The Return Of William Castle!!!!

Today is a very exciting day for me for two reasons, both movie-related. First of all, I just got the Netflix app for my iphone which now means I can watch movies instantly no matter where I am. It also means death to productivity and the return of procrastination. I was concerned that the app might be filled with glitches, but I'm happy to report that I was able to watch all of "Train" starring Thora Birch without a hitch. Actually, on second thought, I'm not so happy to report that. If I never see another subpar "Hostel" ripoff it will be too soon. Poor Thora Birch. She showed so much promise in "Monkey Trouble"!

The second reason that I'm super-duper excited today is that it marks the start of the William Castle retrospective at Film Forum in New York City! Film Forum is one of my favorite movie theaters, and is where I have been privileged to see films like "Dracula", "Strangers On A Train" and "Bride Of Frankenstein" on the big screen. They have excellent taste and always choose their retrospectives wisely. Best of all, they often do 2-fer-1 double features. They're New York City's only independent non-profit cinema and I have so much respect for their excellent programming and their dedication to quality. I've seen so many arthouse cinemas close down in this city, and I'm glad to say that Film Forum still seems to be thriving. You can read all about them and check out their schedule here:

http://www.filmforum.org/index.html


The William Castle retrospective runs from August 27-September 6. Double features will include Homicidal/Strait-Jacket, House On Haunted Hill/Mr. Sardonicus (this blog's namesake!), Macabre/Thirteen Ghosts and The Night Walker/Let's Kill Uncle. "The Tingler" and "When Strangers Marry" will also be shown, but as single features. Although "The Tingler" will include as a bonus the original six-minute "Psycho" trailer, so I'm pretty jazzed about that.

I've obviously seen most of these, but I have never seen a William Castle film on the big screen and I couldn't be more excited about this rare opportunity. If you're in New York City you should definitely check out at least one of the nights. If you're not in New York City, but you know someone who is, spread the word! These films are going to be presented the way they were originally intended to be- complete with all of Castle's tricks and gimmicks. I can't wait for rubber skeletons to brush past me, buzzers to go off underneath my seat, and last but not least, to vote on the fate of Mr. Sardonicus! I'll be in attendance tomorrow night's showing of Macabre/Strait-Jacket which includes an introduction by Castle's daughter Terry!

I just hope they remember to give me my $1,000 life insurance policy.