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Teaching Mrs. Tingle movie storyline. Leigh Ann Watson is a high school student living in a small sleepy town of Grandsboro in Northern California with her single mother Faye who works as a waitress. Leigh Ann’s aim is to achieve top grades to become valedictorian and leave the rather dead end town. However, her grade in history class is threatened by her sadistic and thoroughly vindictive teacher, Mrs. Eve Tingle. Mrs. Tingle has a special dislike for Leigh Ann and down-grades Leigh Ann’s well-designed, though slightly misfired, project.
Fellow student Luke Churner takes the final exam papers from Tingle and makes a copy. He offers Leigh Ann, whom he has feelings for, the papers but she insistently refuses to cheat. Ultimately, Luke stashes the papers in Leigh Ann’s backpack without her consent. Out of nowhere Tingle happens by, discovers the papers in Leigh Ann’s backpack, and threatens to expel her for cheating. Mrs. Tingle heads to Principal Potter’s office, however he has left for the day and decides to tell him tomorrow morning. This gives Leigh Ann, her best friend, Jo Lynn Jordan, an aspiring actress who has feelings for Luke, and Luke time to think of a plan to stop Mrs. Tingle.
Leigh Ann, Jo Lynn, and Luke head to Mrs. Tingle’s house that night and try to convince Mrs. Tingle that Leigh Ann is innocent. Mrs. Tingle, however, refuses to listen and hints that she believes them but doesn’t care. Luke picks up a loaded crossbow and aims it at Mrs. Tingle, threatening her. A physical struggle ensues, the crossbow goes off, and in the ensuing mêlée Mrs. Tingle is accidentally knocked unconscious.
The students panic and tie Mrs. Tingle to her bed. Leigh Ann returns to her house and promises to return in the morning, while Luke and Jo Lynn are left to watch Mrs. Tingle in the bedroom. While under Jo Lynn’s watch, Mrs. Tingle regains consciousness and playing on her guilt, Mrs. Tingle feigns dizziness and understanding for the prank and asks to be untied. Jo Lynn proceeds to untie her from the bed, and Mrs. Tingle immediately attacks Jo Lynn and tries to throttle her on the bed. Luke, with loaded crossbow aimed at Mrs. Tingle, convinces her otherwise, and she is retied to her bed, this time with a gag.
Teaching Mrs. Tingle is a 1999 American dark comedy thriller film and the directing debut of the film’s screenwriter Kevin Williamson. The film follows a trio of seniors who must prove their innocence to their vindictive history teacher, who accuses them of cheating their exams. Williamson originally shelved the script, before the success of his later projects, including Dawson’s Creek, Scream, and its sequel. Following this, the script was eventually picked up.
The film stars Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, Marisa Coughlan, Barry Watson, and Jeffrey Tambor and was released on August 20, 1999. It was originally titled Killing Mrs. Tingle, but was delayed and re-titled due to the uproar over teen violence in films after the Columbine High School massacre. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb. It has since gained a small cult following.
Filming began on May 10, 1998 and ended on July 14, 1998, lasting 65 days. The film was entirely filmed in California. Outside school footage was filmed at El Segundo High School, El Segundo. Other scenes were filmed at Culver Studios, Culver City. Other locations include Pasadena, Culver City High School, John Burroughs Middle School and Los Angeles.
The film was originally to be called “Killing Mrs. Tingle” and receive an earlier release date. However, due to the Columbine High School massacre that occurred on April 20, 1999, there was a huge uproar over violence in media. Because of this, many films and TV shows were affected and were rescheduled or re-edited. The film was pushed back to August 20, 1999 and re-titled “Teaching Mrs. Tingle”, which was deemed more acceptable.
Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
Directed by: Kevin Williamson
Starring: Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, Jeffrey Tambor, Barry Watson, Marisa Coughlan, Liz Stauber, Molly Ringwald, Vivica A. Fox, John Patrick White, Harvey Silver
Screenplay by: Kevin Williamson
Production Design by: Naomi Shohan
Cinematography by: Jerzy Zielinski
Film Editing by: Debra Neil-Fisher
Costume Design by: Susie DeSanto
Set Decoration by: Daniel Loren May
Art Direction by: David Lazan
Music by: John Frizzell
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic content, violence, sexuality, language and some teen drinking.
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Release Date: August 20, 1999
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