The Resume

(April 24, 1914-May 31, 1977)
Birth name was William Schloss
Produced and/or directed 'Macabre (1958),' 'House on Haunted Hill (1959),' 'The Tingler (1959),' '13 Ghosts (1960),' 'Homicidal (1961),' 'Mr. Sardonicus (1961),' 'Zotz! (1962),' '13 Frightened Girls (1963),' 'The Old Dark House (1963),' 'Strait-Jacket (1964),' 'The Night Walker (1965),' 'I Saw What You Did (1965),' 'Let's Kill Uncle (1966),' 'Rosemary's Baby (1968),' 'Ghost Story (1972)' and 'Bug (1975)'

Why he might be annoying:

Many of his movies are terrible.
His directorial style has been described as 'crude and pedestrian.'
He relied on cheesy gimmicks to market his films.
Examples: he flew plastic skeletons over the audience, used buzzer-rigged seats to 'shock' them, sold insurance policies in case anyone 'died of fright,' etc.
Many of his movies were remade into versions just as awful as the originals.
While directing a play starring an actress who had fled Nazi Germany, he sprayed swastikas on the outside of the theater to create publicity.

Why he might not be annoying:

He changed his name from 'Schloss' to 'Castle' because Bela Lugosi called him 'Mr. Slush.'
Some feel he was a promotional genius.
Alfred Hitchcock was a big fan of his work, as are John Waters and Stephen King.
His movies may be stupid, but they're usually entertaining.
One critic says he made 'the finest B pictures of all time.'
He was originally to direct 'Rosemary's Baby' himself, but decided he wasn't talented enough, and hired the young Roman Polanski instead.
He received a lot of hate mail from religious kooks who thought 'Rosemary's Baby' was the work of the devil.

Credit: Wieland Kalligaro

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Celebrities Born on the Same Date [April] (Ranked: 4241914)
• Chess Names
• Directors Who Make Cameos in Their Films
• I Died in 1977 (Ranked: 63)
• Look at Me, I'm Choking
• Male Cigar Smokers
• Profiles 11251-11500 (Ranked: 11493)
• Roman Polanski Films
• Satirized on Rocko’s Modern Life
• Satirized on Rocky and Bullwinkle
• Stars of Horror Films
• Wieland Kalligaro's Profiles [Series 2]

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
In 2014, Out of 17 Votes: 41.18% Annoying
In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
In 2012, Out of 19 Votes: 36.84% Annoying
In 2011, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
In 2010, Out of 26 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
In 2009, Out of 26 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
In 2008, Out of 26 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
In 2007, Out of 67 Votes: 58.21% Annoying
In 2006, Out of 93 Votes: 52.69% Annoying
In 2005, Out of 176 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
In 2004, Out of 141 Votes: 39.72% Annoying