13 Ghosts 1960 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller aka: Thirteen Ghosts
Director: William Castle Cast: Charles Herbert, Jo Morrow, Martin Milner, Rosemary DeCamp, Donald Woods, Margaret Hamilton, John Van Dreelen, William Castle, Roy Jenson, David Hoffman, John Burnside
When Dr. Zorba dies, his nephew inherits the big, old house. What the nephew (Donald Woods) and his family (Rosemary DeCamp, Jo Morrow, and Charles Herbert) discover when they move in is that the doctor had a collection of ghosts; he is now part of that collection. The ghosts go on a rampage after the family arrives, and one family member is doomed to die so that there will be 13 ghosts. Director William Castle came up with another gimmick for theater-goers: red and blue glasses to view (or not to view) the ghosts. Margaret Hamilton shines as the creepy housekeeper who came with the mansion.
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The Americano 1955 N/R, 85 min. Genre: Western
Director: William Castle Cast: Glenn Ford, Frank Lovejoy, Cesar Romero, Ursula Thiess, Abbe Lane, Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Salvador Baguez, Tom Powers, Dan White, Frank Marlowe
Set in Brazil, this is the story of Sam Dent who leaves Texas and finds himself in the middle of a battle between Brazilian farmers and ranchers.
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Bug 1975 PG, 99 min. Genre: Sci-Fi / Mystery / Horror / Thriller
Director: Jeannot Szwarc Cast: Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles, Richard Gilliland, Jamie Smith-Jackson, Alan Fudge, Jesse Vint, Patty McCormack, Brendan Dillon, Frederic Downs, James Greene, Sam Jarvis, Jim Poyner, Bard Stevens, Karoly Fogassy, William Castle
An earthquake releases mutant cockroaches that have the unique ability to start fires and thus wreak havoc on a nearby town. Professor James Parmiter (Bradford Dillman) takes an interest in the creatures after his wife is killed by them, begins to cross-breed them, and finds that they have intelligence. Sounds like a problem is developing.
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The Chance of a Lifetime 1943 N/R, 66 min. Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: William Castle Cast: Chester Morris, Erik Rolf, Jeanne Bates, Richard Lane, George E. Stone, Lloyd Corrigan, Walter Sande, Douglas Fowley, Cy Kendall, Trevor Bardette, Harry Semels, Arthur Hunnicutt, Pierre Watkin, Maude Eburne
In this "Boston Blackie" episode, ex-thief Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) sponsors 12 paroled prisoners in an effort to redeem them by finding jobs for them in a defense plant. But, not all of the prisoners have patriotism in mind, and they plan a robbery after which a reformed safecracker–and the only honest one of the group–Dooley Watson (Erik Rolf) becomes the prime suspect. By story's end, Blackie and the parolees have learned to work together, and Blackie is rewarded by getting a new set of convicts to work with.
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Crime Doctor's Man Hunt 1946 N/R, 64 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: William Castle Cast: Warner Baxter, Ellen Drew, William Frawley, Frank Sully, Claire Carleton, Bernard Nedell, Jack Lee, Olin Howland, Francis Pierlot, Myron Healey
Forensic psychologist Doctor Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) gets involved in a case of Irene Cotter's (Ellen Drew) murder of two gangsters who had killed her brother.
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Hollywood Story 1951 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: William Castle Cast: Richard Conte, Julie Adams, Richard Egan, Henry Hull, Fred Clark, Jim Backus, Paul Cavanagh, Houseley Stevenson, Francis X. Bushman, Joel McCrea
A movie director was murdered 20 years ago. Now, Larry O'Brien (Richard Conte) comes to Hollywood to make a movie about the crime and uncovers the real story behind the murder.
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Homicidal 1961 N/R, 87 min. Genre: Horror / Mystery / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Joan Marshall, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce, Richard Rust, James Westerfield, Gilbert Green, Wolfe Barzell, Hope Summers, William Castle, Joseph Forte, "Snub" Pollard, Hope Summers, Teri Brooks
William Castle was at his best in this eerie tale, a different take on the "Psycho" theme. A young woman (Joan Marshall) asks a bellhop, who she just met, to marry her, promising it would be annulled. She kills the Justice of the Peace that married them and heads to a creepy house to nurse an old, paralyzed woman and her strange son. The old woman's niece becomes suspicious after her aunt is brutally murdered, and she then finds out that her new boyfriend is the nurse in drag. Wild, gory fun. Director Castle had a "Fright Break" near the end of the film so that those who wanted to could leave.
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House on Haunted Hill 1959 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Drama / Horror / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Alan Marshal, Carolyn Craig, Elisha Cook Jr., Howard Hoffman, Julie Mitchum, Leona Anderson
Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) has offered $10,000 each to five people IF they will spend one night in his haunted house that has been the site of a number of murders. They want the money and appear at the appointed time and place, but, unbeknownst to Frederick, his wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) has her own plans for collecting the reward money. The doors are locked at midnight, and now screams, severed heads, a skeleton, and even a strangling noose fill the dark night.
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I Saw What You Did 1965 N/R, 82 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Joan Crawford, John Ireland, Leif Erickson, Sara Lane, Andi Garrett, Patricia Breslin, John Archer, John Crawford, Douglas Evans
Teenagers Kit (Sarah Lane) and Libby (Andi Garrett) pull telephone pranks until they unwittingly call a murderer, Steve Marak (John Ireland), who thinks they are on to him, and he is determined to track them down in an effort to get rid of "witnesses."
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Johnny Stool Pigeon 1949 N/R, 75 min. Genre: Drama
Director: William Castle Cast: Howard Duff, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Tony Curtis, John McIntire, Leif Erickson, Barry Kelley, Gregg Barton, Wally Maher, Charles Drake
Narcotics agent George Morton (Howard Duff) recruits convict Johnny Evans (Dan Duryea) to help crack a narcotics ring.
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Just Before Dawn 1946 N/R, 65 min. Genre: Mystery / Drama
Director: William Castle Cast: Warner Baxter, Adele Roberts, Martin Kosleck, Mona Barrie, Marian Miller, Charles D. Brown, Craig Reynolds, Robert Barrat, Charles(2) Lane, George Meeker, Marvin Miller, Charles Arnt, Byron Foulger, Ted Hecht
In the seventh film of the "Crime Doctor" series, Crime Doctor Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) is on the trail of a killer after being tricked into giving a fatal injection to one of his patients.
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Macabre 1958 N/R, 73 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: William Prince, Jim Backus, Christine White, Jacqueline Scott, Susan Morrow, Ellen Corby, Dorothy Morris, Philip Tonge, Jonathan Kidd, Howard Hoffman
When this film was released, theaters used the gimmick of insuring its moviegoers for $1,000 against "death by fright." The story involves a diabolical plot by a father (William Prince) to fake his daughter Alice's (Dorothy Morris) kidnapping and bring on her grandfather's heart attack.
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The Mark of the Whistler 1944 N/R, 60 min. Genre: Drama aka: The Marked Man
Director: William Castle Cast: Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Porter Hall, Paul Guilfoyle, John Calvert, Matt Willis, Matt McHugh, Howard Freeman, Willie Best, Arthur Space
Lee Selfridge Nugent (Richard Dix) is a drifter who poses as the owner of an old bank account and withdraws the money. Now he is the target of those out for revenge because their father was sent to jail after a conflict with that account, and they now mistakenly believe that Lee was the one responsible.
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Mr. Sardonicus 1961 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Horror / Drama / Thriller / Mystery
Director: William Castle Cast: Guy Rolfe, Ronald Lewis, Oskar Homolka, Audrey Dalton, Vladimir Sokoloff, Erika Peters, Lorna Hanson, Tina Woodward, James Forrest, David Janti, William Castle, Constance Cavendish, Edith Atwater, Franz Roehn
Baron Sardonicus (Guy Rolfe) strikes it rich after digging up his father's grave to salvage a winning lottery ticket. There is one problem: as a result of his horrid experience, his face froze in a hideous grimace. He tries various cures, but none will work, so he visits a famous neurosurgeon. The doctor is able to take care of this little problem–but the consequences may be worse than the original condition. Oskar Homolka is excellent as the creepy servant.
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The Night Walker 1964 N/R, 86 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Judi Meredith, Hayden Rorke, Rochelle Hudson, Lloyd Bochner, Marjorie Bennett, Jess Barker, Tetsu Komai
Widow Irene Trent (Barbara Stanwyck) suffers from nightmares about her dead husband, and she begins to confuse her dreams with reality.
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The Old Dark House 1963 PG, 86 min. Genre: Horror / Thriller / Comedy
Director: William Castle Cast: Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns, Peter Bull, Danny Green, Fenella Fielding, John Harvey, Amy Dalby
An American car salesman, Tom Penderel (Tom Poston), delivers a car to a spooky, old house where he finds the owner dead. The family members are very strange, and, as a storm rages outside, members of the family are killed one-by-one while Penderel tries to figure out who is responsible.
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Project X 1968 N/R, 97 min. Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: William Castle Cast: Christopher George, Greta Baldwin, Henry Jones, Monte Markham, Harold Gould, Phillip Pine, Keye Luke, Ivan Bonar, Ed Prentiss
Off in the future, the secret agent has amnesia as well as the highly classified germ formula. Getting it from him is the goal.
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She's a Soldier Too 1944 N/R, 67 min. Genre: Drama
Director: William Castle Cast: Beulah Bondi, Lloyd Bridges, Nina Foch, Percy Kilbride, Shelley Winters, Ida Moore, Jess Barker, Jeanne Bates, Edward Earle, Marilyn Johnson
A woman taxi-driver (Beulah Bondi) listens to the story of a soldier (Lloyd Bridges) searching for his son and determines to help him in his quest.
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Strait-Jacket 1964 N/R, 89 min. Genre: Drama / Horror / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St. John, John Anthony Hayes, Rochelle Hudson, George Kennedy, Edith Atwater, Howard Hoffman, Mitchell Cox, Lee Majors, Vicki Cos
Twenty years after she was sentenced to prison for murder, Lucy Harbin (Joan Crawford) is released and reunited with her daughter, Carol (Diane Baker)–then more murders begin to take place.
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Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven 1948 N/R, 76 min. Genre: Comedy aka: The Girl from Texas
Director: William Castle Cast: Guy Madison, Diana Lynn, James Dunn, Lionel Stander, Florence Bates, Michael Chekhov, Margaret Hamilton, Moyna MacGill, Irene Ryan, Colin(2) Campbell, Clem Bevans, William Frawley, Roscoe Karns, Erskine Sanford
Texas cowboy Eddie Taylor (Guy Madison) and city-girl Perry Dunklin (Diana Lynn) arrive in New York for fun, adventure, and fortune. But when Eddie falls in love with Perry, she does not return his affections. And while they do buy a Brooklyn riding academy, Eddie spends much of his time keeping Perry out of trouble.
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The Tingler 1959 N/R, 80 min. Genre: Horror / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Director: William Castle Cast: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman, Patricia Cutts, Philip Coolidge, Pamela Lincoln, Bob Gunderson, Clarence Straight, Dal McKennon, William Castle
Doctor Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) treats patients who are suffering from strange growths–tinglers–on their spines, and the tingler attacks only when the people are frightened. The treatment involves screaming to release tension–and the growth. He meets Ollie Higgins (Philip Coolidge) whose deaf wife Martha (Judith Evelyn) dies from the tingler's effects, and Warren finds the tingler during her autopsy. Ollie owns a theater in which the tingler escapes, and Warren urges the audience to scream. The film stops, and the gimmick is that certain seats within the movie theater had been equipped to deliver small electric shocks.
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When Strangers Marry 1944 N/R, 67 min. Genre: Mystery aka: Betrayed
Director: William Castle Cast: Dean Jagger, Kim Hunter, Robert Mitchum, Neil Hamilton, Lou Lubin, Milton Kibbee, Rhonda Fleming, Marta Mitrovich, Byron Foulger, Edward Keane
Millie (Kim Hunter) suspects that her new husband is a murderer, and she enlists the aid of a friend to help.
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Zotz! 1962 N/R, 87 min. Genre: Comedy / Horror / Fantasy
Director: William Castle Cast: Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Fred Clark, Cecil Kellaway, Margaret Dumont, Jimmy Hawkins, Elaine Martone, Zeme North, James Millhollin, Carl Don, Mike Mazurki, Louis Nye, Frank J. Scannell, Judee Morton
College professor Jonathan Jones (Tom Poston) discovers "zotz," which is a magic coin that gives him power over those around him. Jones offers "zotz" to the Pentagon only to learn that the Army brass believes he is crazy. When foreign agents learn about "zotz," they set out to kidnap Jones, but, during the attempt, Jones drops his magic coin, and it is lost forever in the sewer.
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| 1. 13 Ghosts (1960) aka: Thirteen Ghosts
2. The Americano (1955)
3. Bug (1975)
4. The Chance of a Lifetime (1943)
5. Charge of the Lancers (1954)
6. Crime Doctor's Gamble (1947)
7. Crime Doctor's Man Hunt (1946)
8. Crime Doctor's Warning (1945)
9. Hollywood Story (1951)
10. Homicidal (1961)
11. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
12. I Saw What You Did (1965)
13. Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)
14. Just Before Dawn (1946)
15. Macabre (1958)
16. The Mark of the Whistler (1944) aka: The Marked Man
17. Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
18. The Night Walker (1964)
19. The Old Dark House (1963)
20. Project X (1968)
21. She's a Soldier Too (1944)
22. Strait-Jacket (1964)
23. Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948) aka: The Girl from Texas
24. The Tingler (1959)
25. When Strangers Marry (1944) aka: Betrayed
26. Zotz! (1962)
In The News
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