Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Tickled

  • 20162016
  • RR
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
18K
YOUR RATING
Tickled (2016)
Trailer for Tickled
Play trailer2:21
3 Videos
23 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Crime
  • Mystery
Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of... Read allJournalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
18K
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • David Farrier
    • Dylan Reeve
  • Stars
    • David Farrier
    • Dylan Reeve
    • David Starr
Top credits
  • Directors
    • David Farrier
    • Dylan Reeve
  • Stars
    • David Farrier
    • Dylan Reeve
    • David Starr
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 47User reviews
    • 95Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 16 nominations

    Videos3

    Tickled
    Trailer 2:21
    Tickled
    Tickled
    Trailer 2:28
    Tickled
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:26
    Official Trailer

    Photos23

    Tickled (2016)
    Tickled (2016)
    Tickled (2016)
    T.J. Gretzner in Tickled (2016)
    T.J. Gretzner in Tickled (2016)
    T.J. Gretzner in Tickled (2016)
    Tickled (2016)
    David Farrier and David Starr in Tickled (2016)
    David Farrier in Tickled (2016)
    Dylan Reeve in Tickled (2016)
    David Farrier in Tickled (2016)
    David Farrier in Tickled (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    David Farrier
    David Farrier
    • Self
    Dylan Reeve
    • Self
    David Starr
    • Self
    • (as Dave Starr)
    Kevin Clarke
    • Self
    Adam
    • (2016)
    T.J. Gretzner
    • Self - Former Tickle Competitor
    • (as TJ)
    Richard Ivey
    • Self - Tickle Fetishist
    Marko Realmonte
    • Self
    Anne James
    • Self - Radio Host: KSEN, K96
    • (archive footage)
    • (voice)
    Alden
    • Self - Former Tickle Video Performer
    Hal Karp
    • Self - Journalist 1992-2007
    Debbie Scoblionkov
    • Self - Journalist 1981-2006
    Jordan Schillaci
    • Self
    Lance Roberts
    • Self
    • (voice)
    David D'Amato
    • Self - aka Terri Tickle aka Terri DiSisto aka Jane O'Brien aka Jane J. O'Brien aka Debbie Kuhn
    Romeo Salta
    Romeo Salta
    • Self - Attorney Allegedly Hired by Jane O'Brien Media
    Dorothy J. D'Amato
    • Self - David P. D'Amato's Stepmother
    • (voice)
    • (as Dorothy)
    • Directors
      • David Farrier
      • Dylan Reeve
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Tickle King
    7.2
    The Tickle King
    The Imposter
    7.5
    The Imposter
    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
    8.5
    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
    Capturing the Friedmans
    7.7
    Capturing the Friedmans
    Jesus Camp
    7.4
    Jesus Camp
    Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief
    8.0
    Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief
    Abducted in Plain Sight
    6.8
    Abducted in Plain Sight
    Exit Through the Gift Shop
    8.0
    Exit Through the Gift Shop
    There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
    6.7
    There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
    Catfish
    7.1
    Catfish
    Mommy Dead and Dearest
    7.4
    Mommy Dead and Dearest
    Ladies in Black: The Gary Thain Story

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The executive producer, the producer, the two directors, and one of the actors... all five were sued in US Federal District Court in an effort to stop the film from being shown. Source: Courthouse News ("Tickled Film")
    • Quotes

      David Farrier: I started this journey curious about a bizarre sport called Competitive Endurance Tickling. But I now think this was never even about tickling... This is about power, control and harassment. It's about one person's twistedness, and how far that can go. One person, who has managed to shelter himself with money to keep his obsession going. But now, it's his life exposed. For once, it's him on camera.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Top 20 Best Documentary Films of the Last Decade (2019)
    • Soundtracks
      Stirring Them up as the Keeper of a Menagerie His Wild Beasts
      Written by Shane Carruth

    User reviews47

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    dogged investigative journalism stumbles from something innocuously weird to something bizarrely dangerous.
    Whether it is drama, comedy or documentary, New Zealand filmmakers punch above their weight. The documentary Tickled (2016) is one of the most unusual films you will see for a long time and a guaranteed conversation starter in the right company. While the film's title suggests comedic titillation, what it reveals is something more sinister that has wrecked many lives. It is also a fine example of how dogged investigative journalism can stumble from something that appears innocuously weird into something bizarrely dangerous.

    It is said that movies have plots while documentaries have premises. Pop-culture journalist David Farrier specialises in fringe phenomena and his premise is that if someone spends a fortune to stay anonymous they have something serious to hide. He comes across something described as "competitive professional tickling" that involves the filming of young athletic males being tied down and tickled by one or more other young athletic males, all fully clothed. His initial inquiries to understand more about this activity are so aggressively stonewalled that he turns his investigation into a documentary with most of the filming in the United States. Expecting to find a secretive cult of homoerotic activity, he finds participants who have been subjected to extraordinary legal threats, extortion, and public shaming. The scale of intimidation and the lengths to which perpetrators are prepared to go indicate there is big money involved. The documentary feels like a parallel universe where things go from strange to stranger as the inquiries lead to a prominent and wealthy American lawyer who was a teacher and school principal. Farrier and his team-mate Dylan Reeve use old fashioned stakeouts, doorstop confrontations, and forensic web-based research to turn the study of a fringe fetish into a gripping thriller.

    This is a well-produced documentary, especially for a novice filmmaker. Minor criticisms aside, like Ferrier's occasional tendency to tell rather than show and a few scenes that need tighter editing (like the time spent in the car stake-out), the overall pace, direction and content make this a totally engaging film. The hand-held filming technique and the unexpected twists and turns in the investigation impart real-time-discovery effects. A quick Google search will show that both during production and since the film's release Farrier and Reeve have been and still are under serious legal and financial threat. Not only do the filmmakers deserve a bravery award, their work is riveting from the laughter-filled opening scenes to the chilling closing credits.
    helpful•48
    6
    • CineMuseFilms
    • Aug 28, 2016

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 17, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • New Zealand
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tickle King
    • Filming locations
      • Muskegon, Michigan, USA
    • Production companies
      • A Ticklish Tale
      • Fumes Production
      • Horseshoe Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $613,956
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,898
      • Jun 19, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $790,519
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Tickled (2016)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Tickled (2016) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.