Though there have always been gimmicks attached to movies, none have ever topped the madcap master showman William Castle. Films by Castle like House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, and The Tingler featured gimmicks called Emergo, Illusion-o, and Percepto. For 1961’s Homicidal, a blatant imitator of Psycho, Castle employed the Fright Break, where the movie would stop for a full minute. During that break, people who were too frightened to see the film’s conclusion could get a refund if they stood in the Coward’s Corner. Homicidal is a minor work by a great showman, and there’s no greater evidence of a great showman than the fact we’re still talking about his gimmicks to this day.
//
