Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Claudio Carvalho In the Eighteenth Century, after the death of the Marquis de Sade, the phrenologist Pierre (Maurice Good) robs his head from the grave and removes the flesh at home, but dies in a horrible way. In 1965, in London, the dishonest antiques dealer Anthony Marco (Patrick Wymark) offers to the collector and writer of occultism Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing) a book with skin made cover about the Marquis de Sade. On the next day, he returns and asks a small fortune for the skull of the Marquis de Sade but without any proof that belonged to him. Maitland does not accept and he offers for half the price until the next day. Maitland meets his friend and also collector Sir Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee), who tells that the skull had been stolen from him but he does not want it back since he was free of its evil force. He advises Maitland to stay away from the skull otherwise he would be possessed by its evil spirit. But the fate puts the skull on Maitland´s hands affecting his entire life in tragic way."The Skull" is a creepy British horror film by Amicus to compete with Hammer with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The screenplay is well-written and the tragic conclusion is announced from the moment Maitland meets his fellow collector and friend and keeps the interest on the skull. The "Kafkanian" judgment of Christopher Maitland is another plus in the story. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Maldição da Caveira" ("The Curse of the Skull")

christopher-underwood Starts really well and the simple tale is well set up with fabulous sets and a multitude of spooky artefacts. Lee and Cushing work well together and all the cast are effective, the ladies perhaps less so but then maybe I'm used to the stylish girls of Hammer and the Italians. Everything is seemingly going fine until about halfway through and then it slows almost to a stop. There are moments when nothing happens and the cameraman is left to pan around the rows of masks and various trophies. The script ran out and with it the film and although it does pick up for the ending it is rather a shame. I would have though even a little back story of what the mask has been up to in the past years would have been relatively simple to film. Still, a little bit different and those wonderful sets look great in Blu-ray.

jamesraeburn2003 1814: A scientist called Pierre (Maurice Good) opens the grave of the Marquis De Sade and steals his skull for his research. When he takes it home the skull exerts its occult powers and kills him by tearing his throat out. The story moves forward to contemporary England where old friends Professor Maitland (Peter Cushing), a writer about demonology and Sir Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) are attending an auction sale of macabre exhibits. Maitland is surprised when Sir Matthew bids an excessively high sum for four statuettes of the divinities of hell. That night Maitland is visited by the shady Marco (Patrick Wymark) who provides him with material for his research. He sells him a book on the life of De Sade bound in human skin. But on the following night he returns with a human skull, which he claims is that of the Marquis himself. However, he is unable to convince Maitland of its authenticity. Maitland pays Sir Matthew a visit who assures him that it is the real thing as it was stolen from him and that he is glad of it. He warns Maitland about its occult properties, it is possessed by an evil spirit and Sir Matthew bought the statuettes under its influence. Ignoring Sir Matthew's warnings, Maitland becomes obsessed with owning the skull and goes to Marco's room where he finds him dead, his throat torn out. He steals the skull and its evil power immediately manifests itself. First it wills Maitland to steal the statue of Lucifer from Sir Matthew whom he kills in the process and then to stab his wife, Jane (Jill Bennett), to death. However, the crucifix around her neck prevents him from doing so and the skull turns on Maitland instead. The following morning Jane finds her husband dead with his throat torn out.Oscar-winning Cinematographer turned director Freddie Francis became firmly associated with the British horror boom of the sixties somewhat reluctantly. Indeed he was all too often handed inferior material to work on and the lacklustre direction he gave to those films clearly showed his disinterest. But his better genre work revealed him to be as talented a director as he was a cameraman. Those handful of pictures strongly suggested a film maker who would have achieved the same degree of acclaim as a director that he did as a Cinematograopher had he been able to diversify away from horror into other subjects.The Skull, which was made for Amicus for whom Francis directed their noted portmanteau horror films, Dr Terror's House Of Horrors (1965) and Torture Garden (1967) certainly ranks among these and Francis' much praised visual style is evident throughout the movie. The thing that most people remember about The Skull is the point-of-view shots used to heighten the presence of the skull's malevolent spirit. These were achieved by a skull mask being fixed on to the lens of a hand held camera, which was operated by Francis wearing roller skates and being pushed along the set by the prop men to give the impression of Cushing being attacked by the skull. The final scene also has the camera shooting through the skull's eye sockets as the police (Nigel Green and Patrick Magee) discuss the possible cause of Cushing's bloody demise. "Some sort of witchcraft" suggests Magee. "No not nowadays" replies Green and it is clear that the evil spirit is watching them as if saying "That's what you think fools!" Other splendid visual touches include flashing blobs of light on the walls of Cushing's study and an hourglass, which turns of its own accord with the sand begin to fill the bottom glass as an indication of a victim's imminent doom at the hand of the skull. Amazingly although the film is now forty-six years old, the special effects work still looks reasonable since the wires are cleverly disguised (most of the time although you can briefly glimpse them in a close up of the floating skull at the climax) in the shots where the skull is floating through the air, which must have posed a tremendous challenge for the filmmakers at the time. Bill Constable's set design is impressive especially Cushing's study decked out with Gothic figurines. John Wilcox's colour Cinemascope camera-work and Elizabeth Luyens' eerie score all combine to give the proceedings a genuinely creepy atmosphere. What The Skull lacks in graphic violence is more than made up for by mood and atmosphere. Other moments to enjoy include an effective nightmare sequence in which Cushing held at gunpoint in a phony courtroom is forced to put three pistols in turn to his temple and pull the trigger. Great suspense here that will have you on the edge of your seat! There are excellent performances throughout with Cushing on fine form as Maitland whose curiosity and fascination with the occult ultimately bring about his own destruction. Christopher Lee also offers an excellent turn as Sir Matthew Phillips even though is role is little more than a supporting part. He is especially good in the auction room sequence where he manages to look genuinely possessed as he bids for the statuettes of the divinities of hell under the skull's influence. In addition, Patrick Wymark is also noteworthy as the shady and somewhat sinister Marco.All in all, The Skull emerges as a minor but effective little horror film that relies on mood and atmosphere for its thrills rather than explicit violence and is all the better for it. It surely deserves a DVD release which is long overdue.

TheFinalAlias If there was ever a writer more well-known for work which was unusual for him or not exemplary of his output, it was Robert Bloch. To John Q. Citizen, he was the guy who wrote 'Psycho' and some story called 'Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper' which he has never read. So one could assume that Bloch was a dead-serious man who hated his mother and wrote dead- serious stories about women haters who butchered their victims in a realistic fashion.Well, No. The mother part could be true, but the majority of his output consisted of SUPERNATURAL short stories that never took themselves seriously and were filled with bad puns and metaphors, he even wrote a series of humorous fantasy stories featuring a swindler named Lefty Feep. I found the book 'Psycho' to be rambling and tiresome; it would be forgotten if not for the film. Bloch's best work, IMHO, was his short stories and novellas, and they could be just as grim as 'Psycho', and though mostly humorous, could be filled with just as much psychological anguish and mood. 'The Skull' adapted by Amicus studios, proves this, and it makes for one hell of a horror flick.The film begins with a memorable sequence featuring the theft of a skull from a cemetery at the dead of night. Then it becomes unbearably boring, and it only lasts for 3 minutes! Three of the longest minutes I've ever seen. It's like an endurance test. Sit through this unbearable prologue, and you're in for an excellent film.The film then picks up in the(then)present where at a very symbolic auction, we meet the film's central characters; Christopher Maitland(Peter Cushing), Matthew Phillips(Christopher Lee) and the unscrupulous antique fence Marco(Patrick Wymark). Maitland is a rather callous man who researches the occult and fanatically collects corresponding memorabilia. And Marco keeps tempting him like a drug dealer tempting an addict. After talking Maitland into buying a book (bound in human flesh)about the Marquis De Sade, Maitland's interest is piqued. Marco then offers Maitland the skull of...could you have guessed? The Skull of the Marquis De Sade!!!And since we've already seen several Point-of-view shots from the skull, that can't be good....Maitland refuses to accept the Skull because of the exorbitant price. Then things get tricky. It turns out that Marco stole the Skull from Phillips, and Phillips couldn't be happier!! The Skull is possessed(What? You thought this film wasn't just going to be about a boy and his skull), and acts up worst during the full moons. Now, Maitland's interest has REALLY piqued, he HAS to have the skull! Now's where things get interesting....The plot becomes sketchy, but I won't spoil it. Through a chain of circumstances, Maitland gets the Skull, and quickly starts to wish he never had it. At this point, the film becomes a barking mad nightmare featuring some of the creepiest sequences I have ever seen. The final half-hour is a horror fan's dream come true. Cushing is excellent, and despite his character's poorly set-up relationship with his wife, when she starts becoming endangered by a periodically possessed Maitland, you can really feel his anguish. I have a feeling Cushing didn't watch this one much after his wife died.An eerie masterpiece that is ideal Halloween viewing, the film's climax makes up for all the tedium, and it truly becomes frightening. If you are patient, sit back, preferably with all the lights out, and let the Skull work it's power over YOU. It won't do to you what it does to Maitland, but I can guarantee every horror fan that it's an experience he'll never forget; he may forget the plot and it's details, but he will NEVER forget the mood.~