Super-Horror-Rama Celebrates William Castle

DtH Podcast Episode 47 – William Castle

House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), and Mr. Sardonicus (1961). In the world of ballyhoo, nobody comes close to being a master at it than producer/director William Castle. From giving insurance policies to filmgoers in case they die of fright, promising the horrors onscreen will come off the screen into the audiences, to even letting the audience decide the fate of one of the characters in the film, Castle was a master of it. He treated his fans with respect and wanted everyone to have a great time with his pictures. And they still are entertaining today.

In this episode we’re going to delve into 3 of Castle’s films, as well as the man himself. Joining us to talk all things Castle is superfan and collector (not to mention Regional Warrior for Severin Films) Matt Harding!

Films Mentioned in this episode:

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Movie Review: Mr. Sardonicus

(1961)
Directed by William Castle
Starring Guy Rolfe, Ronald Lewis, Oscar Homolka, Audrey Dalton, Vladimir Sokoloff, Erika Peters.

The groundbreaking doctor Sir Robert, specializing in muscle maladies, receives a strange message from an old love, asking him to come to her home in a distant land for some dire help. Once he arrives there, he meets the husband of his long-lost love, the Baron Sardonicus. Sardonicus had acquired his wife after paying off the gambling debt of her father. But the strange part of Sardonicus is that his face is hidden behind a mask. He tells his story of how he acquired his wealth, and the terrible secret he is hiding behind the mask. He blackmails Sir Robert into curing his affliction or his wife will come to great harm.

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Audrey Dalton Comes to Monster Bash

monsterthatchallenegedtheworldblurayreview

One of the things that I really love about Monster Bash is the guests that they get are not the ones that you’re going to typically see at most shows. Sure, that may be because of the ones they do try and get are from the older and classic films. And by that I mean ones that came before the 80s! Not that there is anything wrong, but most of those names you will be able to see at a half a dozen different shows throughout the year. But like Cinema Wasteland, Ron Adams at Monster Bash tries to do it a little different.

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