The Tingler (1959) on Netflix

The movie opens on a white screen. Then William Castle enters and informs us, "I am William Castle, the director of the motion picture you're about to see. I feel obligated to warn you that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions which the actors on the screen will feel will also be experienced for the first time in motion picture history by certain members of this audience...And remember this: A scream at the right time may save your life." The screen goes dark and a man's screams are heard. His head (an uncredited Pat Colby) floats towards the audience. Two women's heads (left is an uncredited Gail Bonney, right is an uncredited Amy Fields), screaming, join the man. We fade in on a convict being led to the execution chamber. He is Ryerson (an uncredited Bob Gunderson) and two guards drag him to his fate--the electric chair. Standing in the hall is his brother-in-law, Ollie Higgins (Phillip Coolidge). Title and credits are shown over the march to the chamber. In a nearby lab, Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price) prepares for the state required autopsy of the convicted and executed man. The body is wheeled from the execution chamber to the lab on a gurney. Chapin does his work and Ollie comes in to watch. They chat about the electrocution and Chapin notes, "This man's vertebrae are cracked. They're nearly splintered in two." He explains he's seen this before, always related to fear and this is the focus of his research. Ollie postulates it might be what causes your spine to tingle. Chapin is amused and dubs the force, "The Tingler," something he has been researching for years with no name. Chapin asks rhetorically, "Fear causes tremendous tensions in the body. If you can't relieve them, why can't they become strong enough to kill you?" Chapin completes the death certificate and prepares to leave. Ollie asks for a ride back into town and the doctor agrees.