Macabre
Directed by William Castle
Written by Robb White from a novel by Anthony Boucher
1958/USA
William Castle Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Narrator: Ladies and gentlemen – for the next hour and fifteen minutes, you will be shown things so terrifying that the management of this theatre is deeply concerned for your welfare. Therefore, we request that each of you assume the responsibility of taking care of your neighbor. If anyone near you becomes uncontrollably frightened, will you please notify the management so that medical attention can be rushed to their aid? [/box]
Castle’s underwriters weren’t losing much sleep over the risk anyone would die of fright.
Dr. Rodney Barrett is a hard-working physician. A widower, he is raising his young daughter Marge with the help of a nurse (Ellen Corby). Barrett’s wife Alice died giving birth to Marge. Police Chief Jim Tyloe (Jim Backus) blames Barrett for Alice’s death. Now her blind sister Nancy has died and Tyloe suspects Barrett once again. Both were daughters of the wealthiest man in town.
As the film begins, the undertaker reports the theft of a child’s coffin from his mortuary. Later that day, Barrett’s loyal nurse Polly gets a call from a man who says he has buried Polly but Barrett still has four or five hours to find her alive. The rest of the film is devoted to Barrett and Polly’s desperate search for the girl.
Despite a couple of mild jump cuts this movie is structured far more like a mystery than a horror film. It’s not bad or good enough to be very entertaining but it’s short enough to be tolerable. This is primarily notable for being the first of producer/director Castle’s many “gimmick” films. The audience was insured against death by fright by Lloyd’s of London. There was an exclusion for preexisting conditions and suicide.
Trailer – exploiting the gimmick
