The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

Jonathan Drake, while attending his brother's funeral, is shocked to find the head of the deceased is missing. When his brother's skull shows up later in a locked cabinet, Drake realizes an... See full summary »

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writer:

Orville H. Hampton

Stars:

Eduard Franz, Valerie French, Grant Richards

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eduard Franz	...	Jonathan Drake
Valerie French	...	Alison Drake
Grant Richards	...	Police Lt. Jeff Rowan
Henry Daniell	...	Dr. Emil Zurich
Lumsden Hare	...	Rogers
Frank Gerstle	...	Lee Coulter
Paul Wexler	...	Zutai
Howard Wendell	...	Dr. George Bradford
Paul Cavanagh	...	Kenneth Drake

Storyline

Jonathan Drake, while attending his brother's funeral, is shocked to find the head of the deceased is missing. When his brother's skull shows up later in a locked cabinet, Drake realizes an ancient curse placed upon his grandfather by a tribe of South American Jivaro Indians is still in effect and that he himself is the probable next victim. That night he is awakened by the approach of an Indian, his lips sewed together with string, and wielding a curare-tipped bamboo knife.

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Plot Keywords:

skull | funeral | curse | decapitation | shrunken head | 

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Taglines:

Written, Produced and Directed to Scare the Daylights Out of You!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die vier Schädel des Jonathan Drake

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vogue Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Paul Cavanagh.

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Goofs

During the fight between Zutai and Jeff, the "blade" of Zutai's weapon is rubber, and keeps wobbling around, and bends when it brushes against anything.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Zombies (1996)

User Reviews

A mystery and curse beyond the natural

I use the term "beyond the natural" rather than supernatural because there are no ghosts, vampires, spirits, or werewolves involved here. Rather there are Henry Daniell (eminently watchable) and an Amazonian Indian (Paul Wexler) with some very interesting makeup and some beyond the natural elements that need not be revealed.

There is a curse upon the Drake family, but it is not brought into action by spells, telepathy, or any action at a distance. The main Drake being threatened is played convincingly by Edouard Franz, with his daughter Valerie French dressing up the screen.

The story is mainly a mystery. Detective Grant Richards somewhat ploddingly unravels the case. He's the epitome of logic but the case leads him to enlarge his concept of what is possible logically if natural laws are, shall we say, extended along with the possible life span.

Shrunken heads, skulls, curare and a family vault all play a part in this tale.

It's a low budget movie and creaks a bit in places. A 5 is too low, 5.5 is better. But ratings are not as important as enjoyability. If you do not mind a film made on sound stages and value an imaginative sci-fi story with a few suspenseful elements, well-acted especially by Daniell and Franz, then you'll like this.