The Screaming Skull
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| The Screaming Skull | |
|---|---|
 A promotional film poster for "The Screaming Skull." |
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| Directed by | Alex Nicol |
| Produced by | John Kneubuhl T. Frank Woods John Coots |
| Written by | John Kneubuhl |
| Starring | John Hudson Peggy Webber Russ Conway |
| Music by | Ernest Gold |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Editing by | Betty J. Lane |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 1958 |
| Running time | 68 min |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 science fiction film directed by Alex Nicol. It was parodied on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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[edit] Plot Synopsis
The Screaming Skull begins with a voiceover explaining that the film is so frightening it may kill members of the audience. During the voiceover, the camera pans inside an empty casket containing a note that reads "Reserved for you."
The narrative portion of the film begins as newlyweds Jenni and Eric return to Eric's palatial country home (formerly shared by his now deceased first wife). At the home they meet Eric's friends, the Reverend and Mrs. Snow, as well as Mickey, the eccentric and patchily-bearded gardener (played by the director, Alex Nicol).
When she begins to hear unexplained screaming noises and see unexplained skulls around her house, Jenni begins to believe the ghost of Eric’s first wife is haunting her. However, it is also revealed that Jenni has spent time in an asylum, that she has a great personal fortune Eric would inherit if she died, and that Mickey the gardener dislikes Jenni (and, moreover, was childhood friends with Eric's first wife). Possible explanations of the film's central mystery seem fourfold:
- Is Eric behind the skulls and screams; driving Jenni to suicidal madness to get her money?
- Is the screaming skull a "real" ghost?
- Is Mickey behind the skulls and screams; driving Jenni away out of a general dislike?
- Is it all in Jenni's mentally-unstable head?
As the haunting continues, the first possibility is proved to be true, as the audience sees Eric planting a skull and then pretending to see nothing when Jenni points out that a skull is present. Eric's tactics begin to look like they will be effective, as Jenni is increasingly unnerved.
However, in subsequent scenes, it is revealed that the real ghost of Eric's former wife is also out to get Eric. It attacks him dressed in the clothes of his ex-wife, and bites at his neck like a vampire. In the final scene of the film, Eric is pursued by ghostly screaming skulls into a pond where a skull (presumably of his ex-wife) bites his neck and kills him.
[edit] Trivia
- Throughout the film, the characters refer to a mysterious figure named "Maurer." However, Maurer never appears in the film, and his invocation is not fully explained.
- The film opens with a promise by the studio to offer free burial services to anyone who dies of fright from watching the film.
- When it was aired on MST3K, it was paired with a Gumby cartoon called "Robot Rumpus" before the film.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
"The Screaming Skull is a motion picture that reaches its climax in shocking horror. Its impact is so terrifying that it may have an unforeseen effect. It may kill you!"
[edit] External links
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