The Skull (1965)

An early effort from the popular Amicus company, one of Hammer's main rivals who are noted for their anthology films. Just by looking at the cast list - a sheer roll call of '60s British horror names - you can tell that this film is going to be good and it won't let you down. However, it is dated and remains quite tame and slow-paced, but if you can get over these hurdles then you will enjoy it. Patrick Magee and Michael Gough both pop up in small roles as a doctor and an auctioneer respectively, and Nigel Green is good in his small role as a stern police inspector (talk about typecasting!). Christopher Lee appears in a 'guest' role and is impressive, playing another distinguished gentleman who has an unhealthy interest in the black arts.However this is really Peter Cushing's film and he carries it commendably. His haggard features are perfect for his central role as a man corrupted by the evil influence of the skull and the ending, a tour-de-force with Cushing mentally fighting the influence which is compelling him to kill his wife, is brilliant. The film itself is quite routinely plotted as there is only so much you can do with an evil skull but it's still a minor gem. Watch it for the atmosphere and the fine acting on display from the distinguished cast.

No spoiler here. Now that I read the terms. Heck, I don't remember the whole film... I just remember a skull, floating down a long hallway - is that a spoiler? And I was young, before school, with my sister in her 56 Chevy... and it scared the holy crap out of me.I remembered the tittle suddenly tonight, and looked it up, and here's the exact film I saw. Well, imagine watching this as a 5 year old or so, (I was born in 56) - in a drive in, and with your sister trying to scare the crap out of you. That's my memory of this film, and I'm trying to find it on Amazon or Netflix, just to see what I really remember. Old pic, but very scary. Bye!

"The Skull" is good if not great Amicus horror, based on a story by Robert Bloch. Cushing plays Christopher Maitland, a collector of items related to the occult who is presented with a skull that he learns just may belong to the infamous Marquis de Sade. His good friend Sir Matthew Phillips (Sir Christopher Lee) informs him that not only is the skull genuine, but it was stolen from Matthew himself...and that Matthew is only too happy to be rid of it. Christopher does not heed Matthews' warnings to dispose of the thing, and pays a big price for his obsession with it, as there is apparently some sort of evil spirit residing within that wields a powerful influence over him.Noted cinematographer and director Freddie Francis is at the helm of a movie that admittedly gets padded out a bit much with sequences where one has to wonder if the events are real or imagined. Nevertheless, they do have a creepy quality, especially when Christopher is made to play Russian roulette by a strange "judge" (Frank Forsyth). The special effects aren't terribly convincing, as we are able to see the wires pulling the skull along, but clearly Francis wants to go more for mood and atmosphere, and succeeds when focusing on the terror of the characters. We do see a little blood but not much else in terms of physical violence. The final segment, practically a one man show with a terrified Cushing struggling to withstand the evil influence of the skull, isn't bad if somewhat protracted.The actor does a solid job in the lead, with able support from frequent co-star Lee and Patrick Wymark as the shady Marco; Peter Woodthorpe is amusing as the suspicious landlord. However, much of the rest of the cast is under utilized, including Michael Gough as an auctioneer, Patrick Magee as a police surgeon, Jill Bennett as Maitlands' wife, and Nigel Green as the inspector.Still, "The Skull" is a reasonably fun, eerie film, that does have its moments, beginning and ending fairly well and entertaining enough to watch.Seven out of 10.

While I am a big fan of British horror films from Amicus and Hammer, this one is certainly not among their better films--mostly because the plot is pretty silly and you must work hard to suspend disbelief to enjoy it and not laugh at some of the plot. But, if you can, you will no doubt find that the film does have a nice spooky atmosphere and could be a bit of fun. Just don't expect a lot from this one.Professor Maitland (Peter Cushing) is a collector of strange relics. Eventually, some weirdo offers to sell him the skull of the Marquis de Sade--which had been stolen from Christopher Lee. However, when Lee finds out, he isn't angry--telling Cushing he's happy the accursed skull is gone! Lee goes on to tell him that the skull has evil powers and can make you do its bidding. Further, it can even move about by using the powers of Satan! And, soon, all this comes to be. Cushing does indeed have a cursed skull and it makes him have awful dreams and do its evil bidding. Considering he'd been warned and ignored his colleague's entreaties, I say it serves the fool right! Seeing the skull and other things floating about is a bit comical, though I only noticed wires doing this on a rare occasion or two (especially when the book floated about)--so the special effects, for the time, were pretty good. And, the film had excellent creepiness and music. Overall, not great but considering it had Lee AND Cushing, then it can't be all bad.Oddly, it says on IMDb that the family of the Marguis (who died around the turn of the 18th century) threatened legal action concerning the use of the guy's name in print ads. What the heck?! It's not like they were trying to defend the name of de Sade, where they?! His name is where they derived the term "sadism" due to his very sick behaviors (rape, torture and the like--he really was a horrible and evil troll of a man despite what any movie might say--research him and you'll find out what I mean). And they had the nerve to sue?!?! What's next? Will Hitler's family sue because WWII documentaries cast HIM in a bad light?!?!