Horripilification Trivia Quiz

Answer: Scream

Castle was the master of low-budget thrillers who was not above employing gimmicks to promote his films. In his onscreen appearance at the beginning of the movie he warned the audience that the strange tingling sensation some audience members may feel could only be alleviated by screaming. He even went as far as having motors attached to the undersides of random seats to provide a "tingle" in some theaters.

Screaming is a major part of a psychological treatment known as Primal Therapy. It shouldn't be practiced by individuals without the proper coping tools. If poorly managed it could cause additional psychological issues, however, as part of a complete treatment administered by a psychological professional it can be beneficial.

Answer: The shadow cast by the electric chair

Credited simply as "screaming convict" in "The Tingler", after his execution he was the subject of pathologist Dr. Warren Chapin's (Vincent Price's) autopsy.

Harold Gouzoules, a psychologist and scream researcher, has stated that screams have a "roughness" quality but not as in raspy or gravelly as we would think. In psychoacoustics its meaning is dissonance, or the unpleasant qualities of a sound. Rough screamers are thought to be the best horror movie actresses and actors.

Answer: Ollie, the convict's brother-in-law claiming the body

Ollie was very interested in the autopsy and questioned why it was necessary since the cause of death (electrocution) was known. The tone of Ollie's voice and the background music creates a rather foreboding atmosphere - enough to make the hairs on the back of any viewer's neck stand up!

Horripilation is borrowed from the Latin "horrere" meaning "to shudder" and "pilare" derived from "pilus" meaning hair. Also known as cutis anserina, the more familiar term is just plain old "goosebumps".

Answer: His spinal column was split in two

Chapin hypothesized that the force of fear may have shattered his spine and wondered aloud how many people actually died from fear. "Ominous Ollie", who had be listening with rapt attention, suggested that the phenomenon be called "the Tingler".

Answer: She was a deaf mute

(My apologies for the "un-PC" term but bear in mind the film was made in 1959.) Ollie and his wife, Martha, owned a movie theater that very appropriately showed silent movies. While having coffee with the couple, Chapin cut his hand on a coffee cup. The sight of the blood terrified Martha who fainted. Chapin surmised she fainted because she couldn't release her fear by screaming.

Answer: An increase in the size of her Tingler

In order to persuade his greedy wife to give her sister the money, Chapin shot her with a blank cartridge. She was terrified but she fainted before she could scream. Isabel vowed revenge on Chapin for his "prank".

The x-rays showed the Tingler had increased in size - a result Chapin enthusiastically shared with his lab assistant (David). Together they determined if a subject could endure the pain of the growing Tingler (without screaming) until death they would be able find out more by performing an autopsy.

Answer: Yes

Yes, before Timothy Leary urged us to "turn on, tune in, drop out" Chapin decided to do some experimenting of his own. He attempted to recreate the Tingler in a controlled experiment by injecting himself with the drug while (tape) recording its "effects" and progress. Unfortunately his hallucinations got the best of him and he screamed and fainted. Upon regaining consciousness he concluded that only someone unable to scream would also be unable to release their fear. Watch out Martha!

Answer: Her own headless body

Poor Martha, unable to scream, died from fright. After bringing her corpse to Chapin, Ollie agreed to an autopsy. To his and Ollie's horror after extracting the Tingler it attached itself to Chapin's arm but released itself when he screamed. All of this was witnessed by the vengeful Isabel. Later that night she drugged Chapin and released the Tingler from its cage.

Answer: Lucy

When Lucy returned from a date with David she discovered the Tingler choking Chapin and her blood-curdling scream caused its grip to loosen and it fell off. After unsuccessfully trying to destroy the Tingler Chapin decided it had to be put back in deceased Martha where it would go back to its original microscopic size or die.

Answer: False

After escaping its cage the Tingler made its way to the downstairs theater. Terrorized, the audience had no trouble following Chapin's command to scream. After making its way to the projection booth and attacking the projectionist the Tingler's exaggerated silhouette was projected onto the movie screen. With all the screaming Chapin was able to place it back on Martha's spine. Ollie, who proved to be the one responsible for Martha's death, got what was coming to him, so all's well that ends well!

Just preceding the closing credits the audience was treated to a black screen with just Chapin's voice warning if anyone still doubted the existence of their Tingler, "the next time you're frightened and in the dark DON'T SCREAM!".