The Skull

"The Skull" definitely isn't on par with the other contemporary Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee pairings, from Hammer or Amicus or whatever other production studios, but it nevertheless remains an interesting and worthwhile slice of 60's Brit-horror. Freddie Francis was always one of the most gifted horror directors in Britain and provides the film with a continuously gloomy and sinister atmosphere. Moreover, he was an even more gifted cinematographer and assures a large number of inventive shots (like, for example, a point of view from inside the skull), while the always reliable Peter Cushing gives away a marvelous lead performance. However, the film specifically struggles with two major shortcomings, namely a) the fact that the script is based on a short story (by Robert Bloch) and it's not exactly fit for a long-feature film and b) the absence of an actual evil villain/monster of flesh and blood. Cushing depicts an avid collector of occult objects who obtains – illegally – the skull of the one and only Marquis de Sade. Fellow collector and former owner of the skull Christopher Lee attempts to warn his colleague about the mysterious and psychedelic forces homing inside the Marquis' skull, but naturally he doesn't listen. During the first two nights of the next new moon, however, he dramatically learns that the skull turns its owner into a helpless murder-committing marionette. I haven't read Bloch's short story, but I presume something went wrong during the processing into a movie screenplay, as there a few too many dull moments and a lack of clarity regarding the skull's incredible powers. The intro, a certain dream sequence and a few flashbacks are extraordinary (what is it with the English and foggy cemeteries). The climax is rather silly instead of frightening, with the skull floating around with the help of clearly noticeable strings as well as grotesque camera gestures and color patterns. Cushing and Lee obviously steal the show, but keep also an eye open for two genuine British cult heroes in minuscule roles: Michael Gough ("Horror Hospital") and Patrick Magee ("A Clockwork Orange").

THE SKULL is so well made it's a shame it's not scary. This Amicus entry is directed by Freddie Francis and features both Peter Cushing AND Christopher Lee (as a "guest star")and while it's thoroughly entertaining, one can't help but feeling a bit cheated by the lack of thrills. Writer Cushing comes into possession of the skull of the Marquis de Sade and soon regrets it. Cushing is fine and of course gets to wear a red smoking jacket and the supporting cast (including Patrick Wymark as a callous broker dealing in creepy esoterica) is terrific. Nigel Green pops up as a baffled policeman and Patrick Magee plays the medical examiner.

On paper, the 1965 Amicus production "The Skull" would seem to be a surefire winner. Based on a story by Robert "Psycho" Bloch, directed by horror veteran Freddie Francis, starring British horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and featuring such sterling character actors as Michael Gough, Nigel Green, Patrick Wymark and Jill Bennett, it would seem like a can't-miss proposition. While the film is undeniably fun, however, it somehow falls short of greatness. In it, Cushing plays an occult investigator who comes into possession of the 150-year-old, particularly nasty-looking skull of the notorious libertine the Marquis de Sade, and comes under the influence of its baleful and hypnotic powers. (Indeed, it's more like the skull has come into possession of him!) The film features strikingly handsome sets, a justly celebrated and Kafkaesque dream sequence, stylish direction from Francis (dig those skull's head POV shots!), and, near the picture's end, a very interesting and suspenseful 20-minute segment largely devoid of dialogue. While some viewers have complained of visible strings attached to the levitating skull, that really didn't bother me (a single wire is barely visible for perhaps two seconds); what did vex me is that we never learn of the skull's evil doings between the time of its disinterment and its modern-day shenanigans. It MUST have been up to something during those 150 years, right? The film also seems a bit tentative in that it never lets Cushing become truly possessed and crazed; how much better the picture would have been if ol' Pete really went on a tear! Still, watching Cushing and Lee together has long been one of the supreme pleasures of horror cinema, and this little movie does have its winning ways. It's no "Creeping Flesh" or "Horror Express," but still most enjoyable.

An early attempt by Amicus at a Hammer style horror movie, The Skull opens in wonderful Gothic mode with a night-time grave robbing scene, complete with unkempt, windblown cemetery, creaky metal gate, random owl hoots and a howling dog (the foley artist really went to town on this one). The desecrated grave in question turns out to be that of the infamous Marquis De Sade, the reason for the illicit exhumation being the retrieval of his skull, which is apparently host to an ancient demon called Baalberith, who drives men to commit blasphemy and murder. Unfortunately, the enjoyably excessive Gothic atmosphere of the film's opening scene is virtually abandoned when, many years later, said skull falls into the hands of obsessive antiques collector Dr. Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing), who becomes possessed by the demon and proceeds to do its evil bidding. Apart from director Freddie Francis's (over)use of unusual POV shots and a couple of cool floating skull shots, the film exhibits very little flair or innovation, lacks genuine thrills, features almost no graphic gruesomeness, and quickly becomes tiresome. The film's most interesting aspect—the involvement of a secret satanic society—goes absolutely nowhere (and seems to exist purely to pad out the weak story to feature length). It says a lot when my favourite scene in the whole film is Maitland playing snooker against fellow antiquities collector Sir Matthew Phillips (played by Christopher Lee): despite owning his own snooker room, Phillips seems to possess zero skill at the game, randomly hitting balls to no avail (although he does rack up some points on the score-board, the cheat!). Maitland is equally as inept. At least the film gave me a few giggles, I suppose.

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee working together again here, though for Amicus this time, not Hammer. Despite the good cast, "The Skull" looks like a low budget studio production, quickly shot - and with the "monster" being a skull flying on visible wires, this easily could have gone awry. But the movie works surprisingly well, first of all due to an excellent script based on a story by Robert Bloch ("Psycho"): Maitland (Cushing) shares an interest in the occult with Phillips (Lee) who warns him to get rid of a skull possessed by a demonic spirit. Of course Maitland doesn't listen and gets into trouble. Because the skull hasn't got any claws to catch victims, the terror has to be mostly psychological, and this is done brilliantly for example in the surreal dream sequence when Maitland believes a judge asks him for a Russian roulette. The extremely colorful photography of John Wilcox ("Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires") makes "The Skull" look really good - knowing that, they let the caretaker fall through coloured glass, not simply on the floor. In opposite to other horror films of the 1960s, "The Skull" still seems quite original, not a story you saw a dozen times before. Well worth watching.

Peter Cushing and Chrisopher Lee deliver good performances. However, they have little in the way of story line to work with. The notion of a haunted skull flying about comes off as absurd in this 1965 relic. Cushing does well in the lead as demonologist Dr. Maitland. Being backed up by veteran horror film actor Chris Lee helps bouy the limb plot. As the plot line isn't bad enough, throw abysmal special effects in and one wonders, why they bothered. The plastic looking skull levitating in the air terrorizing our hero, Dr. Maitland and comrade Chrisopher Lee insults one's own imagination. Seeing the wires dangling down puts the coup de grais in this forgettable epic. This is just bad retro horror. See it with a sense of humor and you just might get through it.

The initial scenes of the film THE SKULL are deceptive. Set in an early-19th century graveyard complete with grave robbers, hooting owls, and what is all too obviously a doctor about to delve into "things man was not meant to know;" one might be forgiven for expecting that this picture is going to walk-on the well-trodden path of Hammer Films. But such is not the case. Producers Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, and screenwriter Robert Bloch have a surprise in store for the audience. What will follow this, by now, formulaic opening, will not be a Hammer 'ripoff.' Rather, the viewer will be treated to a unique psychological thriller with supernatural underpinnings. A film that will explore nightmare states and dreamscapes with a strong Kafkaesque flavor and a modernist sensibility. Adapted from his own short story, "The Skull of the Marquis De Sade," Robert Bloch's script parallels his own career as an author. Starting off as a disciple of H.P. Lovecraft in the 1930s, and publishing a number of well-received tales in the Cthulhu Mythos canon; Bloch later developed into a premier advocate of the modern, psychological horror story. Indeed, he is best known to laymen as the author of perhaps the most famous psychological horror novel of all time, "Psycho." Interestingly, the story arc of THE SKULL follows Bloch's literary trajectory in that it begins in the tradition of romantic gothicism but ends in the darkly absurdist realms of Kafka, Orwell, Dali, and Max Ernst. The basic plot of THE SKULL details the various unpleasant fates that befall subsequent owners of the skull of the infamous Napoleonic-era pornographer, the Marquis De Sade. Bloch's fictional construct is that Sade's historical excesses can be explained by the 'fact' that he was possessed by a demon. A demon who still dwells in the eponymous skull and who still retains a taste for dark ceremonies and murder. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Christopher Maitland, an occult researcher and collector who comes into possession of the skull through the offices of one Marco (Patrick Wymark), a shady 'dealer' in obscure objects d'art. Christopher Lee portrays Sir Matthew Phillips, friend of Maitland, and former owner of the skull, who warns its new possessor of the item's destructive powers. THE SKULL really is Cushing's movie. Mr. Cushing's performance carries the last 2/3 of the film and is of grueling intensity. Mr. Lee's role as the doomed Phillips, who meets a violent end at the hands of the friend he tries to help, is crucial to the overall structure of the plot and flawlessly performed. The highlight of the film is a nightmare sequence that could have been taken straight out of Kafka's "The Trial." Here Mr. Cushing gives a world class performance that echoes his earlier triumph as Winston Smith in the BBC television production of Orwell's "1984." This segment is gripping in the extreme and still carries a tremendous emotional wallop nearly 40 years later. With stellar performances by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee; standout supporting and cameo roles by Jill Bennet, Patrick Wymark, Nigel Greene, Peter Woodthorpe, and Patrick Magee; a thoughtful and literate script by Bloch and Subotsky; and measured, restrained direction by Freddie Francis, THE SKULL is an outstanding example of contemporary, modernist horror. This movie is not only a must-see for any Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing fan, but a lesson in intelligent, stylish film making.

Peter Cushing plays a demonologist who collects any items pertaining to the occult, witchcraft, devil worship, etc... This desire for the bizarre leads to his encounter with the skull of none other than the Marquis de Sade himself. This film produced by Amicus has a lot going for it. It has a good story by Robert Bloch as the basis for the script, some fine acting from Peter Cushing in the lead and Patrick Wymark as a disreputable salesman, good character roles by George Coulouris, Patrick Magee, Nigel Green, Michael Gough, and particularly Christopher Lee, some imaginative direction from Freddie Francis, and some very stylish set pieces and costumes. Francis has limited special effects at his disposal, and this is a minor distraction as in one scene you can clearly see wires carrying the skull and a book in the air. Francis also gives in too long I think to some dream sequences and other "are they real or not real" happenings with his camera predominating over long periods of silence. It works well at first, but it does grow stale with repeated use. The story and acting, however, greatly enhance the film and make me give it an easy recommendation.

Throughout the mid 60s and early 70s Amicus Productions churned out a series of wonderful little horror anthologies including: Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, Torture Garden, The House That Dripped Blood, Asylum, The Vault of Horror, From Beyond the Grave, and Tales from the Crypt. Unlike those movies, THE SKULL is not an anthology. Instead, it is a superb exception! Six minutes in; and, we've already gotten the back story, even before the titles roll! The opening is set in the early-19th century. We see a graveyard, with the requisite grave robbers; and, their client, a doctor (albeit a phrenologist). Peter Cushing plays Dr. Christopher Maitland, an occult researcher and collector who comes into possession of the skull by way of a suspicious dealer in such objects. Christopher Lee portrays Sir Matthew Phillips, a friend of Dr. Maitland; and, coincidentally a former owner of the skull! THE SKULL details the ghastly misfortunes that befall each successive owner of the skull. That is the skull of the infamous Marquis De Sade. According to the story, the Marquis De Sade was not insane, as many believed; but, was possessed by an evil spirit. And, that spirit still dwells in the skull. Moving from the literal form seamlessly into dreams and fantasies, THE SKULL is a marvelous example of modern, psychological horror. It was years ahead of its time.

Simple story of a complex man wishing to possess a skull once the lifelong possession of the long dead Marquis De Sade which is now possessed by evil forces and which possesses him to possess it and other evil artifacts whatever the cost. Whatever possessed Robert Bloch to ever write such a charming short story I'll never know – it was more in the mind with his stories, the film of course had to be more supernatural and a darker shade more dramatic. It was a fine Amicus production with great roles for both Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee (and also a memorable part from Patrick Wymark) with many atmospheric scenes and images – as a pair of collectors of objects d'art the production values had the opportunity to be and were sumptuous. Are there really weird people around who like to be surrounded at all times by evil and perverse ornaments and objects, apart from politicians I mean? It's the type of cerebral film to watch at night with the doors and windows closed and locked against the elements and elemental forces, looking over your shoulder to make sure you're still alone. I was entranced by it at age 12, but now it's not so spooky occasionally looking through the eye holes of a skull at various people through the eye holes of middle age; also the floating skull scenes were always borderline risible, but they just about got away with it. The rather flat end might leave you scratching your head too, as the moral is? But maybe I'm just too thick-skulled to get it. Seriously though, this is a wonderful waste of time and engrossing nonsense from start to finish especially if you can get your head round it all.