Creepy Commercials Countdown: Vincent Price Tilex Ad!

The Creepy Commercials Countdown!
October 13th, 2012: “Vincent Price Versus Midlew!” (1989)

There’s no “Vincent Price thing” that I don’t like. From his ghoulish hamming in Roger Corman’s House of Usher, to a near-cameo as the guy who gave Johnny Depp his scissorhands, Price’s appearance in something was a virtual guarantee that that something would be good.

Today’s creepy commercial proves it. This is the best Tilex commercial I’ve ever seen.

“Is scrubbing mildew making your shower a chamber of horrors?” Price has the solution!

The reveal of Vincent Price clutching Tilex is an amazing thing. Even in an ad set in a horrible dungeon with a giant concrete demon, all you really notice is Vincent Price and his bottle of Tilex. It seems too bizarre to have really happened, and had someone shown me a screengrab and insisted it was from some ancient SNL skit, I’d believe them.

Going from Tilex to Vincent Price is no easy leap. Who came up with this, and how?

Big budget commercials have a LOT of people weighing in. It’s not like someone could’ve just blurted out “Vincent Price” and had the whole thing magically materialize by morning. Somebody had to really, really want this to happen, and considering that a Tilex commercial would’ve been aimed at stay-at-home moms, getting everyone to sign off on Vincent Price had to take the pitch of the fucking century.

Kudos to them. I’ve never taken more notice of a mildew remover commercial, and barring one with space aliens and talking tigers, I doubt I ever will.