William Castle Continues to Prove It’s Hard to Keep a Dead Man Down
Steve Barton
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For all the entertaining he did in life, William Castle is proving to be just as enjoyable in the afterlife. We recently told you about his upcoming book From the Grave: The Prayer. Now the ghostly scribe has yet another work about to be released, and this one’s based around a classic film.
House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay is a completely restored authentic script from Castle’s most recognizable work. It’s so complete it even contains Castle’s handwritten notes. A true look into the mind of this brilliant director/showman. The book has an October 31 release date and is a very interesting collector’s item for fans of the late(?) director. Read on for the details and info on some upcoming live(?) events.
From the Press Release
Due out on October 31, 2011, William Castle Productions proudly presents House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay. The book features legendary horror filmmaker William Castle’s authentic working script from his 1959 classic thriller with original formatting and Castle’s own hand-written notes. This collector’s item even comes with a new twist on Castle’s famous theater gimmick, Emerg-O. The 248-page book includes a foreword by acclaimed director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling, Matinee), hailing the book as “an important artifact.” It also includes an introduction by William’s daughter, Terry Castle, who shares her personal thoughts on this seminal piece of film history. A critical perspective of the film by writer and illustrator Charlie Largent is also included as well as a special welcome from William Castle himself.
The Screamplay will be available in print for $24.99 via Amazon and select retailers through the recently resurrected William Castle Productions (ISBN-13: 978-0578092928). For more information please visit the William Castle Productions website.
“It’s not that often that you find a script from this period surviving with annotations,” writes Joe Dante in the introduction, “And that’s what makes reading this script such a pleasant surprise; you can actually imagine what it was like to be there, reading the script on the set with the actors, and coming up with artistic decisions on the spot.”
House on Haunted Hill remains a classic chiller to this day. Produced and directed by William Castle and written by Robb White, the shocker is beloved not only for Castle’s suspense-filled direction but what came to be known as “The Gimmick,” carnival sideshow trickery that both scared and delighted the audience. The original film stars the inimitable Vincent Price and features the classic gimmick Emerg-O – an inflatable glow in the dark skeleton attached to a wire that floated over the heads of the uproarious audience during the final moments of the film to parallel the action on the screen.
Upcoming William Castle Events
New York City:
10/16 – Books of Wonder’s “Chills & Thrills for Young Readers” – 1:00pm – Terry Castle’s FearMaker: Family Matters book reading/signing – Event info
Buffalo:
10/19 – Buffalo International Film Festival [Lancaster] – 7:30pm – SKYPE appearance to introduce House on Haunted Hill screening with Emerg-O! Buffalo Film Festival and Event info
New Jersey:
10/28 – Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre [Jersey City] – 8:00pm – House on Haunted Hill screening with Emerg-O! – Castle’s grandson hosts a Q&A and raffle with copies of House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screemplay – Event info
SF Bay Area:
10/21 – Book Passage [Corte Madera] – 7:00pm – From The Grave: The Prayer book reading/signing – Event info
LA
10/22 – Aero Theatre [Santa Monica] – 6:30pm – House on Haunted Hill screening with Emerg-O! as part of American Cinematheque’s Vincent Price Centennial Weekend. Introduction by Terry Castle who will sign copies of House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay before the film in the Aero lobby – Event info
10/27 – Stories Books & Café [Echo Park] – 7:30pm – From The Grave: The Prayer & FearMaker: Family Matters book reading/signing – Event info
11/10 – Larry Edmunds [Hollywood] 7:30pm – House on Haunted Hill: A William Castle Annotated Screamplay book reading/signing – Event info
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