SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY

USA, 2007, 80 min, VIDEO

DIR: Jeffrey Schwarz
PROD: Jeffrey Schwarz
SUP PROD: Sonja Nelson
ASSOC PROD: Taryn Teigue, Jack Mulligan
ED: Philip Harrison, Jeffrey Schwarz
GRAPHIC DES: Grant Nellessen
MUS: Michael "The Millionaire" Cudahy
FEATURING: Terry Castle, John Waters, Joe Dante, Leonard Maltin, Roger Corman, John Badham, Diane Baker, Marcel Marceau
www.spinetinglermovie.com

This fantastic and little-known Hollywood story reveals William Castle--largely remembered for installing electrical shocking devices in seats for added scares at his horror films--as a fascinating, multi-dimensional man. A master of ballyhoo and a brand name in movie horror, Castle in the 50s and 60s treated delighted moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and life insurance policies. But his career began as assistant to director Orson Welles, where he did much of the second unit location work for THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Driven by a fear of failure and longing for respect from his peers, Castle's life was a rags-to-riches tale of a larger-than-life showman who reinvented himself as a modern P.T. Barnum. And his influential role in producing and nearly directing one of the most revered horror films of all times, ROSEMARY'S BABY alone is worth the price of admission.

Director Jeffrey Schwarz tells the tale, lining up interviews with Joe Dante, Leonard Maltin, Stuart Gordon, John Landis, and the provocative John Waters.

SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY is the winner of 2007 AFI FEST Audience Award for Best Documentary

Biography
Jeffrey Schwarz is a producer and director of documentaries as well as president and CEO of Automat Pictures. Schwarz launched Automat in the early days of the DVD format, realizing the potential for compelling documentary programming in the tried-and-true "behind the scenes" genre. He has produced such documentaries as YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT: THE LONG JOURNEY OF HAIRSPRAY; NO DAY BUT TODAY: THE STORY OF RENT; NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE MAKING OF A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET; INSIDE OF THE LABYRINTH: THE MAKING OF THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and MYSTERIES OF LOVE, profiling David Lynch's masterpiece BLUE VELVET. A New York native, Schwarz attended SUNY Purchase, earning a BFA in Film.

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