The Screaming Skull — The Screaming Skull ( Blu Ray)
From the late 1950s, The Screaming Skull is a black-and-white US production that blends gothic horror and an are-they-mad-or-not thriller. The film regards a businessman taking his new wife to his southern mansion, which he left after his first wife seemingly died in an accident. The film has a fairly plodding pace & some decidedly mixed acting, but the creepy mansion setting is effective enough; there are some neat creepy moments, with the female lead displaying a decent range. Here from Eureka, featuring a new HD scan and a few new extras.
The Screaming Skull is from 1958, and very much moulds itself on the gimmick-bound thrills & chills of William Castle films, as it opens with a pre-credits declaring that if you die from fright watching the film, the makers will pay for your funeral. It was shot at the 1940s-built Huntington Hartford Estate, Santa Monica, California,
It was directed by Ossining, New York-born Alex Nicol, who also stars in the film as the troubled and childlike gardener Micky. Between the late 50s and early 70s, he had a total of eleven directing credits to his name. These included six TV credits and four features, taking in the likes of the war drama Then There Were Three (1961), Adventure Tarzan and the Four O'Clock Army, and campy/ chatty thriller- horror crossbred Point of Terror.
The film has a rather short runtime of one hour and eight minutes. And after the credits, we get introduced to our newlyweds- suited Eric Whitlock (John Hudson) and his rather nervous/ haunted looking wife Jenni (Peggy Webber). He’s showing her around his gothic mansion-he hasn’t been there in several years, as his first wife died after seemingly slipping up, cracking her skull, then falling into the pond.
As we get into the film, we find out that Jenni is wealthy in her own right, though she’s spent time in a mental health hospital, as she saw both of her parents drown. She tries to settle into the house as well as possible, but she’s suffering from first-night terrors, then strange knockings, and the appearance/ movement of a skull.
Also, we have the raggedly bearded & floppy-haired gardener Mikey(Nicol). And nosey/ trying to be helpful neighbours, Rev. Edward Snow (Russ Conway) and Mrs Snow (Tony Johnson).
As I mentioned at the start of the review, it is somewhat plodding in places, but as it goes on, we get some effective night terror/ door knocking unease, as well as the appearance of more than a few skulls, and a very chilling chase sequence.
The acting is very mixed- Webber is the best here as the new wife, manages to put across a range of emotions well, and she’s a good screamer too. As her husband, Hudson has a few decent moments but largely comes off like he’s reading his lines… same, really, with both Hudson & Conway. Nicol isn’t great as the childlike/ doesn’t say much gardner- I’m rather getting Andy Milligan acting-trope vibes.
The Screaming Skull is fine- been a passable mix of thriller and horror, and if you enjoy low-budget films from the 50s, I think you’ll enjoy what's on offer here well enough.
Moving on to this new region B Blu-ray, we get an HD scan of the film. The black-and-white stock looks nice & crisp, though the dialogue seems low in the general mix of the film.
There are two new extras on the disc. First off, there’s an introduction from horror novelist/lifelong horror fan Stephen Laws (12.36). He starts off talking about when the film was first released; stateside, it was on a double bill with Terror From The Year 5000. We find out Alex Nicol wanted to recreate what Hitchcock did with Rebecca (1940)- the film was Nicol’s directorial debut. He gives a brief bio of the director, as well as touching on the original short story the film was based on. He talks about seeing the film when it finally played in cinemas in the UK, and how a certain scene put the hairs on the back of his neck on end. Shrouded in Mystery (28.22) is a visual essay by film and literature scholar Mary Going. She starts off talking about the film's gimmick & other films of the period that had a similar gimmick. We get quotes from interviews with both the film's director and lead actress regarding the project. She compares the film to Rebecca, before going on to discuss how it fits into gothic tropes/ similar films. Both extras are well worth a play.
The release is finished off with a limited-edition O-card slipcase and interior packaging featuring new artwork by John Dunn. An inlay booklet featuring new writing on the production and marketing of The Screaming Skull by film historian Jon Towlson, author of Subversive Horror Cinema.
It’s great to see this lesser-known 1950s film getting the Eureka treatment. And if you enjoy where gothic horror and an are-they-mad-or-not thriller meet, then The Screaming Skull will appeal.