadavres  »

Filming Locations:

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound Recording)| (partial)

Color:

(one scene)|

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film marked the return of William Castle to this home studio, Columbia Pictures. It also marked the first film for Castle's own production company. See more »

Goofs

Hair and nails do not continue to grow after one dies, as Dr. Chapin asserts. The illusion of growth is created by the shrinkage of the flesh surrounding the hair and nails. However, the belief in growth after death has become so ingrained in common folklore that it is not surprising to see it used as "fact" in a horror film; such films play on our fears and knowledge of folklore to achieve their effects. See more »

Quotes

Oliver 'Ollie' Higgins: You gave me the idea, doc.
Dr. Warren Chapin: Just because poisons exist, is no reason to use them.
See more »

Connections

Featured in TCM Underground: 13 Ghosts/The Tingler (2008) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Did Dr Chapin take LSD to induce a fear reaction in himself?
Q: Was the Higgins' movie theater a real theater or a studio set?
Q: Why did Dr Chapin put the tingler back into Martha's body?
See more »

User Reviews

A Gem for Castle and Price!
8 February 1999 | by – See all my reviews

William Castle was a great filmmaker. Many people would disagree because no one Castle film stands out as being great. Yet Castle was a great innovator that made going to the movies more than just a way to spend time to an experience. His gimmicks, although not usable today, are not what his movies are about. His films are about stories, pretty good ones at that. The Tingler is no exception. It is a tale of horror and science. It concerns itself with a doctor trying to prove that each of us has a tingler within us that gets bigger when we are in a state of fear and is repelled by our screaming. Although the scientific merit of this story seems somewhat implausible, Castle makes it seem very credible through his story-telling techniques. Some scenes in the movie are just wonderful. Vincent Price is excellent as the doctor questing for answers and then faced with a moral dilemma as to what should be done with his newly found knowledge. If you like science fiction, Vincent Price, or just a good old-fashioned horror yarn....The Tingler is for you!
15 of 17 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 98 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Action and Adventure Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial