The Tingler

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The Tingler

Released Jul 29, 1959

1h 22m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) has made a surprising discovery -- the spine-chilling sensation that people get when scared is due to a parasite that he dubs the "tingler." Chapin concludes that in extreme circumstances, prolonged fear can cause the creature to damage a person's spine and even cause death if the victim can't scream, a theory that Oliver Higgins (Philip Coolidge) uses to deadly effect on his wife (Judith Evelyn). Soon the tingler that killed the woman is on the loose.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…with a frank view of drugs, plus some meta-narrative twists, The Tinger is a great way to waste 80 minutes…

Rated: 3/5

Dec 22, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Perhaps William Castle's most outrageous film, The Tingler also stands as one of his best.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 7, 2021

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Sean Mulvihill

FanboyNation.com

There's never been anything like The Tingler before or since.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 29, 2018

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Mike McGranaghan

Aisle Seat

Well-made, and anyone with an appreciation for the fright flicks of yesteryear will certainly recognize it as a work of significant note.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 21, 2018

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Could well be William Castle's masterpiece.

Oct 23, 2009

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Like any genius pitchman, Castle straddles the line between carnival barker and conceptual artist

Sep 25, 2009

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Kalissa H

Not my favorite Vincent Price movie, but still a fun watch. The blood in color in the faucet and bathtub was neat.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Audience Member

The real Tingler were the friends we made along the way. Some of the worst acting I've ever seen, and a plot full of so many holes it started to look like swiss cheese. That being said, good fun-bad movie, but I don't think I could watch this again.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

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Joel H

I'd read about The Tingler as a child and heard about the buzzing-seat gimmick they used in theaters, so I was excited to finally watch it. Is it scary? No, not really. Is it amusing? Absolutely. I found myself chuckling multiple times about how campy this horror movie is. The plot is ludicrous, but that's what makes it engaging. Vincent Price is quite entertaining, as always, and does not disappoint in his role as the villainous Dr. Warren Chapin. And even though the creature was laughable, there were a couple impressive visual effects. I wish I could have seen this one with Percepto! in theaters.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/23

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Joey O

Interesting idea for a story but bad scriptwriting, bad story telling, bad acting and, bad gimmicks that can’t be reproduced all drag this film down. It is a product of its time in attempt to turn the theater into a roller coaster ride but feels like your stuck in the only non working bumper car and your waiting for the time to be up so you can stop getting hit. There is no justifiable reason to seek this movie out unless you’re a film student writing a paper on gimmicks used in theater, or have a relative who was in it. It is a bad film, probably made for some amusing dates when it came out but that time has come and gone and so has my time wasted watching this movie. My eardrums want a refund.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/23

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Jens B

Even Vincent Price can't save this.. The Tingler is quite adorable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/28/23

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CodyZamboni Z

Fun sci fi horror, with a campy gimmick, And one really startling scary scene in blood red color,

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/07/24

Full Review

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William Castle

Director

Vincent Price

Dr. Warren Chapin

Judith Evelyn

Martha Higgins

Darryl Hickman

David Morris

Patricia Cutts

Isabel Stevens Chapin

Pamela Lincoln

Lucy Stevens

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Synopsis

Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) has made a surprising discovery -- the spine-chilling sensation that people get when scared is due to a parasite that he dubs the "tingler." Chapin concludes that in extreme circumstances, prolonged fear can cause the creature to damage a person's spine and even cause death if the victim can't scream, a theory that Oliver Higgins (Philip Coolidge) uses to deadly effect on his wife (Judith Evelyn). Soon the tingler that killed the woman is on the loose.

Director: William Castle
Producer: William Castle
Screenwriter: Robb White
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

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