The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) Directed by Jack Arnold adapted by Richard Matheson and starring Grant WilliamsFive Million Years to Earth (1967) Directed by Roy Ward Baker, written by Nigel Kneale starring Barbara Shelley and Andrew KeirThe Manster (1959) Directed by George P. Breakston starring Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton and Tetsu NakamuraThe Twilight People (1972) Directed by Eddie RomeroBluebeard (1972) Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Starring Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, Natalie Delon, Agostina Belli, Karen Schubert, Sybil Danning, Joey Heatherton and Marilù Tolo The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) Directed by Robert Florey with a screenplay by Curt Siodmak. Starring Robert Alda, Peter Lorre, Andrea King and J. Carrol NaishCarnival of Souls (1962) Directed by Herk Harvey starring Candace HilligossThe Beast with Five Fingers (1946) Directed by Robert Florey Starring Robert Alda, Peter Lorre, Andrea King and J. Carrol NaishBedlam (1946) Directed by Mark Robson Starring Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Ian Wolfe,Billy House, Richard Fraser, Glen Vernon and Elizabeth Russell. Produced by Val LewtonDracula (1931) Directed by Tod Browning adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker-Starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Frances Dade and Edward Van SloaneBlood and Roses (1960) Directed by Roger Vadim. Adapted from the novel by Sheridan Le Fanu- Starring Mel Ferrer, Elsa Martinelli, Annette StroybergBlack Sunday (1960) La maschera del demonio-Directed by Mario Bava Starring Barbara Steele, John Richardson and Andrea ChecciThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) Directed by William Dieterle Starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Hara and Cedric Hardwicke adapted from the novel by Victor HugoWar of the Colossal Beast (1958) Directed by Bert I. Gordon Starring Sally Fraser and Roger PaceIt Conquered the World (1956) Directed by Roger Corman- Starring Beverly Garland, Peter Graves Lee Van Cleef and The Cucumber MonsterCurse of the Faceless Man (1958) Directed by Edward L. Cahn–Starring Richard Anderson, Elaine Edwards, Adele Mara and Luis Van RootenThe Old Dark House 1932 directed by James Whale-Gloria Stuart and Boris KarloffDead of Night (1945) Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, and Robert Hamer.–Starring Michael Redgrave, Mervyn Johns, Roland Culver, Googie Withers, Mary Merrall, Sally Ann Howes, Frederick Valk, Anthony BairdDie! Die! My Darling! (1965) directed by Silvio Narizzano with a screenplay by Richard Matheson adapted from a novel by Anne Blaisdell–Starring Tallulah Bankhead, Stephanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Donald Sutherland and Yootha JoyceThe Tenant (1976) Directed by Roman Polanski–Starring Roman Polanski, Isabelle Adjani, Melvyn Douglas, Jo Van Fleet, Bernard Fresson, Lila Kedrova, Claude Dauphin and Shelley WintersHouse of Horrors (1946) Directed by Jean Yarborough starring “The Creeper” Rondo Hatton, Martin Kosleck and Virginia Gray Spirits of the Dead (Italy/France 1968) aka Histoires extraordinaires Segment: “William Wilson” Directed by Louis Malle Shown from left: Brigitte Bardot, Alain DelonDr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965) Directed by Freddie Francis–Screenplay by Milton Subotsky–Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Neil McCallum, Ursula Howells, Peter Madden, Katy Wild, Alan Freeman, Ann Bell, Phoebe Nichols, Bernard Lee, Jeremy KempDoctor X (1932) Directed by Michael Curtiz-Starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, Preston Foster, John Wray, Harry BeresfordFrankenstein (1910) Produced by Thomas Edison Directed by J. Searle DawleyHorror Hotel aka The City of the Dead (1960) Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey Starring Christopher Lee, Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis, Tom Naylor and Betta St. John. From a story by Milton SubotskyHouse of Frankenstein (1944) Directed by Erle C. Kenton from a story by Curt Siodmak. Starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. J.Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe, Lionel Atwill and George ZuccoIsland of Lost Souls (1932) Directed by Erle C. Kenton Starring Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams and Kathleen Burke based on a story by H.G.WellsIsle of the Dead (1945) directed by Mark Robson written by Ardel Wray-Starring Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helene Thimig, Alan Napier, Jason Robards Sr.Carl Theodor Dreyer Leaves from Satan’s Book (1921) starring Helge NissenDiabolique (1955) Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot adapted by Pierre Boileau Starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot and Paul MeurisseThe Wolf Man (1941) Directed by George Waggner Starring Lon Chaney Jr. Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Evelyn Ankers and Fay Helm original screenplay by Curt SiodmakNight Must Fall (1937) Directed by Richard Thorpe Shown from left: Robert Montgomery, Dame May WhittyPhantom of the Opera (1925) Directed by Rupert Julian and Lon Chaney. Starring Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin story by Gaston LerouxStrangler of the Swamp (1946) directed by Frank Wisbar-starring Rosemary La Planche, Robert Barrat with an original story by Leo J. McCarthyNosferatu (1922) directed by F.W.Murnau Starring Max SchreckThe Abominable Snowman (1957) Directed by Val Guest starring Forrest Tucker, Peter Cushing and Maureen Connell written by Nigel KnealeThe Bat Whispers (1930) Directed by Roland West-starring Chance Ward, Richard Tucker, Wilson Benge, DeWitt Jennings, Una Merkel Grace Hamptom, and Chester MorrisThe Curse of the Cat People (1944) directed by Gunther von Fritsch- Starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, Ann Carter, and Elizabeth Russell. Screenplay by DeWitt BodeenMighty Joe Young (1949) Directed by Ernest B. SchoedsackYoung Frankenstein (1974) Directed by Mel Brooks Starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars and Liam Dunn.The Devil Bat (1940) directed by Jean Yarborough Starring Bela LugosiThe Fly (1958) directed by Kurt Neumann screenplay by James Clavell, Starring David Hedison, Patricia Owens and Vincent PriceThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) directed by Tobe Hooper. Starring Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger and Gunnar Hansen as LeatherfaceThe Undead (1957) Directed by Roger Corman written by Charles B. Griffith and Mark Hanna Starring Pamela Duncan, Richard Garland, Allison Hayes, Val Dufour, Bruno VeSota, Mel Welles, Dorothy Neumann and Billy BartyThe Witches (1966) directed by Cyril Frankel Written by Nigel Kneale Starring Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh and Alec McCowenThe Uninvited (1944) directed by Lewis Allen Starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner and Gail RussellTHE NIGHT CALLER [BR 1965] aka BLOOD BEAST FROM OUTER SPACE MAURICE DENHAM, JOHN SAXON, JOHN CARSON Date: 1965Poltergeist (1982) directed by Tobe Hooper written by Steven Spielberg. Starring JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Craig T. Nelson, Dominique Dunne Heather O’Rourke
Anna Magnani in Tennessee William’s The Rose Tattoo (1955) directed by Daniel Manndirector Jean Cocteau’s The Blood of the Poet (1932) starring Enrique RiveroLillian Gish stars in Broken Blossoms in D. W. Griffith’s (1919) visual poetryKongo (1932) Lupe Velez torments Virginia Bruce in this remake of West of Zanzibar (1928)Guiletta Masina is brilliant in Juliet of the Spirits (1965) Fellini’s masterpiece oneric journeydirector Kaneto Shindô’s Kuroneko (1968) a beautifully disturbing ghost storyAnita Louise as Titania Queen of the Faeries in A Midsummer Night’s Dream 1935Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider in The Last Tango in Paris 1972Arthur Franz, Anthony Quinn and Carol Ohmart in The Wild Party 1956Death Takes a Holiday (1934) Katherine Alexander as Alda with Fredric March as Prince Sirki/DeathRichard Fleischer directs Tony Curtis in The Boston Strangler 1968Part of several segments of this classical ghost story, Alberto Cavalcanti directs Michael Redgrave in perhaps one of the most famous frightening tales in “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” Dead of Night (1945)Peter Breck is attacked by Nymphomaniacs in Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor (1963)Film noir thriller Brighton Rock (1947) starring Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown co-stars with Carol MarshJohn Ford’s epic western drama -My Darling Clementine 1946 starring Henry Fonda and Linda DarnellCharles Busch, left, and Peter Francis James in a 1993 Classic Theater Company production of “The Maids” (1933) in which the sisters were men in dragThe Living Dead Man 1926-Michel Simon as Jérôme Pomino François Truffaut’s tribute to Alfred Hitchcock with The Bride Wore Black (1968) starring the incomparable Jeanne MoreauThe Sea Hawk (1924) directed by Harold Lloyd starring silent film idol Milton SillsHarriet Andersson in Through A Glass Darkly (1961) director Ingmar BergmanThe notorious Last Supper sequence in Luis Buñuel’s VIRIDIANA Janus Films.
12 Angry Men (1957) Directed by Sidney Lumet Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec… also stars John Fiedler, Martin Balsam and Robert WebberBroken Blossoms (1919) Starring Lillian Gish as Lucy the girl.The Cigarette Girl from Mosselprom (Moscow) 1924 Directed by Yuri Zhelyabuzhsky -starring Yuliya Solntseva as Zina Vesenina- the cigarette girlChristmas Holiday (1944)Directed by Robert Siodmak-starring Deanna Durbin & Gene KellyCurse of the Demon (1957) Directed by Jacques Tourneur-Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis Diana Dors as Eunice Higginbotham inMy Wife’s Lodger (1952)Directed by Lew Landers Harry Woods is Borno in- Call of the Savage (1935)L’Inferno 1911, Dante Alighieri “A Divina Comédia”, Directed by Giuseppe de Liguoro.The Sea Hawk 1924 Directed by Frank LloydAlfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944) cinematic stage play with the vast scope of the Ocean and the claustrophobic air of desperation. Brilliant performances by Tallulah Bankhead and John Hodiak looking his hunkiest best…The Virgin Spring (1960) directed by Ingmar Bergman-disturbing journey of revenge Gilda (1946) directed by Charles VIdor and stars the magnificent Rita Hayworth in the title role Gilda Mundson Farrell, here dancing with Glenn Ford. A film noir classicLast Tango in Paris 1972 directed by Bernardo Bertolucci-stars Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider as a pair of angst filled lovers whose relationship is based on sex & deathMan Made Monster 1941 starring Lionel Atwill as the deranged Dr RigasMonsieur Verdoux 1947 directed by and starring Charles Chaplin-brilliant dark comedy of murder and anti-conformity.Charles Laughton’s oneric fable of childhood terrors, the bonds of friendship and the plight of Love vs Hate… Beautifully filmed- starring Lillian Gish as Rachel Cooper and Robert Mitchum as the diabolical Harry Powell in Night of the Hunter (1955)Jane Eyre 1943 directed by Robert Stevenson starring Peggy Ann Garner is young Jane. Plunder Road (1957) directed by Hubert Cornfeld, perhaps one of the most edgy crime story film noirs headed up Gene Raymond and Elisha Cook Jr.The Set-Up (1949) Robert Ryan stars as boxer Stoker in Robert Wise’s extraordinary noir film centered around the boxing ring and a down on his luck fighter that still has a lot of fight left in him. One of my favorite film noir classics, much to do with Ryan’s performance and Milton R. Krasner’s cinematography…the Wonderful Norman Lloyd in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur 1942Rock Hudson is psychologically and physically spun around on his head in Seconds 1966 by John Frankenheimer- A story about that precious commodity… one’s identitySEEDS (1968) Directed by Andy Milligan- it’s seedy and low budget and the perfect exploitative indulgence…Shack Out on 101 (1955) different styled film noir starring Lee Marvin as Slob.. directed by Edward Dein and co-stars Terry Moore and Frank LovejoyStanley Kramer directs this incredible ensemble of actors in Ship of Fools (1965) Here showing George Segal, Michael Dunn and Lee MarvinJohn Hodiak tries to remember in Somewhere in the Night (1946) -a taut amnesia themed noir with great characters. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Here with Fritz Kortner as Anzelmo or Dr Oracle.Street With No Name (1948) starring Mark Stevens and directed by William Keighly -This film noir also stars Richard Widmark and Lloyd Nolan…Sunrise (1927) directed by F.W. Murnau starring Janet Gaynor and George O’Brien-Beautifully filmed silent masterpieceNightbirds 1970 Andy Milligan’s gritty cult journey about two miscreants in London.Terror in the Crypt aka Crypt of the Vampire 1964 directed by Camillo Mastrocinque based on the Karnstein saga with Adriana Ambesi and Ursula Davis and the immortal Christopher LeeThe Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Hugh O’Brian and a really psychotic Robert Evans.The Scavengers 1959 starring Carol Ohmart directed by John Cromwell -an obscure film noir also starring Vince EdwardsThe Secret Garden 1949 starring Margaret O’Brien and a wonderful cast Herbert Marshall, Dean Stockwell, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Reginald Owen, Brian Roper, Aubrey Mather isobel Elsom and George Zucco fill out this fantasy drama directed by Fred M. WilcoxThe Seventh Sin (1957) directed by Ronald Neame and Vincente Minnelli starring Eleanor Parker and Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay as Mother SuperiorThe Soft Skin 1964 Françoise Dorléac directed by François TruffautThe Stranger 1946 directed by Orson WellesThe Terrible People (1960) directed by Harald Reinl adapted from the story by Edgar Wallace stars Joachim FuchsbergerThe Wild Boys of the Road 1933 directed by William WellmanThe Young One 1960 directed by Luis Buñuel starring Key Meersman as Evalyn. Also stars Zachary Scott and Bernie HamiltonThe Exterminating Angel (1962) directed by Luis BuñuelThe Twilight Girls (1957) by André HunebelleTo Kill a Mockingbird 1962 directed by Robert Mulligan -John Megna as Dill and Phillip Alford as Jem. adapted from Harper Lee’s masterpiece
Metropolis 1927Earth vs the Flying Saucers 1956The Uninvited 1944Bedlam 1946The Mad Monster 1942Black Sunday 1960The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920Tales from the Crypt 1972The Wolf Man 1941Night Monster 1942 Island of Lost Souls 1932Carnival of Souls 1962 Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 1943 The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939 London After Midnight 1927 Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948West of Zanzibar 1928The Invisible Man1933Daleks’ Invasion Earth -2150 A.D. (1966) The Man from Planet X (1951) The Bride of Frankenstein 1935The Unknown 1927The Amityville Horror 1979The Man They Could Not Hang 1939Corridors of Blood 1958The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1920 The Ape Man 1943Chandu the Magician 1932The Time of Their Lives 1946 The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942The Invisible Man 1933The Raven 1935Dracula’s Daughter 1936 Bloody Mama 1970 Son of Frankenstein 1939 White Zombie 1932 The Cat and the Canary 1927 Dr. Renault’s Secret 1942 Black Sunday 1960Kill Baby Kill 1966 The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971 Dracula 1931 Dragonwyck 1946 House of Wax 1953 The Raven 1963 Dracula’s Daughter 1936The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1939 the Bride of Frankenstein 1935 Beauty and the Beast 1946 The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957 Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956 Tarantula 1955 Village of the Damned 1960 Cat and the Canary 1927
Silent Night, Bloody Night 1972Freaks 1932 West of ZanzibarHe Who Gets Slapped 1924 Family Plot 1976 (rip Karen Black) Curse of the Demon 1957 Devil Girl From Mars 1954 Dr Cyclops 1940 Double Door 1934 Rosemary’s Baby 1968Pit and the Pendulum 1961 Experiment in Terror 1962 Eyes Without a Face 1960 Curse of the Demon 1957 The Giant Behemoth 1959 The Bride of Frankenstein 1935 The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942 The Haunted Palace 1963 Curse of the Demon 1957 He Who Gets Slapped 1924 Blackmail 1929 House on Haunted Hill 1959 House of Frankenstein 1944 The Haunting 1963 Night of the Living Dead 1968 Island of Lost Souls 1932Metrópolis 1927 It Came From Beneath the Sea 1955 The Crawling Eye 1958 It Came from Outer Space 1953 It Came from Outer Space 1953Lifeboat 1944 Man Made Monster 1941 The Monster 1925 Faust 1926 Curse of the Demon 1957 Night Monster 1942 The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 The Thing from Another World 1951 The Devil Commands 1941 The Stepford Wives 1975The Screaming Skull 1958 the Bride of Frankenstein 1935 The Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954 The Black Cat 1934 The Black Cat 1934 The Fly 1958 The Ghost Ship 1943 The Invisible Ray 1936 The Leopard Man 1943 Freaks 1932The Man They Could Not Hang 1939 The Man They Could Not Hang 1939 The Mummy 1932 Psycho 1960 The Thing from Another World 1951 The Mummy’s’ Ghost 1944 The Undying Monster 1942 Jane Eyre 1943The Woman Who Came Back 1945 the Amazing Colossal Man 1957 The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957 The Seventh Seal 1957 The Haunting 1963 The Devil CommandsThe Thing From Another World 1951 The Undying Monster 1942 The Unholy 3 (1925) Vampyr 1932 I Walked with a Zombie 1943The Exorcist 1973 Carnival of Souls 1962White Zombie 1932 Island of Lost Souls 1932 Munster, Go Home! 1966
Special appreciation for several of the fabulous images courtesy of Dr. Macros High Quality photos!
HAVE A VERY SAFE & HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM YOUR EVERLOVIN’ MONSTERGIRL!!!!!!
Act of Violence 1948 directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Van Heflin, Robert Ryan and Janet LeighLon Chaney in Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? 1962 Directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Bette Davis and Joan CrawfordBedlam 1946 directed by Mark Robson Produced by Val Lewton and starring Boris Karloff and Anna LeeBette Davis and Bette Davis in Dead Ringer (1964) directed by Paul Henreid and co-starring Karl Malden and Peter LawfordJoan Blondell and Tyrone Power in Nightmare Alley 1947 written by Jules Furthman for the screen and directed by Edmund GouldingCabin in the Sky 1943 directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Lena Horne and Ethel WatersCrossfire 1947 directed by Edward Dmytryk starring the Roberts- Robert Young, Robert Mitchum and Robert RyanThe Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 directed by Robert Wise and starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh MarloweThe Devil Commands 1941 directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Boris Karloff and Anne Revere written for the screen by Robert Hardy AndrewsTHE OLD DARK HOUSE, THE (1932) GLORIA STUART and BORIS KARLOFF Dir: JAMES WHALEDr JEKYLL AND MR HYDE 1931starring Frederick March & Miriam Hopkins and directed by Rouben MamoulianThey Live By Night starring Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell. Directed by Nicholas RayJoan Fontaine and Judith Anderson in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca 1940Phantom of the Opera 1925 starring Lon Chaney and Mary PhilbinTod Brownings Freaks 1932Gloria Grahame Odds Against Tomorrow 1959 directed by Robert Wise Josette Day in Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast 1946Judith Anderson in Rebecca 1940Janet Leigh and Phyllis Thaxter in Act of Violence 1948Joseph L. Mankiewitz directs Louis Calhern & Marlon Brando in Julius Caesar 1953Fritz Langs’ Metropolis 1927William Castle’s Mr Sardonicus 1961 Starring Guy Rolfe and Audrey DaltonWilliam Wyler directs Shirley McClaine in Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour 1961co-starring Audrey Hepburn and James GarnerMary Astor and Van Heflin Act of Violence 1948Odds Against Tomorrow Shelley Winters and Robert Ryan 1959Gregory Peck in Robert Mulligan’s To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 written by Harper Lee with a screenplay by Horton FooteRobert Ryan in Robert Wise’s The Set-Up 1949Sam Fuller’s The Naked Kiss 1964 starring Constance TowersCecil B DeMille’s Samson and Delilah 1949 -starring Hedy Lamarr and Victor MatureRobert Stevenson directed Bronte’s Jane Eyre 1943 starring a young Elizabeth Taylor and Peggy Ann GarnerThe Children’s Hour Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaineJulie Harris and Claire Bloom in Robert Wise’s The Haunting 1963George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead 1968Barbara Stanwyk as Jo in Walk on the Wild Side 1962 directed by Edward DmytrykWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962 Bette Davis and Victor Buono
HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th- Hope you have a truly lucky day-MonsterGirl
Photo of the great William Castle -courtesy of Spine Tingler
“The film is frightening because it forces us to examine the kinds and bases of belief. We confront the idea that the Christian myth is certainly no more believable that its mirror image, and possibly less so. And beyond this, we are also forced to realize that our mode of believing in Christianity is quite different from the one with which we perceive ‘real’ things –In other words, while Polanski’s film is determinedly realistic, it is at the same time a challenge to realism, locating the ordinary world of plausible social interaction within a wider and more primitive universe of magic, sorcery and supernatural forces.” –Hollywood Hex, -Makita Brottman
Rosemary’s Baby is my favorite film. I plan on doing one of my long winded major features on this masterpiece in it’s entirety but for the sake of celebrating William Castle this week, I’d like to strictly focus on his contribution to an iconic tour de force that would not have been filmed if not for him. Rosemary’s Baby premiered in June 1968.
Roman Polanski on William Castle: “He was an excellent technician who understands filmmakers’ problems and doesn’t have the usual worries other producers have. He made a constant effort to make me happy in my work. I can’t think of a better producer.”
After many years of William Castle slaving over B movies and programmers like The Whistler and The Crime Doctor, he found his niche in horror. He saw Henri-Georges Clouzotle Diaboliquein 1955 and it lit a fire in his belly to create his own Gothic creepy storytelling that would lure the audience under it’s spell. Thus sung Macabre in 1958. While certainly not Diabolique,Macabre put Castle on the path toward creating engaging & frightening landscapes that would entertain millions!
That same year, thanks to his very successful House on Haunted Hill and his 12 foot plastic glow in the dark skeleton deemed ‘Emergo’ that flew over theatre audiences, he was now dubbed the ‘King of Gimmicks.’ Castle went on to chill us with The TIngler in ’59, 13 Ghosts in ’60, Homicidal and Mr Sardonicus in ’61, Strait-Jacket in ’64, and I Saw What You Did in ’65 both landing Joan Crawford at the helm.
William Castle’s Homicidal ’61starring Jean Arless (Joan Marshall)
With all the ballyhoo and commercial success, Bill was craving respect. He thought he’d find that admiration in Rosemary’s Baby, a novel by Ira Levin(A Kiss Before Dying, The StepFord Wives, Boys From Brazil) about an unassuming pretty little housewife chosen by a coven of New York City witches to be the mother of Lucifer’s only begotten son and heir.
What is remarkable about the film is the realism. It is so careful to remain dedicated to the naturalistic tone of Levin’s novel showing us a set of ordinary characters in an apparently common world. Then they gradually become introduced to extraordinary elements of dark forces, both magic and fantasy that begin to overwhelm the narrative. We as spectators are now caught up in Rosemary’s plight and her utter sense of powerlessness. This story is less about witches and more about paranoia and the lack of control over our own bodies and destiny. However explained in supernatural terms, it’s still about losing trust with those closest to us, the people we depend on to protect us from harm. We watch as Rosemary’s world turns upside down.
I saw Rosemary’s Baby during it’s theatrical release in New York in June 1968. It was billed as a double feature with The Mephisto Waltz. We won’t get into how either really enlightened or truly nutty, depending on your perspective, my mom was for taking her 6 year old little girl to see two very intense horror pictures dealing with adult and subversive themes.
I was an extremely mature child and the film not only didn’t traumatize me, it opened up a world of desire for me to see as many intellectual horror stories without fear of nightmares. Although I must admit when I used to watch Robert Wise’sThe Haunting in broad daylight on a Saturday afternoon, I did manage to lock the basement door and shove the large gold (the color of Archie Bunker’s favorite chair) love seat in front of it to keep any boogeyman from coming up the basement stairs into the den when I was alone in the house.
I also just saw Rosemary’s Baby remastered on the big screen at the Film Forum a few weeks ago. I have to admit, that as soon as Christopher Komeda’s music starts playing and the birds eye view of the Dakota emerges on screen the electricity started flowing up my legs, this time not my usual RLS, I began weeping. Not only is Rosemary’s Baby my favorite film, I recognize the confluence of perfectionism in each and every scene that makes it a flawless masterpiece, from the vibrant performances to the exquisite storytelling. Every detail is magical and I don’t mean devilish, I mean artfully.
Something else wonderful happened during the screening that day. Amidst all the other film geeks like myself, and aside from the audible pleasure the audience let out when the magnificent Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer walk on screen where we all laughed and silently cheered for their strolling entrance as the iconic quirky and eccentric devil worshiping senior citizens. When Bill Castle did his Hitchcock walk on by the phone booth, I realized that it wasn’t only me smacking my partner Wendy’s knee with childhood excitement, “There’s Bill, there he is!!! We both chuckled with glee to see his wide warming grin. Suddenly we heard others in the crowd stirring and murmuring “there he is, that’s Bill Castle!!!” Amidst all the appurtenances Rosemary’s Baby has to offer, so many of us fans were thrilled to catch sight of Mr.Castle with his fat cigar standing by the phone booth. We were collectively excited to see the man who had entertained us all these years. It was heart warming. I did tear up.
I recognize Roman Polanski as the auteur that he is, but that is not what I want to dwell on here. I want to stress that Rosemary’s Baby would not have been made if it weren’t for William Castle, and his perseverance, passion and eye for intellectual property. William Castle acknowledged that The Lady From Shanghai was a work of art because of Orson Welles‘ direction, however, it was Castle who first discovered and purchased the rights to If I Should Die Before I Wake, only to have Orson Welles turn around and pitch it to Harry Cohn as his own idea.
It was Rosemary’s Baby that Bill chose to elevate his status from B movie maker to respected filmmaker in a very fickle industry. Let’s pay tribute to one certain fact: Rosemary’s Baby would not be the film it is after 45 years without William Castle’s imprint on it.
In Bill’s memoirs Step Right Up, I’m Gonna Scare the Pants Off America(which is a fantastic read for any enthusiast about the golden age of Hollywood and just a darn good bit of story telling) describes how William Castle’s literary agent Marvin Birdt, the person who found the script and insisted Bill read the galleys immediately. Castle looked at the title and dismissed it saying “Its probably some story about an unwed mother… cheap exploitation. Who the hell wants to make a picture like that?”
Bill Castle thought the film just wasn’t for him at the point. It was 1968 and the film industry wasn’t really embracing horror films anymore. He was so overwhelmed with the lousy books and manuscripts that were piling up that he just couldn’t fathom wasting any time with yet another piece of junk. But, it took him all of three hours to finish the story, as he said, ‘bathed in sweat and shaking.’ Castle saw the magnitude of Ira Levin’s story when it was still in unpublished manuscript form: “I made up my mind when I read the novel Rosemary’s Baby that it was the greatest novel that would translate into a screenplay that I had ever read. That just lent itself to a brilliant movie. And I loved the property and I brought the property because I wanted to prove to the industry my fellow peers that I could do something really brilliant.” (Step Right Up, 2010) He told Ellen, his wife, that it was one of the most powerful books he’d ever read, and that it would be an incredible picture to make. When Ellen finished reading it, she told him “it’s disturbing… frightening and brilliant.”(SRU, 2010) But Ellen also warned that he’d have trouble with the Church.
William Castle and the love of his life, his beautiful wife Ellen courtesy of Spine Tingler
Castle’s agent Birdt tormented him about other studios and directors interested in the story and making offers. Later, Castle had found out that the book had actually been offered to Alfred Hitchcock first. One wonders what it might have looked like if Hitch had been behind the camera, storyboarding Levin’s work.
Bill Castle was worried that he was going to lose the picture, but where was he going to get the quarter of a million Birdt demanded to finance the rights to the film? He asked Birdt to offer one hundred thousand dollars up front and then fifty thousand if the book became a bestseller with five percent of one hundred percent of the net profits. His agent wasn’t very encouraged that they’d accept the offer. The waiting to hear back was excruciating, but Castle did get the rights to Rosemary’s Baby. Now he had to come up with the money!
In Step Right Up, Bill describes how Robert Evans, in charge of Paramount Pictures, called to check in, not sure William Castle could handle such a serious motion picture.But, Charles Bluhdorn, owner of Paramount, wanted to meet with Castle personally to discuss the picture, saying “I have big plans for Paramount, and they include you.” Castle found Bluhdorn’s persona magnetic. He told him that Bob Evens had informed him about Castle’ obtaining Rosemary’s Baby.“Would you like to make the picture for us?” Of course, Castle told him, yes.
head of Paramount Robert Evans
“Your services as producer, how much would you want?” Bill Castle corrected Bluhdorn by adding the word ‘director’… trying to avoid negotiating with this man without his lawyer. Bluhdorn wasn’t having any of that. He told Castle that he would not negotiate with lawyers on the making of Rosemary’s Baby. It’s either between Castle and him, or Donnenfeld and Castle’s attorney. Castle decided he had the ego to take on this financial genius and told him he’d negotiate with him directly. But first, Bill asked him if he had read the story. Bluhdorn had not. Bill thought that worked to his advantage as the story was intensely disturbing so the less Bluhdorn knew about the story the better.
Robert Evans and Roman Polanski
When Bill Castle finally blurted out that he’d want to produce and direct, Bluhdorn laughed at him called him a ‘big ridiculous clown.’ He tried to offer Bill only one hundred fifty thousand for the film plus thirty percent of the profits. Bill told him no way. It was a hard bargaining session. Bluhdorn didn’t know what he was dealing for and Bill did, Bluhdorn was also dropping the phony niceties and getting close to bowing out of any deal. “If I walk through that door, Rosemary’s Baby is finished at Paramount. No one -and I mean no one- will renegotiate!” Castle finally composed his inner panic and came back at the austere blowhard with an offer of two hundred fifty thousand and fifty percent of the profits. It was a deal. (Step Right Up, 2010)
Bill Castle courtesy of Spine Tingler
Bill’s daughter, Terry Castle remembers, “He had to do whatever he could and it was his time. Mom and dad mortgaged the house and they bought the rights for a substantial amount of money.” (Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story)
With that he asked Castle’s age and if he’d heard of director Roman Polanski, or seen any of his pictures. Castle had seen Repulsion and Knife in the Water. Bluhdorn sung Polanski’s praises calling him a genius. He impressed upon Castle that with the director’s youth and Castle’s experience as producer, they could both learn from each other. Bill Castle started to find his fire, “Look Mr. Bluhdorn, the reason I bought Rosemary’s Baby with my own money was to direct the film… It’s going to be an important motion picture and I’m not going to miss the opportunity of directing.” (Step Right Up, 2010)
Bluhdorn told him that Polanski directs Rosemary’s Baby or no deal, and asked Bill to at least meet the young director. Castle says “I had made up my mind to hate him on sight… and that he wasn’t going to direct the picture I said absolutely no way. I bought the picture, I bought the book. I own it, I’m going to direct it..{…} I worked all my life to get something worth while on the screen and so at first sight I hated him.” He’d sent Polanski the galleys to read and if after meeting him he decides he doesn’t want him directing the movie then fine. Bill Castle says in his memoirs that while Bluhdorn was a tough negotiator he was at least an honorable and fair man whose handshake was better than a written contract.
Castle and Polanski courtesy of Spine Tingler
InStep Right Up, 2010Castle describes his first impression of Roman Polanski was that he was a little cocky vain narcissist who liked to look at himself in the mirror a lot. Bill asked if he liked the story, “I like it very much… It will make a great picture.” Polanski spoke in his Polish accent. “You would like to direct Rosemary?”Bill asked. “That’s why I’m here. Nobody will be able to direct it as well as Roman Polanski.” And Bill Castle’ felt that Ira Levin’s book was perfect for the screen, needing absolutely no changes whatsoever in adapting it. This was something he felt passionately about. He posed the question to Polanski.“The book is perfect… no changes must be made” Bill says that Polanski was so intense about this that it was quite jarring. “It’s one of the few books I have read that must be translated faithfully to the cinema.” (Step Right Up, 2010)
And having read Levin’s book, I can tell you that reading each line of every page is exactly like watching the story unfold on screen. It is the most faithful adaptation I’ve ever read, more like reading the script after the fact.
Then Castle posed a trick question to Polanski to see what his vision was for filming the narrative, suggesting to him that the camera should not only move around a lot but use strange shots to tell the story. Polanski was empowered by his convictions and told Bill,“No, I don’t Mr. Castle. Actors tell story… like peeping through the keyhole of life. I do not like crazy tricks with camera… must be honest.” That was exactly how Bill Castle saw the film being made. When Polanski told Bill to start calling him Roman, Bill couldn’t help but start to like this man who truly did share a special vision for a very special story. Polanski went on to tell him, “Bill, we can make a wonderful picture together. I have been looking for a long time for a Rosemary’s Baby. To work with you would be my privilege.” (Step Right Up, 2010)
Terry Castle, Bill’s daughter, remembers: “Polanski came over to the house and he was this young wild guy, just this incredibly wily dynamic man with this very thick accent talking about cameras and light he was just incredibly dynamic himself and my dad totally got him. He wanted to get Rosemary’s Baby made and he wanted to produce it… and yet he wanted to direct it. But I think once he met Roman Polanski I think he understood he could bring something incredibly special to the project. And I think it was okay for dad to give that up to him because I think he saw the brilliance in this man. […] Even though he wasn’t going to be directing it at least his name was going to be on it as a William Castle production and he was making for the first time in his life an important studio film.” (Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story)
The last thing Bill Castle needed to know was who he’d pick to write the screenplay and why. Polanski told Bill he would do it himself because he would stick strictly to the book. They spent the rest of the time discussing the film, Bill finding Polanski brilliant and extremely open. He immediately called Bluhdorn and told him that he was right Polanski was the only one who could direct Rosemary’s Baby. Bill Castle had the wisdom and grace to understand that Polanski would make a great film, but to be fair to Bill Castle. it’s also only after his careful facilitation and thoughtful know-how that helped bring Ira Levin’s story to life.
Polanski kept his word, he wrote the screenplay and adhered strictly to the book as promised. Polanski asked Bill to help him find a house by the beach to work and that he’d send his fiance over to help him look for one. On a Sunday morning Sharon Tate was standing at Bill Castle’s door. They found the perfect beach house for the couple, owned by Brian Aherne who was in Europe.
Polanski wanted to use Richard Sylbert to do the set design for the film. Sylbert had just finished working on Mike Nichols’The Graduate. Roman Polanski thought his work was brilliant. Polanski suggested Tuesday Weld in the lead as Rosemary. Bill agreed that she was a fine actress but said, “I think the role was written for Mia Farrow” Polanski watched her in several episodes of Peyton Place and didn’t agree. He thought Tuesday Weld would be better. Jane Fonda, Julie Christie, Elizabeth Hartman, and Joanna Pettet were also considered for the part. Evans asked about the casting of Rosemary, which they both gave their choices.Evans told them that he didn’t think Mia Farrow was available because she was working with George Cukor, he’d check with Zanuck at Fox and in the meantime try and get a reading with Weld.
Tuesday Weld
Now the buzz was all over Hollywood and every actress in town felt they would be just perfect for the lead role, but Polanski was still stubborn about Tuesday Weld. When Zanuck called Bill and told him the Cukor picture fell through, and Mia was available. Bill set up a meeting with Mia and Polanski over lunch and Polanski wound up being completely mesmerized by her. He finally agreed she would play Rosemary. The rest is history.
Roman Polanski actually developed a wonderful working relationship with Mia Farrow on the set. She didn’t bring any preconceived motivations to her role as Rosemary Woodhouse. Supposedly he had some difficulties with Catherine Deneuve on the set of Repulsion, but he found Mia very amenable to work with. Mia followed Polanski’s directions very well, which might explain some of her childlike and innocent air to her performance of the blithe and charming Rosemary.
Baby Doll (1956) Elia Kazan directs Carroll Baker, Eli Wallach, Karl Malden and Mildred Dunnock as Aunt Rose ComfortRobert Cummings and Priscilla Lane in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur (1942)Richard Attenborough in director John Boulting’s British Noir Brighton Rock (1947)David Wayne in Jospeh Losey’s version of M (1951)F.W. Murnau’s Faust (1926)George Franju Judex (1963)Gloria Grahame in Fritz Lang’s noir classic The Big Heat (1953)Hedy Lamarr in “Lady of the Tropics” 1939Ida Lupino in Nicholas Ray’s On Dangerous Ground (1952)George Franju’s Judex (1963) with Channing PollockJoseph Losey’s remake of the classic M (1951) starring David Wayne and a creepy clown balloon.James Mason and Arlene Dahl in Jules Verne’s Journey To the Center of The Earth 1959 Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) Brigitte HelmOdds Against Tomorrow (1959) Directed by Robert Wise staring Robert Ryan, Harry Belafonte, Gloria Grahame and Shelley Winters. Cinematography by Joseph C. BrunOn Dangerous Ground (1952) Directed by Nicholas Ray & an uncredited Ida Lupino-Starring Ida Lupino and Robert RyanOdds Against Tomorrow (1959) Robert Ryan as racist ex-con Earle Slater and Mel Stewart (Henry Jefferson) as Hotel Juno’s Elevator Operator.Douglas Sirk’s Sleep My Love (1948) Starring lovely Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings & Don AmecheArchie Mayo’s Svengali (1931) starring Lionel Barrymore & Marian MarshCarole Lombard stars in Vigil in the Night (1940) directed by George StevensLew Landers’ The Mask of Diijon (1949) starring Erich von Stroheim and Jeanne Bates Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai 1947 Fernando Méndez’s The Vampire’s Coffin (1958) starring Abel Salazar and Ariadna WelterLewis Seiler’s Women’s Prison 1955 starring Ida Lupino, Cleo Moore,Jan Sterling, Audrey Totter, and pictured here Phyllis Thaxter
Beast from 20,000 Fathoms 1953Bela Lugosi and Irene Ware in Chandu the Magician 1932Fred Williamson in Black Caesar 1973Cat People 1942 Alice at the poolLon Chaney -He Who Gets Slapped 1924Claudette Colbert and Henry Wilcoxon in Cleopatra 1934The Sound of Fury aka Try and Get Me 1950Crime Wave 1954Dante’s Inferno (1911)Fallen Angel (1945) Dana Andrews, Alice Faye and Linda DarnellGun Crazy (1950) Peggy Cummins and John DallIn a Lonely Place (1950) Gloria GrahameAnn -Margret in Kitten With a Whip 1964Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews Laura (1944)The Innocents 1961 with Deborah KerrMary Astor The Maltese Falcon (1941)James Garner and Angela Lansbury -Mister Buddwing (1966)Out of the Past (1947) Robert Mitchum and Virginia HustonPlunder Road (1957) Elisha Cook Jr.Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough Seance on a Wet Afternoon 1964Svengali (1931) John Barrymore and Marian MarshThe Blue Dahlia (1946) Alan Ladd and Veronica LakeAelita: Queen of Mars (1924)
Alexandra Schmidt in ‘Mother Krause’s Journey to Happiness’ (1929) Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s brilliant satire- All About Eve (1950) starring the inimitable Bette Davis as Margo Channing and Ann Baxter as the cunning Eve Harrington.Director Lewis Milestone’s All’s Quiet on the Western Front-(1930) starring Lew AyresOtto Preminger’s riveting court room noir Anatomy of a Murder (1959)Battleship Potemkin (1925) Sergei Eisenstein’s masterpiece about the great Russian naval mutiny.Jule’s Dassin’s brutal noir masterpiece Brute Force (1947)Richard Brooks adaptation of Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca 1940Orson Welles’ film classic Touch of Evil (1958)William Dieterle’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1939Henry Hathaway’s disturbing noir classic Kiss of Death 1947Otto Preminger’s quintessential noir Laura (1944)Blake Edwards Experiment in Terror 1960Bert I. Gordon’s Earth Vs The Spider 1958Lambert Hillyer’s understated yet powerfully erotic horror classic Dracula’s Daughter 1936Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s taut and thought provoking social noir No Way Out 1950Mervyn LeRoy’s gangster odyssey Little Caesar 1931Robert Wise’s Science Fiction masterpiece The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)Reginald Beck and Anthony Bushell’s suspenseful The Long Dark Hall 1951Herbert Brenon’s beautiful Laugh, Clown, Laugh 1928Fritz Lang’s notorious psychological thriller M (1931)Otto Preminger’s noir masterpiece about addiction The Man with the Golden Arm 1955Nathan Juran’s iconic 50s campy sci-fi romp Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)Anthony Mann’s noir classic Raw Deal (1948)Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s surreal and transcendent Mother Joan of the Angels 1961Mervyn LeRoy’s naughty tale about a child psychopath. The Bad Seed (1956)Samuel Fuller’s irreverent noir gem The Naked Kiss (1964)Carol Reed’s intense noir thriller Odd Man Out (1947)Billy Wilder’s iconic film noir masterwork of grand proportions Sunset Blvd (1950)Jean Cocteau’s stunning Orpheus (1950) OrphéeJacques Tourneur’s hauntingly mesmerizing noir Out of the Past (1947)Joseph E. Lewis Gun Crazy or Deadly is the Female (1950)George Steven’s sadness and joyful Penny Serenade (1941)James Whale’s campy take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein 1931Edgar G. Ulmer’s sadistic and transgressive journey into horror The Black Cat 1934Carl Theodor Dreyer’s masterful vision of quiet uncanny horror Vampyr (1932)Joseph Losey’s titillating noir The Prowler ((1951) Henri-Georges Clouzot’s brilliantly chilling Les-Diaboliques-1955Bryan Forbes’ compelling suspense thriller Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)Buster Keaton’s fantastic Seven Chances (1925)Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson’s SCARFACE (1932)William Beaudine’s haunting Sparrows (1926)James Whales even campier and finest work The Bride of Frankenstein 1935Elia Kazan’s volatile theme of desolation and passion based on Tennessee William’s play A Streetcar Named Desire 1951some more divine SUNSET BOULEVARD 1950Samuel Fuller’s edgy Shock Corridor (1963)Jame’s Whale’s The Old Dark House 1932Nicholas Ray’s incredibly beautiful film noir journey They Live By Night (1948)Robert Wise’s uncompromising ghost story adapted from Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting (1963)Raoul Walsh’s iconic crime thriller White Heat (1949)