The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writer:

Orville H. Hampton (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

A Terrifying Case of SKULL-DUGGERY!

Plot:

Jonathan Drake, while attending his brother's funeral, is shocked to find the head of the deceased is missing...

Plot Keywords:

Skull | Funeral | Curse | Decapitation | Shrunken Head

Cast

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

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #19224) | USA:Unrated (video & dvd release) | Sweden:(Banned) (1959)

Company:

Robert E. Kent Productions

Trivia:

The script is based in part on the Amazonian Indian practice of removing the skulls from decapitated heads, padding them with hot sand and shrinking them to an extremely small size.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" (1995)

Classic Scary Movie!

Aaah!! What a classic!! This movie ranks in my top 10 of scary movies. I first saw this movie WAY back in the day when Black & White TV's were the norm (mid to late 60's). Anyways, Released in 1959, this movie tells the story of the Drake Family & how it is faced with an old family curse. The two Drake brothers try to unravel why the family has such a curse upon it. The make up, visual effects and an "eeree" sounding organ give this movie that certain "umph" to scare you. Especially when your watching this late at night! Note: This movie is not for young kids......they'll get nightmares......like I did....when I first saw it. Enjoy!