William Castle (1914-1977), born William Schloss, was a master of 'B' movies. He started out as a stage actor before moving to Hollywood in the late 1930s. As an independent producer, Castle recognised the necessity of having an edge on his competitors; he also saw the growing public interest in shock-horror and science fiction movies. He capitalized on this trend by developing various gimmicks to accompany his films. For The Tingler, Castle wired up certain cinemas so that audiences would be given mild electric shocks through their chairs.