The Tingler (1959) - full transcript

I am William Castle, the director of
the motion picture you're about to see.

I feel obligated to warn you...

that some of the sensations,
some of the physical reactions...

which the actors
on the screen will feel...

will also be experienced for the
first time in motion picture history...

by certain members of this audience.

I say "certain members" because
some people are more sensitive...

to these mysterious
electronic impulses than others.

These unfortunate, sensitive people...

will at times feel a strange,
tingling sensation.

Others will feel it less strongly.



But don't be alarmed.
You could protect yourself.

At any time you are conscious
of a tingling sensation...

you may obtain immediate relief
by screaming.

Don't be embarrassed about opening your
mouth and letting rip with all you got.

Because the person in the seat
right next to you...

will probably be screaming too.

And remember this:

A scream at the right time
may save your life.

- Who are you?
- I'm nobody.

- Unless you got business...
- I won't bother you.

You got to have a pass to come in here.

Will this do?

I'm sorry.
I didn't know it was a relative.

- It's my wife's brother.
- Try not to faint.



I won't faint.

- I understand going to friend's funeral.
- We weren't "friends," exactly.

I had a pass
to the execution, and I mean...

- Does it always kill them in the chair?
- I've never heard of it failing.

Well, in the chair, does it hurt them?

Not if it's done properly.
At least, I don't think so.

Even a slight shock hurts.

Try putting an electrode soaked
in saline solution on your head...

another strapped to your leg,
then slamming 2,000 volts between them.

If it hurts, let me know.

Well, if it works, then why this?

I've never found it to be necessary.

But it happens to be the law.

An autopsy must be performed
immediately after the execution.

Interesting.

This man's vertebrae are cracked.
They're nearly splintered in two.

Two thousand volts!

Electricity had nothing to do with this.

I've seen this phenomenon many times
in people who were badly frightened...

just before they died.

There's a force in us that science
knows nothing about. The force of fear.

That it's strong enough to shatter
the spinal column, we know.

But what it is...

what causes it to appear
and disappear, we don't know.

Some day I hope to find out.

Maybe it's what makes your spine
tingle when you're scared.

Exactly.

Tingle?

It can do a great deal more than that.

It's odd. I've been experimenting
with this force for years.

Never had a name for it until now.

Now I think I'll call it "The Tingler."

- You do all the autopsies out here?
- Most of them, and for the county too.

It ties in with
my experimental work in fear.

Many people die in fear.
I wonder how many die of fear.

You mean, being scared to death?

Not on the death certificate.

Fear causes tremendous
tensions in the body.

If you can't relieve them, why can't
they become strong enough to kill you?

Never thought of it that way.

I've thought of little else
for some years now.

That man's vertebrae are cracked.

Sensation of fear alone
can't have done that.

Something real and powerful
broke those bones.

And on the death certificate...

I'll write down that death
was caused by heart failure...

due to electrically induced shock.

I guess he deserved it, killing
those two women in cold blood like that.

What?

He killed two women. Right
down the street from where I live.

Looked for a while, though. They
couldn't find a clue, but they did.

I seldom know who they are
or what they did.

I suppose because I don't want to know.

Science is sometimes
frighteningly impersonal.

Being my wife's brother...

Well, you ready?

You wouldn't be able to give me
a ride into town, Doc?

I'm sure I'd be glad to, Mr...?

My name's Oliver Higgins.

Everybody calls me just Ollie.

Where do you live?

There aren't many theaters like this left.

You'd be surprised how many
come to see these old pictures.

- Not just to make fun, either.
- Yours?

It belongs to my wife.

We run it together, though.

- Would you like a beer or coffee, Doc?
- Coffee'd be fine.

Good, I live right up there.
I'll check with the wife first.

I'm going upstairs and make some coffee.

I'll open up later.

Well, shall we go, Doc?

It's kind of old-fashioned,
but she likes it this way.

- You like cream and sugar?
- No. Black, please.

Just the two of you run the whole show?

You'd be surprised how much work it takes.

Just the cleaning up alone.

Mopping, sweeping, vacuuming
the seats and the runners.

Once a week, we go over everything.
We even do the ceiling.

We even do behind the screens
and under the seats.

- I tell you, it takes a lot of work.
- It sounds like it.

You know, you ought to come sometime, Doc.

Some of the silents are just as good
as the movies they make nowadays.

Even with the sound and the color,
and the screens a block wide.

I'd like to see some of the old
Charlie Chaplin films again.

We show them once a year.
I'll let you know.

That's my wife.

Never mind. She'll come in here.

She has to wash her hands first.

Martha?

This is Doctor Warren Chapin.

She says she just finished
washing her hands.

She's deaf and dumb. She can read lips
if you talk straight to her.

How do you do, Mrs. Higgins?

She says to excuse her,
but she never shakes hands.

People's hands have germs, she says.

Tell her she's so right.

She can't make a sound or hear a sound.

- No vocal cords?
- None.

She's a bug in this washing up.

Our bill for towels is five bucks a week.

There you are, Doc.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

That was a clumsy thing to do.

- It's my fault.
- No, it's nothing but a small cut.

Go down and get the bag out of my car.

She always does this.
One drop of blood and out she goes.

It affects some people like that.

Did you notice how rigid she became?

She always does.

It's interesting.

Because she has no vocal cords, she
can't release fear vocally.

So they continue to mount,
until she can't endure it.

So she faints?

It isn't a faint as we know it.
It's more of a psychosomatic escape.

I never thought of that.

You go downstairs and open up.
I'll come downstairs in a minute.

It's time to open up the box office.

We'd better go down first. She won't
leave anybody alone with that safe.

Thanks for asking me up, Ollie.
I'm sorry I caused you all that trouble.

That's all right, no harm done.

Thanks for the ride home.
I'm sorry about...

Goodbye, Mrs. Higgins. I'm sorry
I caused all that trouble.

She says goodbye, and she hopes
your cut isn't serious.

No. No, it isn't.

Goodbye. Bye, Mrs. Higgins.

Goodbye, Doc.
Good luck with your experiment.

Thanks.

Hi, Lucy. Where's my devoted wife?

Where's David?

Tell me something, Warren.

What happened to those rules I learned
about what every young girl should do?

Like, keep your date waiting
for at least ten minutes.

And never let him know that she wonders
if he's ever going to show at all.

It's all my fault.

I sometimes...

like right now, wish
he didn't work for you at all.

- That he was...
- A what? A Persian rug merchant?

That's much worse.

Just an ordinary eight-to-fiver
with a yen for picket fences.

And waste one of the best
minds in pathology?

Not really.

I love David just the way he is.

I don't even want to change him.

Golly, is that abnormal?

Refreshing.

Isabel went out about an hour ago.

What are we going to do about her?

- She's simply ruining her life.
- It's not her fault.

A husband who spends
all his time in the laboratory.

And hates cocktails and parties,
and falls asleep at the opera.

She's out almost every night now.

And with men who aren't very nice.

I'm ashamed of my sister.

Lucy, as soon as David and I
finish this experiment...

I'll have more time for her.
He'll have more for you.

I'd wait for Dave forever if I have to.

But why do I have to, Warren?

Does being someone's guardian
give you the right to rule them?

You've had another battle with Isabel?

No. The same one.

I'm too young. David's too poor.

If I do anything she doesn't approve of...

she won't give me my share of the money.

I'll talk to her.

What good will that do?

Who knows?

- Have you had any dinner?
- Not yet.

- I'll fix you something.
- No, look. I'm not really hungry.

Warren, you've got to eat.

Cut my head off.

Boil me in oil.

Young man?

What do you mean,
keeping this beautiful girl waiting?

You say, "Go get a cat."

You ever chase a cat down an alley?
I'm lucky to be alive.

Did you get one?

A big black brute.

Trouble is, I don't think
we can scare him.

Well, what are you two up to now?
Black cats in dark alleys?

Fear has the same effect on all animals.

You mean I'm an animal?

Better-looking than most,
and can't run as fast.

I hope.

- I got that prescription for you.
- Good.

From the articles I read,
it's a very interesting drug.

So is nitroglycerin.

Where is that all-for-science attitude?

I left it in my other suit.
Don't fool with that stuff alone.

It can produce pretty weird effects.

Speaking of which, I saw an interesting
reaction this afternoon.

There's this deaf-mute. She can't utter
a sound, and she has a blood trauma.

I cut my hand on a broken saucer,
and she went into total shock.

I've never seen anyone so terrified...

or so unable to release her fear tensions.

What happened?

Her husband thinks she faints,
but it isn't a true faint at all.

It's much more serious.

Her unreleased tensions grow so great...

that she goes into psychosomatic blackout.

What if she didn't?

That's an interesting question.

If we get her to a fluoroscope,
and show her some blood...

Please!

We're going to dinner!

I'm sorry.

All right, you kids get out of here.

We'll go, if you stay
out of the lab tonight.

The further we go, the surer I am
that what we're looking for...

is something tangible. Real.

Anything that can exert such tremendous
pressure on the spinal column...

must be something you can see,
touch, hold in your hand.

It may exist for only a fraction
of a second, but...

there's something in every frightened
person that's as solid as steel.

And probably stronger.

I think I've found a name for it.
The Tingler. You like it?

The Tingler? Why not?

Since we don't know what it is yet,
we can't give it a Latin name.

Tingler.

It must cover almost the entire backbone.

The only way we'll ever isolate it
is to catch someone...

at the instant of complete terror.
Not before, not after.

David.

You'll be too weak.

- Weak?
- From starvation.

Have fun. And David...

I know. I know.

Don't keep him out late. He has
a hard day in the lab tomorrow.

- Good night, Warren.
- Good night.

Good evening.

I wish you wouldn't
stand around in the dark.

Feet hurt?

As a matter of fact, they do.

Not from running.

That was a charming
little scene out there.

Wasn't it?

- Good night.
- Love in bloom, right on the sidewalk.

Rather shopworn, though, isn't it?

Don't tell me you've abandoned corpses
for peeping out of windows.

If there was anything honest about
your behavior, I might feel differently.

You're just playing the field,
and vice versa.

You know, I think I'll have
a nightcap with amateur psychiatry.

Jealousy doesn't look well
on your tie, dear.

There's no jealousy involved.

You know, Warren, you've lost contact
with living people.

Nobody means anything to you
anymore, unless they're dead.

And you can root around in them
with your sharp little knives.

There's a word for you.

There's several for you.

Lucy's very upset. So is Dave.
And for that matter, so am I.

Good.

The only way Dave Morris will marry
my sister is over my dead body.

Unconventional, but not impossible.

They're nice kids. They're in love.

They're old enough and
wise enough to make a go of a marriage.

Nice kids! Love!

Morris is another you. A scientist...

who thinks the world is in his lab.

I won't let my sister
sacrifice herself the way I did.

You may have to.

What do you mean?

You suggested a way.

I'm tired and I'm sleepy.

- Good night.
- Stay awake a little longer.

The next time you sleep,
it may be forever.

- Is this the hour for melodrama?
- Depends on your definition.

Sit down. Let's have a chat.

- You've nothing to say I want to hear.
- Sit down anyway!

Go on!

Now you won't have so far to go.

I'd like to make two suggestions.
First, leave Lucy and Dave alone.

You're a shrewd and evil woman,
adept at twisting people's minds.

Leave them alone. Please.

Next, I suggest that you give
Lucy half of the money you've got.

So Dave can continue in pathology,
without the obstacle of having no money.

I know a wonderful psychiatrist with
a divine straitjacket...

just your size.

Are you forgetting anything?

- Probably.
- That's the understatement of the year.

Now remember this:
Everything you've got, I paid for!

Your lab, all that expensive junk,
Morris' wages, your car, this house!

And remember!

All I have to do to put you and Morris
into the street is to turn the key.

On the goodie box?
Where did the goodies come from?

My father.

Nice man too. Pity he died so suddenly.

I had nothing to do with
my father's death, and you know it.

- Like me to prove it isn't nonsense?
- You can't prove anything.

- There's nothing to prove.
- You wouldn't like me to try?

And you should remember this, darling.

Organic poisons,
like old soldiers, never die.

They just lie smoldering in the grave.

And I'm not bad at autopsies.

You're crazy! You really are.

Isn't everyone? Now walk straight ahead.

Go on.

What are you going to do?

We'll have a little chat. What I do
next is entirely up to you, so walk.

Where are you taking me?

It'll be easier to "rearrange" things
in the laboratory.

You should come in here more often, dear.

Let's stop all this childish behavior.

- A gun is so out of character.
- Isn't it? Over there.

- Warren, stop it!
- Over there!

Have you gone completely out of your mind?

Not at all.
You see, you're a good teacher.

You taught me how to get
what I want, no matter who gets hurt.

- What do you mean by that?
- Just this:

Ever since you've been Lucy's guardian,
you've tried to ruin her life.

You've greedily kept what was hers.
Now I'm giving you a choice.

Either you give Lucy half of all
the money you got and leave her alone...

or you commit suicide right now.

Suicide? You mean murder.

When I finish rearranging things,
it'll look like suicide.

Now make up your mind.

We want to be through with this
before Lucy comes home.

I won't give that child anything,
so put away that silly pistol!

This "silly" pistol
can make a hole in you...

the size of a medium grapefruit.

I'll call the police!

You're not hurt, dear.
It was just a blank cartridge.

Thanks for helping with the experiment.
You played your part excellently.

I see.

Sharing in your husband's work
and all that, you know.

Kitty.

Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty.

I was going to use this cat.
But you made a much better subject.

Have you two met?
In the same alley, perhaps?

When my turn comes, and it will come...

it won't be an experiment.

Howdy, boss!

I've got something to show you.

Wait. I brought a dog.

A dog? What for?

You say, "Get a cat." I got it,
You say, "Get a dog." I get a dog.

We don't need him.

"A" for effort.

I wouldn't be surprised if in a fair
fight that cat'd whip this dog.

- What do you want to show me?
- You've never seen anything like this.

See anything unusual?

What's this?

You tell me.

I don't know. But it's
stronger and denser than bone.

I'm showing you these
negatives in reverse order...

on purpose.

Look at that!

Wait.

The Tingler.

It must be.

Until we get a specimen of it,
we can't be sure.

I can't see any bone structure.

- It must be solid matter.
- That's what I thought.

How'd you get this picture? Who is it?

- It doesn't matter how or who.
- Isabel?

I said it doesn't matter.

- I'm sorry, Warren.
- That's all right.

Let's review our progress so far.

What do we know about The Tingler?

What do we think we know,
and what've we got to find out?

First, we know that it exists.

If roentgen rays can't penetrate it,
we know it's solid.

We know that fear energizes it,
gives it strength.

That's about all we know.

Except that it exists
in every human being.

And that it's extremely powerful.

What do we think we know?

That fear causes The Tingler
to spread along the spinal column.

And with those arm-like things,
between the vertebrae...

forces it to become arched and rigid.

And you believe that screaming...

or any sound the human in fear
can make, paralyzes it?

At least screaming seems to stop it
from bending the spinal column.

Screaming may dissolve it,
or if it's a living organism, kill it.

And these are things we have to find out.

- What do you think it's made of?
- I don't know.

But I'd guess sinews
of some very powerful material.

You said, "living organism."

Could The Tingler be alive?

A separate and living thing
inside our bodies?

Why not?

You know, of course, that after death...

many things continue to live in the body.

Fingernails grow.

So does hair, and the formation
of calcium in the bones continues.

Life is not merely a matter
of breathing and a beating heart.

- We've come a long way.
- We got a long way to go.

Perhaps. And perhaps not.

We now know that at the peak of terror...

The Tingler is a solid mass extending
from the coccyx to the cervicals.

If one could stand the pain
without screaming...

or otherwise releasing their tension
until they died...

an autopsy would give us a Tingler
we could work with.

The advancement of human knowledge
is fine, but dying for it...

If that's your attitude...

we'll have to find someone
else who's willing to die for science.

And eventually we will.

I'm worried, David. Isabel has been
sweet to me all day.

Me too. At least she said good morning.

Even smiled.

So look out. The roof is going to fall in.

- Coffee, Warren?
- No, thanks.

I've been thinking...
Yes, I'd love a cup of coffee.

Thank you.

So?

I've been trying to frighten myself,
but nothing works.

It isn't that I'm too intelligent.
Just too grown up.

Kids can scare themselves...

by lying in the dark and making
ghosts out of chairs, but we can't.

The only way I can frighten myself
is to make it real.

Jump out of a window, get run over
by a car, go out and drown.

After those x-rays,
we know The Tingler exists.

Why do you have to scare yourself?

I want to personally sense
the power of The Tingler...

in a genuine fear situation.

In a controlled experiment,
with my own fear...

perhaps I can find out
all the things we have to know.

Only nothing scares me.

Exactly. Boo!

Well, back to the salt mines.

Why don't you take the night off?

Go to a movie. You and Lucy.

I'll be in later.

I mean it. Take the night off.

Okay, boss. The night off.

Good night.

This is not good.

- He's leaving us out of something.
- But what? There's nothing in the lab.

That drug you brought...

It's not a drug. It's an acid.

I wonder...

Locked.

He never did that before.

Can you see anything?

He's locking the other door.

What's he doing now?

He's saying something
to the tape recorder.

Average injection: 50 micromilligrams.

Fifty.

I'm making it 100 micromilligrams
in solution.

What's happening now?

Warren wanted to do this.

Let's hope he's accomplishing
something important.

What's he doing now?

Time: 8:03. Sharp stinging sensation.

Now he's sitting down.

- Is he all right?
- As far as I can tell.

Definite blurring of vision now...

at 8:11.

Emotionally, I feel nothing abnormal.

What does that stuff do to you?

For one thing, nightmares.

You're wide-awake.
But you're having nightmares.

Blurring of vision...

has been replaced by distinct rocking...

and tilting sensation.

I don't seem to be tilting,
but the room is...

from side to side.

Time...

8:13.

Emotionally, I begin to feel
somewhat apprehensive.

Probably normal, however.

The room is closing in on me.

He's talking again.

I wish I could hear.

Is he all right?

Something is scaring him.

The room is closing in on me.

You've got to make it stop.

The walls!

The walls!

Can't we help him?

No, we can't, Lucy.

Break the door. He may be suffering.
That drug may be hurting him.

He's only suffering in his mind.
Nothing is hurting him.

It may hurt his mind.

There's nothing we can do to help him now.

That acid must wear off naturally.

If I try to stop it or even minimize it
with an antidote, I might kill him.

I got to get out of here!

No breath!

No air!

I can't breathe!

The window. It won't open!

It's locked. Barred!

Somebody's got to help me!

- Isn't there another key?
- Maybe. I'll go look.

Mustn't scream.

I mustn't scream!

I broke down and screamed, didn't I?

I couldn't help it, Dave.

Things were pretty foggy...

but I remember thinking
that I mustn't scream.

But the pain and the fear were so great.

I don't think anybody could keep from
screaming if they were really terrified.

Unless...

Unless what?

Just an idle idea.

I'd better be on my way. Good night, kids.

Unless what, Dave?

Suppose a person could not
possibly scream?

Well, everybody can scream.

A deaf-mute can't scream.

- Evening, Doc.
- Ollie.

Come to see the show?

Not tonight. I just dropped by
to see how you were doing.

Well, pretty good.

- How's your experiment?
- It's making progress.

In fact, I dropped by
because I was worried about your wife.

A shock like that can have
pretty bad after-effects.

I've been a little worried about her too.

She hasn't eaten a thing
and she can't sleep.

Ever since she saw that blood, she just
roams around the theater all night.

Is she here now?

She's upstairs. She won't even
tend the box office anymore.

Why don't I have a look at her?
It may be a simple case of nerves.

- I'd appreciate it.
- What drugstore do you use?

The Cut-Rate around the corner.

Good evening, Mrs. Higgins.

Ollie told me to come up.
He said you weren't...

Ollie told me to come up and see you.

He said you weren't feeling well.

Would you like me to check you over?

All you need is sleep and rest.

Now I'm going to give you a shot.
To relax you.

And then I'm going to give Ollie
a prescription for some barbiturates.

Sleeping pills. They won't hurt you.

All right?

All you need is rest and sleep.

How much? How about
a couple of passes for your theater?

Now you just go to sleep,
and you'll be as fit as a fiddle.

Lie down.

Good night.

How is she, Doc?

It's just nerves.
I gave her a shot to relax her.

If she should wake up,
give her these pills.

- How long will she sleep?
- Now?

The shot should wear off
in two or three hours.

Have her take these pills.
She needs a lot of sleep.

I'll go get this filled.

I have time to have a beer, don't I?

Sure.

Join me? With her sick,
I certainly need one.

I'd like to very much.
But I have some work to finish.

Thanks, Doc. And good night.

Home so soon?

Did you hear what the husband
said to the wife?

This another one of your oblique jokes?

Why does the back door slam
every time I come in the front door?

Because he was a jealous husband?

Nothing like a good
two-fisted drinker, right?

Are you sure I didn't
mix them for you, dear?

You look tired.

It's a pity I'm not the type
for gold tie clips.

But you are, Warren. Exactly.

Doc! Doc, my wife!

I know it's late, but my wife...

Take it easy. What's the trouble?

She's sick. Maybe dead by now.
It's terrible.

I'll get my bag.

I brought her here
because you treated her.

I tried to phone you.

Let's bring her around to the lab door.

Just a couple of beers.
When I got home, there she was.

You suppose...

Could it be that shot you gave her?

Well, hardly.

I found her lying on the bathroom floor.

She was so cold, I thought she was dead.

When I picked her up, she moved.

Ollie, your wife is dead.

I'm very sorry.

I guess I wasn't much of a husband to her.

There's no way I can make up for it.

Ollie, I'm really sorry.

Do you feel like helping me
with some details?

I feel okay.

What do you want to know?

Tell me as closely as you can...

what time you found her,
and the circumstances.

It must have been about one o'clock, Doc.

When you left, I went to have a beer.
When I came home, I just went in.

There she was,
lying on the bathroom floor.

- Age?
- She's 46.

Was there any sign of a struggle?

There was nothing. She was
just lying on the bathroom floor.

There wasn't anything unusual
about the room at all?

No. Just the way it always is.

From her expression, something must
have terrified her just before she died.

You haven't any idea what it was?

Everything was locked.
There was no sign of anyone there.

My God, she's alive!

She's not alive, Ollie.

Something frightened her to death.

She's been dead for over an hour.

She moved.

May I find out why?

Sure, Doc, sure. Anything you want.

Just sit over there.

The Tingler!

Give me that glass tank.

- What happened?
- It attacked him.

That thing?

How strong is it, Doc?

Strong enough to kill a man,
easily and quickly.

- What made it let go?
- My screaming, I think.

Must have been.

Your wife is...

She's dead.

Are you badly hurt, Warren?

Good night. I'm sorry about your wife.

Is there anything I can do
for your arm, dear?

No, thank you.

Thank you, Ollie.

We'd better call a funeral parlor.

No, not in the middle of the night.

Couldn't I just take her home
and call in the morning?

It's easier that way. They'll just come...

It might take quite a long while.
It's so late.

You'd have to wait up.

- I'd rather take her myself.
- All right.

- Can you manage?
- I can manage.

You'd better notify the police right away.

I will.

Has he gone?

This is very important to you,
isn't it, Warren?

Yes, very.

You've worked so long to find it.

Let's celebrate, shall we?

Let's celebrate finding The Tingler.
And me.

You?

I've been a bad and foolish wife.

All this time I've been jealous
of your work.

How silly can you get?

- Scotch?
- Yes, I think so.

Thanks.

Here you are.

I'd rather have the other glass, darling.

Why?

More booze.

They're both exactly the same.

You're so amusing.

And so trusting.

Thanks.

Here's to The Tingler...

and your new wife.

I hope the new wife doesn't turn out
to be as dangerous as The Tingler.

One thing that's so nice about you...

I can always count on you.

To do what?

The right thing.

Now, about this new wife...

First, about The Tingler.

Is it really so dangerous?

You know...

I felt as though my arm were
in one of those hydraulic presses.

Tremendous power.

What are you going to do with it?

Probably for my old wife.

That you, Doc?

I just called to let you know
everything's all right.

You really didn't have to bother.

I left her...

Well, I mean...
She's at the funeral parlor.

I called the police.
They said let it go till morning.

Nothing affects it.
You can't destroy the thing.

Doctors will be amazed
when they see The Tingler.

They're not going to see it.

Aren't you taking it to the convention?

You'll write about it in the journals.

There's not going to be anything
in the journals about it.

After all this work!
What are you going to do?

To break the laws of nature
is always dangerous...

and we've violated some basic principles.

We had to. But now we'll stop.

But, Warren, you can't just...

Hear me out.

That The Tingler exists
in every human being we now know.

Look at that.
It's an ugly and dangerous thing.

Ugly because it's
the creation of man's fear.

Dangerous because
a frightened man is dangerous.

We can't destroy it, because we've
removed it from its natural place.

Then what can we do?

Call Ollie.

Ask him the name of the funeral parlor
where he left his wife.

We can only hope, and try.

Fear made that Tingler grow
from microscopic size to this.

We can only hope...

when it goes back where it came from,
it'll also go back to a thing...

infinitely small. Even die.

Because its creator is dead.
All fear gone.

Ollie doesn't answer.

Then call the police or the coroner.
They'll know.

- Isabel's gone.
- Isabel is always gone.

- I mean she's left.
- Give me the police department.

- She's taken her clothes.
- I want to check on a death.

Well, I can only hope she'll be happier.

They have no report of her death.

But they must have! Ollie called me...

I wonder.

Call Ollie again.

Call him till he answers.

And when he does, tell him
not to do anything foolish.

That I'll try to help him.

- What did you do with her?
- I took her to the funeral home.

Like I told you on the phone,
but you hung up on me.

- Where is she?
- I keep telling you, Doc.

What's in there?

Just my things. I'm moving out.
It's too gloomy here.

You killed her.

No, I didn't.

Your wife was frightened to death
with this.

And this.

What did you do with her?

- I keep telling...
- You're lying!

You don't know how it was with her.

She would've killed me if she could've.
She tried to lots of times.

You don't know how it was.

I know exactly how it was.

What are you going to do?

First, I'm going to put The Tingler
back where it came from.

So that if it can die, it will.

And then I'll call the police.

It broke out of the box!

What's that?

It's just a loose board.
I've been meaning to fix it.

What's below this?

The theater!

The theater!

The Tingler is in the theater!

I'll warn the audience.

No, you'd start a panic.

We've got to be quiet and careful.

But we've got to find it.

It must be in here somewhere.
Let's look down the other aisle.

Ladies and gentlemen,
there's no cause for alarm.

A young lady has fainted.

She is being attended to
by a doctor, and is quite all right.

So please remain seated.

The movie will begin again right away.

I repeat, there is no cause for alarm.

- Must have been about here.
- No, it's further down.

Why can't we see it?

Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic!

But scream! Scream for your lives!

The Tingler is loose in this theater!

And if you don't scream, it may kill you!

Scream!

Scream!

Keep screaming! Scream for your life!

It's here! It's over here!

Help! Help!

- Look out, it's under the stage!
- Ladies and gentlemen.

The Tingler has been paralyzed
by your screaming.

There is no more danger.

We will now resume
the showing of the movie.

The projection booth, quick!

Are you all right?

- Where is it?
- Right there.

- You must have screamed just in time.
- I guess so.

All right, no more stalling.

Don't open that film can until I tell you.

And then you'll have to help me.

I'm sorry now I did what I did, Doc.

You gave me the idea.

Just because poison happens to exist
is no excuse to commit murder with it.

I'm not blaming you.

But I knew she couldn't scream,
and about The Tingler and all.

Give me The Tingler now.

Come on. Give it to me.

It isn't as though I'd shot her or
taken a knife and stabbed her, is it?

If you kill anybody deliberately,
it's murder.

No matter how you do it.

I guess they'll probably
electrocute me, won't they?

I'm neither judge nor jury.

This time you're going
to the police with me.

You're wrong. You're going by yourself.

Look, all I have to do
is go downstairs and call the police.

It won't do you any good.

Goodbye.

Ladies and gentlemen,
just a word of warning.

If any of you are not convinced
that you have a Tingler of your own...

the next time you're
frightened in the dark, don't scream.