Legendary B-movie director William Castle is famous for his gimmicky promotions as much as he is for his delightfully campy fright flicks. His masterpiece The Tingler stars the incomparable Vincent Price as an LSD-dropping doctor who discovers a lobster-like creature that paralyzes people with fear as it latches onto their spinal chords, releasing its death grip only at the sound of a terrified scream. Castle rigged theater seats in 1959 with electric buzzers, ostensibly to simulate the sensation the actors feel when tingler gets ahold of them. For their Halloween double-feature (which includes 13 Ghosts, another Castle gem), SIFF will distribute “hand-held joy buzzers” so that the audience can shock themselves and their neighbors. Don’t miss it. It will be a scream. (NR) KEEGAN HAMILTON

Mon., Oct. 31, 7 & 9 p.m., 2011