Special thanks to both The Last Drive In & Goregirl's Dungeon for inviting me. Please check them out. They are marvelous!
Hullabaloo is one of the greatest and
yet, underused words in the English language. Defined as “a
clamorous noise,” it was something that used to be a fun element of
showbiz. And no figure brought the sense of pure, wondrous hullabaloo
better than the man himself, William Castle. A larger-than-life
figure, complete with a big smile and an even bigger cigar, Castle
left his indelible thumbprint in the world of cinema around 70 years
ago and yet, no one has ever come close to overshadowing him. (Though
one of his biggest fans, legendary cult filmmaker and eternal fan,
John Waters, has come close.)
The biggest ruse, however, with a cat
like Castle is that if he had been only pure hullabaloo, then the
odds of this tribute happening are slim-to-none. If you're only
icing, people will forget you or best case, you get a size 8 font
footnote and filed under novelty. Castle made some of the most
inventive and memorable horror films, on top of producing classics
like “Rosemary's Baby.” After all, no one retains the level of
shock-and-awe by mere schlock alone.
William Castle first came into my life
when I saw “House on Haunted Hill” as a little girl. The horror
house thrills that abound in that film instantly wooed me. (Not to
mention ever since, I've had a thing for guys with Vincent Price
mustaches---but only if they can carry it with the same
suave-sinister panache.) If you were a horror loving kid like I was,
then Castle was your Walt Disney. Titles like “The Tingler,”
“Straight Jacket,” “13 Ghosts,” the aforementioned “House
on Haunted Hill” and “Mr. Sardonicus” were custom built for
people like us.
Not to short-change the gimmicks. Not
at all, especially given how bloody good a lot of them were, with my
personal favorites being the world-wide beauty contest for “13
Frightened Girls” and the million dollar insurance policy taken out
for Hercules, the lead cockroach in 1975's “Bug.” Given the
tenacity of some of the roaches in my old apartment, dollars to
doughnuts no one still has collected on that one for ole Herc.
But to remember Castle mainly for that
is overlooking the fact that there was some good film making
involved. Even some of the cheesier films, like “Bug” or “13
Frightened Girls,” have some deft charm. Most importantly, you are
never ever going to be bored watching a William Castle film. Others
from his era have faded into the fine print in dusty old film tomes,
but William Castle, his legacy, his showmanship and his films will
live on, shiny and almost new for years to come.
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