Author: WTM / Source: Neatorama
In the 1993 film Matinee, actor John Goodman portrays a small-time film promoter that releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Those who saw the film probably didn’t realize that Goodman’s character was based on an actual film producer, this being William Castle.
From the IMDb:Castle often appeared at the beginning of his own films, “warning” movie-goers about the terrors they were about to experience. To ensure that audience reaction was maximized, Castle frequently resorted to “interactive gimmicks” – like theatre seats wired to slightly shock patrons during scary scenes (The Tingler) a 3-D skeleton that floated from the screen on wires (House on Haunted Hill) and cards handed out by ushers purportedly letting movie-goers determine how the movie would end (Mr. Sardonicus). Hokey though they were, these promotional stunts worked – Castle’s films rarely failed to turn a profit.
Castle was actually a shrewd businessman who simply realized what it was the public really wanted and gave it to them. His films were the perfect drive-in fare for the time; girls on dates would become scared or nervous and ask their dates to hold them. You don’t think he knew what he was doing? People have always liked being scared and Castle did so without use of graphic violence or, usually, color. Though he specialized in B-Movie horror films,…
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