"One Spineless-Worm"

Film: The Tingler (1959)

Alias: None

Type: Natural

Location: Civilized area

Height/Weight: About twice as big as the average centipede.

Affiliation: Neutral

Summary: Whenever you get the heebie jeebies, be warned. For the primal emotion known as fear will go utterly bonkers if things don't quite go as you hope for them to. And when that happens, who knows, you might just have a worm thing break your spine! Not even joking.

History: According to the great book of scientific mumbo-jumbo BS, every mortal has a microscopic life-form living near their spinal column. This creature, known as a Tingler, grows in size depending on the level of fear one displays. Only screaming can reverse this potentially lethal growing. Alas, science hoped to milk this for all its worth, and now there's a healthy Tingler in some rather non-cautious hands.

Notable Kills: DO. NOT. DO. DRUGS. The Tingler knows what scares you.

Final Fate: After scaring everyone in a movie theatre, even the one YOU ARE IN, the doctor is able to neutralize the Tingler and put it back in the dead woman whence it came. However, as for the one who let that woman die in the first place, the illusions of fear are not done with him just yet...

Powers/Abilities: The Tingler literally feeds on fear-induced adrenaline, growing larger and larger with the more it takes in. If there is enough, the sheer size of the Tingler fatally breaks the host's back. It also has a vice-like grip.

Weakness: High-frequency sound, especially screaming, will cause the Tingler to both stop growing and cease all functioning for a while.

Scariness Factor: 3-Despite being the human's physical embodiment of his/her own fear, the Tingler looks oddly cute in an ugly sort of way, especially with those stubby little limbs.

Trivia: -The Tingler bears an uncanny resemblance to the somehow even cuter-looking Velvet Worm, which preys on smaller prey by spraying it with adhesive mucus. In other words, sneezing all over it.

-The film's director, William Castle, claimed to shoot the film in "Percepto", which basically meant that he rigged random theatre seats to buzz and shake as if the Tingler was truly loose in the theatre, prompting the audience to scream like banshees.


Image Gallery


"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Great. Reality is being lost."

"Blood...madness...science...no velvet worm thing?!"
Wow. She screamed so hard, reality's broken down.

"It straps you in to force you to watch the film Showgirls."

One Tingler ready with shipping and handling!

What sadistic maniac designed that wretched thing?

SEE?!
NOTE: We don't intend to stop with this routine. Not at all.

The Tingler gets a bit frisky.

Not really sure what to make of this.


Trailer(s)