The Tingler

Dr. Warren Chapin identifies a peculiar tingling sensation in the spine that occurs under extreme fear, tracing it to a parasitic creature—the tingler—attached to the spine. The creature curls up, feeds, and grows stronger the more the host is terrified. He explains that the only apparent way to prevent curling is to scream.

Oliver Higgins' wife, Martha, dies of fright after strange, apparently supernatural events unfold in her room. Dr. Chapin performs the autopsy and discovers a tingler still attached to her spine. Martha was deaf and mute, which prevented her from screaming and potentially saving her, making Higgins suspect foul play.

Chapin and Higgins manage to contain the tingler in a sealed container and return with it to Higgins' house. They realize the tingler is a creature that feeds on fear and can be contained only temporarily by confinement. The tension grows as they fear the creature's eventual escape.

Back at Higgins' house, Chapin confronts Oliver Higgins and reveals that he is the murderer who frightened his wife to death. Higgins admits guilt, confirming the motive behind the fear-driven plot. The scene reveals the real danger of the tingler when a human terrorizes another to fuel it.

Without warning, the tingler breaks free from its container and is released into Higgins' silent-film theater. It skulks through the theater, preparing to strike when fear returns among the audience. Staff and patrons remain unaware of the threat as the creature hides in the dark.

During a screening, the tingler latches onto a woman's leg, causing her to scream in terror. Her scream triggers the creature to release its grip, illustrating how fear can feed and free the tingler. The moment demonstrates why screaming is crucial to the fight against it.

Chapin realizes the only way to neutralize the tingler during the show is for the entire audience to scream. He cuts the lights or turns them off, amplifying the fear, and orders everyone to scream together. The combined scream frightens the creature and helps drive it away from the live audience. The audience's scream becomes a weapon against the tingler.

With the audience screaming and the lights off, the tingler retreats to a less exposed area of the theater. Chapin and Higgins work to corner and capture it in the projection room. They manage to secure the creature after a tense pursuit.

Chapin concludes that re-inserting the tingler into Martha's body may be the only way to neutralize it permanently. He proceeds to reinsert the creature into Martha's body, a decision that takes place in Higgins' house. The act is presented as a desperate bid to end the fear-parasite's influence once and for all.

Higgins is left alone in the room after Chapin departs. A supernatural-feeling lock slams shut and the window closes, echoing Martha's death scenario. The tingler apparently reanimates Martha's body, which rises and fixes its gaze on her husband, who stands frozen in fear and unable to scream. The scene ends with a fade to black.

The film ends with Chapin’s voiceover offering a warning to the audience: if you experience fear in the dark and do not scream, you might harbor a tingler of your own. He emphasizes that fear has a physical cost and that the tingler can be unleashed in anyone. The final line lingers as the credits begin.