After his wife and her blind sister have died under his care, a doctor's young daughter is kidnapped and reported as buried alive, leaving him with mere hours to find and rescue her.
Production
Castle's $1M gimmick: actual 'Fright Insurance' policies at theaters.
Writing
Robb White's script keeps three suspects viable until the final reel.
Director
William Castle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Castle distributed $1,000 life insurance policies through Lloyd's of London—if you died of fright, your heirs collected. Nobody did.
This launched Castle's 'gimmick horror' empire: Macabre's success funded House on Haunted Hill and its infamous flying skeleton.
US
