ReFocus: The Films of William Castle

ReFocus: The American Directors Series

by Murray Leeder (Editor)

Often described as ‘the Master of Gimmicks’, William Castle is best known for the outrageous publicity stunts that characterised his genre films in the 1950s and ‘60s, including offers for an insurance policy against death by fright, vibrating seats, a skeleton that flew over the audience, and a ‘punishment poll’ to determine a film’s conclusion. But far from being ‘the world’s craziest filmmaker’, Castle was also a dependable studio director who made more than 50 films between 1944 and 1974, and who produced films for Orson Welles and Roman Polanski. The Films of William Castle assembles fourteen essays on the full sweep of Castle’s career, including his horror films, westerns, film noirs and more. With an influence felt on directors like Joe Dante, Robert Zemeckis and John Waters, this volume reappraises Castle’s legacy as an innovator as much as a showman.

280 pages, Paperback

Published December 10, 2019

Reviews

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more like three-and-a-half stars. The problem – to the extent that there is one – is that, for Castle aficionados, much of what is contained in these pages will be retreads of ideas with which you’re already very familiar (even while they float alongside intriguingly novel interpretations) while for those who are new to Castle’s work, the academic bent of the writing may prove uninviting.

Longer review coming soon.