Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

William Castle

Highest Rated: 97% Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Lowest Rated: 36% 13 Ghosts (1960)

Birthday: Apr 24, 1914

Birthplace: New York, New York, USA

Eccentric director of low-budget horror films, with a flair for self-promotion. William Castle's standout efforts include the B thriller, "When Strangers Marry" (1944), with Robert Mitchum in his first important role and the camp gem, "House on Haunted Hill" (1958). Like a latter-day P.T Barnum, upon whom he modeled himself, Castle lured audiences to his chillers by appearing in their trailers and psyching the audience up to be scared. Most of his films included outrageous gimmicks such as an insurance policy against death by fright for "Macabre" (1957), skeletons that whistled over the audience in a process called "Emergo" during critical scenes in "House on Haunted Hill" and his most audacious stunt, "Percepto," which literally shocked the audience by wiring selected seats in the theater with electricity and administering mild jolts during moments in "The Tingler" (1959). Castle is also noted as the producer of the psychological thriller "Rosemary's Baby" (1968).

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

97% 87% Rosemary's Baby Watchlist
89% 67% Strait-Jacket
Watchlist
85% 84% The Lady From Shanghai
Watchlist
80% 73% House on Haunted Hill
Watchlist
78% 67% The Tingler
Watchlist
73% 67% Homicidal
Watchlist
68% 56% Shampoo
Watchlist
63% 75% The Day of the Locust
Watchlist
40% 51% Mr. Sardonicus
Watchlist
38% 24% Bug
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
63% 75% The Day of the Locust Director (Character) - 1975
38% 24% Bug Producer - 1975
68% 56% Shampoo Sid Roth (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet 33% Shanks Director,
Executive Producer
- 1974
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Sex Symbol Jack P. Harper (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 21% Riot Producer - 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Project X Director - 1968
97% 87% Rosemary's Baby Producer - 1968
No Score Yet 71% The Spirit Is Willing Director - 1967
No Score Yet 55% The Busy Body Director,
Producer
- 1967
No Score Yet 41% Let's Kill Uncle Director,
Producer
- 1966
No Score Yet 46% I Saw What You Did Director,
Producer
- 1965
No Score Yet 61% The Night Walker Director,
Producer
- 1964
89% 67% Strait-Jacket Director,
Producer
- 1964
No Score Yet 19% The Old Dark House Director,
Producer
- 1963
No Score Yet 17% Thirteen Frightened Girls Director,
Producer
- 1963
No Score Yet 21% Zotz! Director,
Producer
- 1962
40% 51% Mr. Sardonicus Director,
Producer
- 1961
73% 67% Homicidal Director,
Producer
- 1961
36% 41% 13 Ghosts Self,
Director,
Producer
- 1960
78% 67% The Tingler Director,
Producer
- 1959
80% 73% House on Haunted Hill Director,
Producer
$6.5K 1959
No Score Yet 34% Macabre Director,
Producer
- 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Uranium Boom Director - 1956
No Score Yet 50% The Houston Story Director - 1956
No Score Yet 17% The Americano Director - 1955
No Score Yet 17% New Orleans Uncensored Director - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Gun That Won the West Director - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Duel on the Mississippi Director - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Charge of the Lancers Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Jesse James vs. the Daltons Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Battle of Rogue River Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Law vs. Billy the Kid Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Iron Glove Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Drums of Tahiti Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Saracen Blade Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Masterson of Kansas Director - 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Conquest of Cochise Director - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fort Ti Director - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Slaves of Babylon Director - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Serpent of the Nile Director - 1953
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cave of Outlaws Director - 1951
No Score Yet 44% Hollywood Story Director - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fat Man Director - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet It's a Small World Director,
Screenwriter
- 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Undertow Director - 1949
No Score Yet No Score Yet Johnny Stool Pigeon Director - 1949
No Score Yet No Score Yet Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven Director - 1948
85% 84% The Lady From Shanghai Associate Producer - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Gentleman From Nowhere Director - 1948
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Crime Doctor's Gamble Director - 1947
No Score Yet 56% Mysterious Intruder Director - 1946
No Score Yet No Score Yet Crime Doctor's Manhunt Director - 1946
No Score Yet No Score Yet Just Before Dawn Director - 1946
No Score Yet 38% Voice of the Whistler Director,
Screenwriter
- 1945
No Score Yet 40% Crime Doctor's Warning Director - 1945
No Score Yet 38% Betrayed Director - 1944
No Score Yet 33% The Whistler Director - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet She's a Soldier, Too Director - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Mark of the Whistler Director - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet When Strangers Marry Director - 1944
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Chance of a Lifetime Director - 1943
No Score Yet No Score Yet Klondike Kate Director - 1943

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Elvira's 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special Director 2021