Interactive Horror Films - Gimmick or Substance.

[tetsuyacasshern]

I was looking on you tube the other day and saw this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe9CiKnrS1w&feature=player_embedded

you apparently submit your phone number to the database before the movie and it calls it at random. On this call you speak real time with the hero while the movie is going on.

 

[patsmear]

That is very cool. Wish it would work for home viewing, so you could play out all the scenarios.

Now if we could get a movie to electrocute some of the audience members again!

 

[robn1]

Is William Castle still making movies? Sounds just like what he would do today.

 

[Remo]

I remember seeing some clips about a film that came out a while back (1990's maybe?) where the audience had keypads and they would vote on what would happen.

 

[SSgt Burton]

Is William Castle still making movies? Sounds just like what he would do today.

Heh... first thing I thought of was the 1961 horror movie Mr Sardonicus-

There were two endings filmed (although it is disputed whether the alternate "good" ending did in fact exist). The audience had glow in the dark cards with either a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". Depending on the vote- one of the endings would be shown. Either Mr Sardonicus would be spared or killed.

However no audience ever voted thumbs up to spare Sardonicus- so the alternate ending was never shown.

Kevin

 

[robn1]

I wish I could have seen Castle's films in a theater, with all the gimmicks. I've seen 'em all on TV and I liked 'em. Some of the gimmicks work on TV, but some require the crowd participation thing (like The Tingler.) Of course todays audiences wouldn't go for it anymore, too bad.

 

[robstyle]

Last October Roger Corman and Joe Dante did Splatter for Netflix where the viewers got to choose who gets axed next. All possible scenarios were filmed and edited and the out come was not fixed in any way. Until someone figures out how to make interactive scenarios work proper, its just going to be a gimmick.

 

[Darklighter]

Choose Your Own Adventure.

Gimmick, now people are encouraged to be on their phone and yell in theaters about what the character should do. Count me out.