7 William Castle Reboots to Restart a New DARK CASTLE Universe
Back in the 2000s, Warner Bros. produced some awesome big-budget remakes of old William Castle shockers under the banner Dark Castle. Notable entries include House on Haunted Hill, Thirteen Ghosts, and Ghost Ship. And we’d love nothing more than to witness the rerun of these “prestige” horror projects. That means today’s biggest stars working with today’s most exciting directors. All on a budget somewhere around $40 Million. Sounds good to us! So with that in mind, let’s take a look at seven William Castle classics that Hollywood could remake to reboot the Dark Castle universe.
RELATED: Ranking Every DARK CASTLE Horror Movie Worst to Best
Check out the list below!
The Old Dark House
The horror-comedy was the first (and last) collaboration William Castle had with Hammer studios. It tells the tale of an American car salesman in London who becomes mixed up in a series of fatal occurrences at a secluded mansion. The only thing better than the animated credit sequence is the next 84 minutes.
Strait-Jacket
Though still mentally shaky, convicted ax-murderess Lucy Harbin (Joan Crawford) returns home from the asylum where she spent 20 years for slaying her unfaithful husband. Lucy goes to stay at her brother’s farm and reconnect with her grown daughter, Carol (Diane Baker), who saw her mother chop her father to pieces as a kid. Carol helps Lucy regain her old glamorous look. But suspects that history might be repeating itself when anyone who angers her mother turns up hacked to death.
RELATED: Dark Castle Made Good Again?
The Night Walker
Recurring dreams terrorize a wealthy woman regarding her jealous, blind husband who supposedly burned to death in a recent fire. She tries to convince her attorney that the nightmares are real. Usually relied on gimmicks to sell his films, Castle changed his pace for this film. This time, Castle relied on writer Robert Bloch’s reputation following Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Originally titled The Dream Killer, Castle originally offered Joan Crawford (Straight Jacket) a lead role. She declined.
I Saw What You Did
Two teenage girls find themselves in serious danger after making a prank phone call to a man who just murdered his wife. William P. McGivern (The Big Heat) penned The screenplay based on Ursula Curtiss’ 1964 novel Out of the Dark. Joan Crawford and John Ireland star. In an early trailer, Castle teased theaters would install seat belts for viewers “who might be scared out of their seats”. But Castle abandoned the gimmick.
RELATED: THE CONJURING Writers Had ‘Crazy Story’ For HOUSE OF WAX Dark Castle Prequel
Macabre
Macabre was one of Castle’s first forays into using the promotional gimmicks that made him famous. A certificate for a $1,000 life insurance policy was given to each customer in case they should die of fright during the film. Written by Robb White, the film follows a maniac who attempts to drive a doctor over the edge by telling him he’s buried his daughter alive. William Prince, Jim Backus, and Christine White starred.
Homicidal
Chaos and danger reign when good girl Miriam meets her half-brother’s girlfriend, Emily, a mysterious blonde bombshell living at their family’s California estate. Emily serves as the nurse for their aging, wheelchairbound guardian, Helga. However, Emily isn’t sweet as she seems. *Fright Break* She soon reveals herself to be something evil.
The Tingler
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. Oliver Higgins (Philip Coolidge) puts the theory to deadly use on his wife (Judith Evelyn). And soon the tingler that killed the woman is on the loose.
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What Willian Castle remake would you like to see reboot the Dark Castle Universe?
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