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Did You Catch John Waters as Horror Master William Castle on “Feud”?!
John Waters once compared William Castle to God. I think John Waters just became God.
This past Sunday night’s episode of FX series “Feud: Bette and Joan” was titled ‘Hagsploitation,’ and it kicked off with Jessica Lange (as Joan Crawford) recreating the trailer for William Castle’s 1964 horror film Strait-Jacket. A scene from the film’s promotional tour was then recreated, and wouldn’t ya know it, John Waters popped up for a cameo as Castle himself!
The scene paid tribute to the real-life marketing campaign for Strait-Jacket, which saw Castle and Crawford handing out cardboard axes to audience members when the film was released in theaters – Crawford also entered the room carrying (and swinging) an axe. And who better to play Castle, known for his attention-grabbing cinema gimmicks, than John Waters, whose own films have drawn inspiration from Castle’s unique brand of showmanship. For Polyester, released in 1981, Waters handed out scratch ‘n sniff “Odorama” cards, allowing audiences to literally smell the objects appearing on screen. It was a gimmick ripped straight out of William Castle’s playbook, so I suppose you could say that Castle was the role that Waters was born to play.
Of course, Waters doesn’t actually look anything like the heavy-set Castle, but that didn’t matter to “Feud” creator Ryan Murphy. Waters told Indiewire about the dream-come-true experience:
When they asked me to do it, I was like, ‘Well, I’m not fat, should I wear a fat suit?’ and they were like, no, we just like the conceptual idea of you playing him. It was an honor to be asked to do it, because I’m such a fan of William Castle. I had to keep the secret for so long because we shot it a long time ago. And the secret kept. I was surprised, because there were 100 extras there.
He added, speaking of Castle’s influence:
When I first saw ‘House on Haunted Hill’ as a kid in Baltimore and the skeleton went out on the wire and the thousand kids in the audience went crazy … My whole life, I’ve tried to at least equal that cinema anarchy. I came close with the end of ‘Pink Flamingos,’ but I didn’t tie with it. He still beat me.
If you missed it, you can watch the latest episode of “Feud” over on FX.
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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