ReFocus: The Films of William Castle (ReFocus: The American Directors Series)

ISBN 10: 1474455107 / ISBN 13: 9781474455107

Published by Edinburgh University Press, 2019

About this Item

1st edition NO-PA16APR2015-KAP.

Seller Inventory # 26389032209

Bibliographic Details

• Title: ReFocus: The Films of William Castle (ReFocus: The American Directors Series)
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1474455107
• ISBN 13: 9781474455107
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Often described as ‘the Master of Gimmicks’, William Castle is best known for the outrageous publicity stunts that characterised his genre films in the 1950s and ‘60s, including offers for an insurance policy against death by fright, vibrating seats, a skeleton that flew over the audience, and a ‘punishment poll’ to determine a film’s conclusion. But far from being ‘the world’s craziest filmmaker’, Castle was also a dependable studio director who made more than 50 films between 1944 and 1974, and who produced films for Orson Welles and Roman Polanski. ReFocus: The Films of William Castle assembles fourteen essays on the full sweep of Castle’s career, including his horror films, westerns, film noirs and more. With an influence felt on directors like Joe Dante, Robert Zemeckis and John Waters, this volume reappraises Castle’s legacy as an innovator as much as a showman.

About the Author

Murray Leeder is Instructor in Film Studies at the University of Calgary.