The Tingler

It happened in the late ‘60s.  My friend Gary was celebrating his birthday by inviting a bunch of us boys over for a bunking party.  We were all on the cusp of our teen years.  That meant we were at the age when we most wanted to prove our manhood and least wanted to show anything resembling fear.

We played baseball, football, and other manly sports, razzing each other at the least example of “sissy” behavior.  Later, as the sun set, we went inside to watch TV.  The hours wore on and we fought to stay awake.

Then “The Tingler” came on.

——————————————

In those days of fewer TV stations, the late show was often an old movie just before the network signed off for the night.  The show was frequently a horror movie starring Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, or Boris Karloff.  

“The Tingler starred the man who could be called the king of the horror movie, Vincent Price.

William Castle, the film’s director, introduced the movie by announcing that the theater had been rigged so that some members of the audience would feel the same things the characters did.  They called the gimic, “Percepto” and it consisted of a vibrator attached to random seats.

Viewers didn’t know that.  They did know that Castle had warned them that, if they felt the tingle, they should scream for their lives.

——————————————

In the show, Vincent Price portrays Dr. Warren Chapen, who is studying fear.  The doctor has a theory that, when someone feels a tingle of fear run up their spine, it’s actually a parasite that is attached naturally to everyone’s backbone.  It continues to grow and get stronger as their fear grows.  He theorizes that the only way to stop the Tingler from overpowering the victim completely is for that person to scream – scream at the top of their lungs. 

Those shrieks of fear weaken the creature, making it return to its normal state. 

If they are unable to scream…?

Oh my.

——————————————

As the show started, we boys filled the couch and easy chairs, pulled in more seats from the kitchen, and anyone who couldn’t find a seat lay on the floor.  The living room was stuffed.  I sat on the couch.  Our host, Gary, lay on the floor directly in front to me.

——————————————

In “The Tingler” one of Dr. Chapin’s friends, Oliver Higgens (Philip Coolidge),  is the owner of a movie theater that only shows silent movies.  The reason he prefers that old type of film is that his wife, Martha (Judith Evelyn) is deaf and dumb.

Higgens has decided to murder his wife and concocts a diabolical plot to take advantage of his friend’s theory.  He sets up a realistic horror scenario in his theater, complete with monsters and other supernatural beings.

It works.  Since Martha can’t scream, she is scared…to…death. Really!

——————————————

Knowing the woman died of fear but without knowing her husband murdered her, Dr. Chapin realizes that the situation is the perfect chance to test his theory.  He examines the corpse and removes, “The Tingler” that has grown along her spine.  It resembles a two-foot-long centipede.  When the creature escapes it crawls centipede-like (at least by 1959 cinematic standards) through the silent movie theater.  Then it latches onto a woman’s leg, and only releases its grip when she screams in terror. The doctor saves the day by turning off the film and telling everyone in the dark theater to scream.  

After some more scary adventures, the two capture the Tingler and lock it up in a box.  Dr. Chapin realizes the only way to stop the monster permanently is to reinsert into the woman’s body.

He does, but the body later moves, recreating some of the same things her husband had done to kill her, but this time it is the husband who is frightened to death.

——————————————

We teenaged viewers in the scary darkness of my friend’s living room didn’t have “Percepto”, but we did have…me.  I quickly slid my belt off my waist with scarcely a sound.

As the screen faded at what we thought was the end of the movie Dr. Chapin’s voice came on, saying something like, “Ladies and gentlemen, just a word of warning. If any of you feel a tingle on your spine…know that you have a Tingler of your own.  Don’t hesitate a moment…scream for your lives!  Just scream, scream, SCREAM!”

At that exact moment, I held the belt buckle in my hand and let the loose end dangle down to gently trace along my friend’s back.

At the tingle Gary leaped to his feat, flailing his arms to shake the creature.  Most of the other boys instantly jumped up screaming with a tenor that was more little girl than big brave boy.

Gary’s dad came in wearing his sleep attire and told us he was trying to rest and we’d better quiet down.

He didn’t see the humor in the moment.  The other boys didn’t think it was very funny either.

I thought it was hilarious.

Heck, it still gives me a tingle just thinking about it.

——————————————

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE AT THE UPPER RIGHT. IT’S FREE!

You will ONLY receive notifications when I post new entries to my blog.

Go to the top of the right hand column where it says, “SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG VIA EMAIL”.  Fill in your email and hit the “Subscribe” button.  You will receive a verification email.  Please confirm that you want to subscribe by clicking, “Confirm Follow” and you will be set!  Thanks!

It doesn’t seem to work from a cell phone, only a computer.  I don’t know why.  Sorry.  If there’s a problem, send me your email address and I’ll sign you up.

——————————————