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 retitled due to the uproar over teen violence in films after the Columbine High School massacre . The film received mostly poor reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb . It has since gained a small cult following . It remains Williamson ’s only directional effort on film to November 2018
Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
Teaching Mrs. Tingle