Biography
William Castle (April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies. Castle began directing films in the early 1940s, and later television, before moving on to the "gimmick films". Description above from the Wikipedia article William Castle, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Complete Filmography

Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
2007
as Self
Chronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous...

Battle-Axe: the Making of 'Strait-Jacket'
2002
as Self (archive footage)
A look back at the classic 1964 film of horror and suspense starring Joan Crawford as an axe-murderer just released from the mental hospital. Includes...

Hollywood Rated 'R'
1997
as Self (archive footage)
A roller-coaster ride through the history of American exploitation films, ranging from Roger Corman's sci-fi and horror monster movies, 1960s beach mo...

Bug
1975
Screenplay, Producer
An earthquake releases a strain of mutant cockroaches with the ability to start fires, which proceed to cause destructive chaos in a small town. The s...

The Day of the Locust
1975
as Director
Hollywood, 1930s. Tod Hackett, a young painter who tries to make his way as an art director in the lurid world of film industry, gets infatuated with ...

Shampoo
1975
as Sid Roth
A Beverly Hills hairdresser runs around town on the eve of the 1968 presidential election trying to make heads or tails of his financial and romantic ...

Shanks
1974
as Grocer
Malcolm Shanks is a sad and lonely man, deaf, mute and living with his cruel sister and her husband, who delight in making him miserable. His only ple...

Shanks
1974
Executive Producer, Director
Malcolm Shanks is a sad and lonely man, deaf, mute and living with his cruel sister and her husband, who delight in making him miserable. His only ple...

The Sex Symbol
1974
as Jack P. Harper
A thinly-disguised version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, detailing her ups and downs in life and how her erratic behavior contributed to her deterior...

Riot
1969
Producer
A riot in a state prison is staged to cover up an escape attempt, during which many inmates and guards are killed. Shot on location at Arizona State P...

Rosemary's Baby
1968
as Phone Booth Man (uncredited)
A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the pur...

Rosemary's Baby
1968
Producer
A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the pur...

Project X
1968
Director, Producer
A spy is brought back from cryogenic suspension after being almost killed in a plane crash returning from a mission to learn about a deadly new weapon...

The Spirit Is Willing
1967
as Mr. Hymer (uncredited)
When Ben and Kate Powell rent a haunted New England house by the sea, their son Steve gets blamed for the destruction caused by three unruly ghosts.

The Spirit Is Willing
1967
Director, Producer
When Ben and Kate Powell rent a haunted New England house by the sea, their son Steve gets blamed for the destruction caused by three unruly ghosts.

The Busy Body
1967
Producer, Director
Sid Caesar is a bumbling gopher to a mob boss who must recover a fortune in cash stowed in the suit of a corpse.

Let's Kill Uncle
1966
as Russell Harrison (in car wreck) (uncredited)
A 12-year-old orphan who has just inherited a fortune is trapped on an island with his uncle, a former British intelligence commander who intends to k...

Let's Kill Uncle
1966
Director, Producer
A 12-year-old orphan who has just inherited a fortune is trapped on an island with his uncle, a former British intelligence commander who intends to k...

I Saw What You Did
1965
Director, Producer
Teenage friends Kit and Libby make prank phone calls for fun but then find themselves involved in a brutal double murder committed by one of their tar...

The Night Walker
1964
Producer, Director
A woman is haunted by recurring nightmares, which seem to be instigated by her late husband who supposedly was killed in a fire.

Strait-Jacket
1964
Producer, Director
After a twenty-year stay at an asylum for a double murder, a mother returns to her estranged daughter where suspicions arise about her behavior.

How to Plan a Movie Murder
1964
as Self
The writer, director and star of the 1964 horror film Strait-Jacket in a humorous featurette in which they plan "the perfect murder."

The Old Dark House
1963
Producer, Director
An American car salesman in London becomes mixed up in a series of fatal occurrences at a secluded mansion.

13 Frightened Girls
1963
Director, Producer
While attending a Swiss school for diplomats' daughters, the teenage daughter of the American ambassador uses her access to various embassies to engag...

Zotz!
1962
as Himself (prologue)
Jonathan Jones, a professor of ancient languages, comes into possession of an ancient coin. He translates its inscription, which gives him three power...

Zotz!
1962
Director, Producer
Jonathan Jones, a professor of ancient languages, comes into possession of an ancient coin. He translates its inscription, which gives him three power...

Mr. Sardonicus
1961
as Self (uncredited)
In 1880, Sir Robert Cargrave, a London physician known for his experimental work in paralysis treatment, is summoned to Gorslava by the mysterious Bar...

Mr. Sardonicus
1961
Producer, Director
In 1880, Sir Robert Cargrave, a London physician known for his experimental work in paralysis treatment, is summoned to Gorslava by the mysterious Bar...

Homicidal
1961
as Self, Prologue Host (Uncredited)
A woman named Emily checks into a hotel and offers the bellboy $2000 to temporarily marry her. We soon find out Emily is the caretaker of a wheelchair...

Homicidal
1961
Director, Producer
A woman named Emily checks into a hotel and offers the bellboy $2000 to temporarily marry her. We soon find out Emily is the caretaker of a wheelchair...

13 Ghosts
1960
as Himself (uncredited)
Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his mansion to his nephew Cyrus and his family. They will need to search the house to find the doctor's fortune,...

13 Ghosts
1960
Director, Producer
Reclusive Dr. Zorba has died and left his mansion to his nephew Cyrus and his family. They will need to search the house to find the doctor's fortune,...

The Tingler
1959
as Prologue Host (uncredited)
A pathologist experiments with a deaf-mute woman who is unable to scream to prove that humans die of fright due to an organism he names The Tingler th...

The Tingler
1959
Director, Producer
A pathologist experiments with a deaf-mute woman who is unable to scream to prove that humans die of fright due to an organism he names The Tingler th...

House on Haunted Hill
1959
Director, Producer
Frederick Loren has invited five strangers to a party of a lifetime. He is offering each of them $10,000 if they can stay the night in a house. But th...

Macabre
1958
Director, Producer
After his wife and her blind sister have died under his care, a doctor's small daughter is kidnapped and reported as buried alive, and he is given jus...

Uranium Boom
1956
Director
Ex-lumberjack Brad Collins (Dennis Morgan) and mining engineer Grady Mathews (William Talman) find uranium in the Colorado badlands. While Grady guard...

The Houston Story
1956
Director
A Texas oil driller schemes to steal millions of dollars in oil.

Duel on the Mississippi
1955
Director
In bustling era of 19th-century Louisiana, sugar is as valuable as gold, and pirates like Lili Scarlet will do anything to get it. After robbing Jules...

The Gun That Won the West
1955
Director
In the late 1880s, Colonel Carrington and his command are assigned the job of constructing a chain of forts in the Sious Indian territory of Wyoming. ...

New Orleans Uncensored
1955
Director
Discharged naval officer Dan Corbett moves to New Orleans and accepts a job as a longshoreman, unaware that the docks are run by an infamous racketeer...

The Americano
1955
Director
An American Rancher takes a small herd of Brahma bulls to Brazil where he has sold them for a small fortune. There, he finds himself in the middle of ...

Masterson of Kansas
1954
Director
Western lawman Bat Masterson sets out to prove a man standing trial for murder is innocent.

The Law vs. Billy the Kid
1954
Director
Billy the Kid is forced to kill for the woman he loves, and is ultimately brought to justice by his old friend Pat Garrett.

Battle of Rogue River
1954
Director
In 1850 Oregon is trying to gain statehood, but a truce is needed with the Indians before it can be accomplished. A new Army commander, Major Archer, ...

The Saracen Blade
1954
Director
Based on the book of the same name by Frank Yerby. Pietro is an orphan who is raised by a family friend in 15th century Italy. When the friend is kill...

Drums of Tahiti
1954
Director
A smuggler (Dennis O'Keefe) buys a bride (Patricia Medina) in San Francisco to help him run guns in 1877 Tahiti.

Jesse James vs. the Daltons
1954
Director
Joe Branch, reputed to be the son of Jesse James, comes riding into Coffeyville Kansas, looking for proof one way or the other regarding the question ...

The Iron Glove
1954
Director
Irishman Charles Wogan wields his sword in the cause of James Stuart who seeks to replace George I on the throne of England.

Charge of the Lancers
1954
Director
The downward spiral of the quality of films Paulette Goddard appeared in in the 1950's would cause a gravitational blackout to anyone viewing them in ...

Slaves of Babylon
1953
Director
The Jews are taken from Jerusalem and made slaves by King Nebuchadnezzar. In the meantime Cyrus, king of the Persians, who has been living as a shephe...

Conquest of Cochise
1953
Director
A cavalry officer tries to keep a lid on a volatile situation when Indian leader Cochise is being prodded into starting a war.

Serpent of the Nile
1953
Director
Cleopatra toys with Mark Antony who wants to merge his Rome with her Egypt.

Fort Ti
1953
Director
Future horror-film entrepreneur William Castle warmed the director's chair for Fort Ti. Set in the 18th century, the film recounts the exploits of Rog...

Cave of Outlaws
1951
Director
Having served a prison sentence for robbery, Pete Carver decides to go back for the hidden loot. But someone is on his trail.

Hollywood Story
1951
as Himself (uncredited)
An independent producer unwisely opens a can of worms after he decides to make a movie about the unsolved murder of a famous silent film director.

Hollywood Story
1951
Director
An independent producer unwisely opens a can of worms after he decides to make a movie about the unsolved murder of a famous silent film director.

The Fat Man
1951
Director
A innocent dentist is murdered and the only apparent motive seems to be to steal a set of dental x-rays. To the police it looks like an accident, but ...

It's a Small World
1950
as Cop (uncredited)
Harry Musk is one in a million. That means that he's the one out of a million children who is perfectly proportioned but will never grow larger than a...

It's a Small World
1950
Writer, Director
Harry Musk is one in a million. That means that he's the one out of a million children who is perfectly proportioned but will never grow larger than a...

Undertow
1949
Director
Undertow stars Scott Brady as a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Brady wants only to ope...

Johnny Stool Pigeon
1949
Director
A federal agent infiltrates a crime syndicate.

The Gentleman from Nowhere
1948
Director
Security guard, wounded in a robbery of furs, arouses the suspicions of an insurance investigator.

Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948
Director
Eddie Tayloe's grandfather leaves him six thousand dollars and the money belt it came in, freeing Tayloe to leave his dull newspaper job in Texas and ...

The Lady from Shanghai
1947
Associate Producer
A romantic drifter gets caught between a corrupt tycoon and his voluptuous wife.

The Crime Doctor's Gamble
1947
Director
While visiting France, a criminal psychologist tries to clear a disturbed young man of his father's murder.

Crime Doctor's Man Hunt
1946
Director
A criminal psychologist investigates the murder of a veteran with amnesia.

The Return of Rusty
1946
Director
A young Czechoslovak orphan, Loddy Bicek, befriended by an American army sergeant, is brought into the United States as a stowaway by the soldier. He ...

Mysterious Intruder
1946
Director
A private detective is hired to find a young heiress but finds himself accused of murder.

Just Before Dawn
1946
Director
In the 7th film of the "Crime Doctor" series based on the radio program, Dr. Robert Ordway is summoned to take attend a diabetic, and gives an injecti...

Voice of the Whistler
1945
Director, Writer
A dying millionaire marries his nurse for companionship, only to experience a miracle cure.

The Crime Doctor's Warning
1945
Director
A criminal psychologist treats an artist whose blackouts coincide with a series of murders.

Dillinger
1945
Writer
The life of American public enemy number one who was shot by the police in 1934.

The Mark of the Whistler
1944
Director
A drifter claims the money in an old bank account. Soon he finds himself the target of two men who turn out to be the sons of the man's old partner, w...

When Strangers Marry
1944
as Man in Photograph Given to Police (uncredited)
A naive small-town girl comes to New York City to meet her husband, and discovers that he may be a murderer.

When Strangers Marry
1944
Director
A naive small-town girl comes to New York City to meet her husband, and discovers that he may be a murderer.

She's a Soldier Too
1944
Director
Wartime workers deal with homefront dramatics.

The Whistler
1944
Director
A guilt-ridden man blames himself for his wife's death and secretly pays an assassin to kill him. But then he finds out that his wife isn't dead at al...

Klondike Kate
1943
Director
A young man in Alaska finds himself accused of murder, and must fight to clear his name.

The Chance of a Lifetime
1943
Director
A mad scramble for stolen loot ensues after Boston Blackie has prisoners released for work in a wartime defence plant.

Black Marketing
1943
Director
Documentary short film depicting government methods of detecting black marketeers during wartime rationing.

North to the Klondike
1942
Story
Based upon the novel by Jack London, two friends in the Klondike aid settlers being terrorized by outlaws.

He Stayed for Breakfast
1940
as Policeman
Set in Paris, this romantic comedy revolves around the beautiful estranged wife of a wealthy banker who hides a handsome and fiery Communist fugitive ...

The Lady in Question
1940
as Angry Juror #1 (uncredited)
When a jury member takes in the defendant he couldn't convict, she has a bad influence on his son.