The Screaming Skull (1958)

Director:

Alex Nicol

Writer:

John Kneubuhl (written by)

Release Date:

January 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

FREE!! We guarantee to bury you without charge if you die of fright during SCREAMING SKULL!

Plot:

A newlywed couple arrives at the home of the husband's late wife, where the gardens have been maintained by a gardener faithful to the dead woman's memory. Soon eerie events lead the new wife to think she is going out of her mind.

Plot Keywords:

Gardener | Newlywed | Skull | Mental Illness | Mansion

Cast

John Hudson	...	Eric Whitlock
Peggy Webber	...	Jenni Whitlock
Russ Conway	...	Reverend Edward Snow
Tony Johnson	...	Mrs. Snow
Alex Nicol	...	Mickey

Directed by
Alex Nicol

Writing credits
John Kneubuhl		(written by)

Produced by
John Coots	....	associate producer
John Kneubuhl	....	producer
Thomas F. Woods	....	executive producer (as T. Frank Woods)

Original Music by
Ernest Gold

Cinematography by
Floyd Crosby		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Betty J. Lane		(as Betty Jane Lane)

Makeup Department
Donald W. Roberson	....	makeup artist (as Don Roberson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maurice Vaccarino	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Al Overton	....	sound
Mandine Rogne	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Hannawalt	....	chief grip (as Chuck Hanawalt)
John Millman	....	lighting supervisor (as John Milman)
Kenneth Peach	....	second unit photographer (as Kenny Peach)

Editorial Department
Florence Williamson	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ernest Gold	....	conductor
Jerry Roberts	....	music editor (as Gerald Roberts)

Other crew
Betty Fancher	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Madera Productions

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Elite Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD) (on "Drive-In Discs, Volume 1")
• Elite Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD) (double-billed with 'The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman')
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS) (double-billed with 'The Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman')
• Alpha Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Limited (2003) (Canada) (DVD) (included in 'Legendary Horror Movies')
• Elite Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (on "Drive-In Discs Collection")
• Genius Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (included in 'Cult Classics Collection 2')
• Genius Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (on "AMC Monsterfest Collection 2: Cult Classics")
• GoodTimes Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Brentwood Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (on "The Dead Walk - 10 Movie Set")
• GoodTimes Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD) (included in 'Horror Classics Vol. 3')
• Genius Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS) (double-billed with 'Jesse James vs. Frankenstein's Daughter')
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (all media)
• Reel Classic Films (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Synergy Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• RCF (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alpha Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD) (included in 'Drive-In Horror Classics')
• A2ZCDS.com (2009) (UK) (DVD) (remastered)
• Public Domain Film (PDF) (2009) (USA) (DVD) (enhanced)
• TUTM (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Desert Island Films (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• AFA Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Gaiam (2012) (USA) (DVD) (included in '12 Drive-In Theatre Cult Classics')
• Sinister Cinema (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• Haunted House Ideas in Horror (200?) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  sound by (as Ryder Sound Service)
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Runtime:

68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | UK:X (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005)

Company:

Madera Productions

Trivia:

Though it is never credited, the film is based on Francis Marion Crawford's classic horror story of the same title, first published around 1906. Interestingly, Crawford's inspiration for the tale, in turn, came from the folklore surrounding the so-called "screaming skull" that was kept on display at Bettiscomb Manor in Dorset, England. The actual skull that inspired both the story and the movie is said to be that of a black slave whose request for burial in his native country was denied following his death and was subsequently followed by strange occurrences and unexplainable shrieking noises that emanated from the wooden box in which the skull was kept.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Eric watches the skull fall down the stairs, a stick is visible trying to tip the skull over.

Quotes:

Jenni Whitlock:Eric, when you found me, what else was there?
Eric Whitlock:What do you mean, 'What else?'
Jenni Whitlock:A skull?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: The Screaming Skull (#4.8)" (2010)

"She cries, she cries in the night."

"The Screaming Skull" opens with a warning and an offer for free burial services if you should die watching it - Now there's a hook! The story itself has a fairly interesting premise for a horror flick: scheming husband marries a wealthy woman with a history of mental illness, then attempts to convince her that she's going insane with shrill noises, mysterious knocking and skulls that turn up at inopportune times. Add to the formula a sufficiently creepy gardener who still cherishes the memory of the man's first wife who he was devoted to. Maybe it's just that the 1950's didn't have the technology to pull off some of the scare scenes needed to juice up this movie, the techniques used here seem contrived and mundane. But then again, when I first saw "House on Haunted Hill" as a nine year old, it gave me the heebie jeebies in the same way I'm sure this film did for young viewers of the same era.

Don't get me wrong, the film is not terrible, it just seems to get tedious at times. But there's some great atmospheric tension in the generally huge but unfurnished Whitlock home, and the gardens and pool are a nice touch. For me the best played out scene involves Eric Whitlock (John Hudson) going maniacal in the pond attempting to retrieve the hidden skull, he just wades right in clothes and all, in neat contrast to the mentally challenged gardener (director Alex Nicol in a dual role). It makes you wonder who the real dimwit was.

In it's own good way, perhaps the most shocking thing about the film: how about that neat roadster the Whitlock's make their first appearance in - gull wing doors in 1958! That at least made me jump out of my seat!