Mr. Sardonicus is a 1961 horror film produced and directed by William Castle. It tells the story of Sardonicus, a man whose face becomes frozen in a horrifying grin while robbing his father's grave to obtain a winning lottery ticket. He tries to force a doctor to cure him, but eventually dies when he can no longer eat or drink. Castle cites the film in his memoir as one of his favorite to make.^[1]

Production

The film is based on a short story called "Sardonicus" that was originally published in Playboy. Castle purchased the rights and hired its author, Ray Russell, to write the screenplay.^[2]

Guy Rolfe displays the torturous make-up used to transform him into Mr. Sardonicus

Although initially resistant, Castle, at the behest of Columbia Pictures, shot a second ending for the film in which Sardonicus is cured and survives. Castle, with his reputation as the "king of gimmicks" to market his films, used the alternate ending as the springboard for his latest gimmick.^[1] Audiences were given the opportunity to participate in the "Punishment Poll". Each movie patron was given a card that glowed in the dark. On one side was a glow-in-the-dark thumbs up symbol and on the other side was a thumbs down. The audience for each showing was allowed to vote, by flashing the relevant card side, whether Sardonicus would live or die. Supposedly, no audience ever offered mercy so the alternate ending was never screened.^[3]

Cast

• Oskar Homolka as Krull
• Ronald Lewis as Sir Robert Cargrave
• Audrey Dalton as Maude Sardonicus
• Guy Rolfe as Baron Sardonicus
• Vladimir Sokoloff as Henryk Toleslawski
• Erika Peters as Elenka
• Lorna Hanson as Anna

Critical response

The PTA Magazine described Mr. Sardonicus as an "elaborately produced [film]... that evokes disgust as well as macabre thrills".^[4]

Cultural impact

The phrase "Mr. Sardonicus" has entered the lexicon to mean a person who smiles stiffly and unnaturally.^[5][6]

Notes

References

• Castle, William (1976). Step Right Up! I'm Gonna Scare the Pants Off America: Memoirs of a B-Movie Mogul. New York, Putnam. ISBN 0886876575 (Pharos edition 1992). Includes introduction by John Waters.
• Waters, John (1983). Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters. New York, Macmillan Publishing Company. Chapter 2, "Whatever Happenned to Showmanship?", was originally published in American Film December 1983 in a slightly different form.

External links

• Mr. Sardonicus on the Internet Movie Database