Sven- The Tingler (1959)

 

Dr. Warren Chapin, a local pathologist, thinks he has discovered the reason some people can die of fright.  Every person has a "tingler" that lives in them, and grows larger and more powerful as a person gets scared.  When they scream, the Tingler gets paralyzed and can't affect their host.  It lives on the spine, though how it can be so large and not noticed is not explained in the movie, since it doesn't shrink when removed from the mute and deaf wife.  She's the first victim.  Ollie, her husband, wanted out of his life as a silent film theater owner.  Warren takes a psychedelic trip, his unfaithful wife tries to kill him and the Tingler gets loose in the theater.  SCREAM for your LIVES!

This is a good movie, with a few too many subplots for it's own good.  The unfaithful wife leaves without any comeuppance, and the sudden supernatural bit at the end flies in the face of all the scientific jargon in the rest of the movie.  It is an effective scene, though.  The lack of sound in a sound movie can be jarring and unnerving to the viewer.  The color sequence is also well done and surprising in a black and white movie.  Price is great, which is no surprise.

The Tingler is mostly effective, and accomplished by puppets.  It is vaguely centipede like, but  much larger and stronger.  I wonder how many theaters actually tried to use the "Percepto".  It would have been fun to experience that during the movie.

Next: Bride of Frankenstein