With a career in show business that spanned more than 40 years, William Castle wore more hats than people give him credit for. As a writer, editor, actor, producer, director, and promoter in nearly every facet of entertainment his career crossed from theater to radio, television and film. However, it was his skill in promoting his films with elaborate and innovative gimmicks that would earn him the title the Master of Macabre.
Also known as the P.T. Barnum of the Movies, Castle's art of manipulating movies and moviegoers turned his low-budget film productions into cult classics. Films like Macabre, House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, Homicidal and Strait-Jacket are no longer considered typical B pictures, in part because of the way he was able to sell them to the public.
Master of Macabre - William Castle: The Movies, The Gimmicks, The Man takes readers through Castle's career with a focus on his most prolific years. From the making if his first hit horror Macabre in 1958 to his production of the groundbreaking Rosemary's Baby in 1968, Castle found fame and fortune through unique and revolutionary promotional gimmicks to get moviegoers into the theater.
Filled with photographs and behind the scenes stories of the making of some of Hollywood's best-known horrors, the Master of Macabre delves into the gimmicks like Emergo, Percepto, Illusion-O, the Punishment Polls and the Fright Break. Readers will gain insight into both the man and the movies that made a night at the theater an evening to remember.