“Death by Fright”: Risk, Consent, and Evidentiary Objects in William Castle’s Rigged Houses

This article analyzes the in-cinema objects William Castle used to promote his breakthrough hits as an independent producer: the Lloyd’s of London insurance certificates associated with Macabre (1958) and the Emergo skeleton in House on Haunted Hill (1959). These objects created semiotic and physical parallels between theatrical space and the haunted houses within Castle’s films that drew viewers into more direct contact with onscreen scenarios. Understanding Castle’s specialization in rigged theaters highlights the multifaceted challenges faced by American exhibitors in the 1950s and underscores some of the implicit corporeal contracts of moviegoing.