Night of the assassins

The label "thoroughly average" is borrowed from the Aurum Horror Encyclopaedia and, for once, describes the movie very well.

That does not imply that the movie is without interest. There are nice decors and several interesting scenes, e.g., a man is buried alive with only his hands, which are tied to the back, sticking out of the ground like a cry for help or a women is tied to the rocks and left to the tides. Of course, the movie features also Franco's usual dilettantism such as badly focussed shots.

All in all, it is worth a try. No suspense or blood, though. So, watch it only if your are fully awake.

The already quoted horror encyclopaedia contains a plot summary which differs slightly from what I have seen. This could mean that, as so often, there exist several different versions of the movie.

Night of the Skull (1973)

*** (out of 4)

Spanish giallo has a family brought together for the reading of a will only soon a maniac wearing a skull mask shows up and starts knocking them off. This is from Jess Franco and this certainly ranks as one of his better made films, technically speaking. Franco creates a very thick atmosphere that helps the film move quite nicely and the mystery is well written and plays out very well. The performances are a lot better than normal especially Lina Romay who's given the chance to act here. The first murder sequence is very well done and the look of the killer is nice. Not your typical Franco film but a good one.

Jess Franco made a lot of films that are liable to make you want to claw your eyes out; but then he also made a lot of films that made you wish he took more care of his overall filmography as the man clearly had talent. Night of the Skull is firmly in the latter category; as while the plot is not particularly original and has been done many times before and since; Franco makes good of it and Night of the Skull is a very successful thriller overall. The basis for the plot takes influence from the often used idea of a will reading causing trouble within a family. The film takes place in England and we focus on the residents of an old castle. The Lord of the manor, Lord Archibald Marian, has been murdered. As the family gather for the will reading, they are shocked to learn of two wills; one to be read in the case that the Lord was murdered, the other in the case that he died of natural causes. The family are shocked further when all of his assets are left to his illegitimate daughter, but there are twists in store before the will can be executed.

The film gives a writing credit to the great Edgar Allen Poe for his story "The Cat and the Canary", although clear influence is taken from crime writer Edgar Wallace and indeed his novel "The Terror" (which was adapted in 1965 as The Sinister Monk) features basically the same story. The film has some similarities with the Giallo genre also and Giallo fans will no doubt enjoy this one too (genre entries such as The Weekend Murders and Deadly Inheritance also use the same base for a plot). The film is set in England and Franco takes care with his setting and the film does actually have an English feel; despite the fact that all the characters speak Spanish. Franco also creates an effectively creepy atmosphere that benefits the film immensely. The film is of a higher quality than a lot of Franco's stuff also - with the acting from the ensemble cast being well above par. The storyline is interesting for the duration despite the fact that it will be familiar to most genre fans; and the ending does deliver something of a surprise. It's an unlikely way for the tale to end, but at least it sort of makes some sense. Overall, Night of the Skull is a very decent thriller and comes recommended.

Roger Corman apparently isn't the only director who can do Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, even though he undoubtedly remains the reigning king thanks to his SEVEN masterful films during the early 60's starring Vincent Price. The least you can say about this movie is that it's a likable effort. If you compare the oeuvres of exploitation master Jess Franco and early 19th century author Edgar Allen Poe, an amalgamation of their works seems nearly impossible and ridiculous. And yet, "Night of the Skull" is a very compelling and atmospheric Gothic horror film, worthy of Poe's good reputation and a class above the majority of Franco's other movies. The screenplay is based on Poe's "The Cat and the Canary" and revolves on the despicable Marion family as they gather around to hear the will of the murdered patriarch Archibald Percival. Since his death was unnatural, the inheritors all of a sudden get to hear a completely unexpected testament that divides the family fortune differently. Then at night comes a skull-masked killer to eliminate all the family members in gruesome ways, referring to the four basic elements water, wind, earth and fire. Our good old pal Jess manages to create a wondrously sinister Goth atmosphere, complete with dark mansions near the seaside and loud thunderstorms. There's always a certain level of suspense to enjoy and the murders are impressively barbaric. Especially the first murder, that of the family patriarch, is quite creepy. This movie probably contains the smallest amount of sleaze in a Jess Franco movie ever (even Lina Romay keeps her clothes on at all times, which is truly odd), but there's constant hinting at perverted themes, such as incest, voyeurism and adultery. The decors are great, the acting is more than adequate for once and the recent DVD release looks very nice. This film isn't dubbed, which is a real pleasure. Definitely top 3 Franco material, alongside "Faceless" and "The Awful Dr. Orloff".

Horror mystey about the residents of a luxurious mansion where are being killed one by one executed by a masked serial killer . At the beginning is killed the house owner , Lord Archibald Marian : Angel Menendez . When the family arrives for the reading of Marian's will , his wife : Maribel Hidalgo, is also murdered . As a group of potential heirs gather in the old house to learn which of them will inherite a fortune. Later on, they learn that a flesh-rending maniac is loose , carrying out a criminal spree . As a result , his will is structured in such way as to set up a dogfight between his potential heirs as to who will collect his fortune . More and more murders go on and a policeman : Vicente Roca and a Scotland Yard inspector : Alberto Dalbes investigate the stranges cases and along the way find out dark secrets . For God's sake , stay in your rooms and lock the Doors !

This scary film titled "Night of Skull" or "Night of the assassins" or "Suspiri" or "La noche de los asesinos" results to be a peculiar Giallo with a lot of murders , being regularly directed by prolific filmmaker Jesús Franco in his usual style . This mysterious film contains suspense , intrigue , whodunit , spooky atmosphere and bloody mayhem , being the essential question to find out : Who's the killer ? . The main interest resides in guessing what kind of murder is executed by the masked killer wielding an iconic skull mask , as a man is buried alive , another is stabbed , a woman is strapped to the face of a rock and drowned by the tides , while two Policemen investigating and discovering dark secrets in the family's past . Being inspired by prestigious writers as Edgar Allan Poe and Edgard Wallace , though actually based on a play titled "The Cat and the Canary" by playwright John Willard previously adapted on big screen in 1927 by Paul Leni and in 1978 by Radley Metzger with Honor Blackman , Michael Callan, Edward Fox . The cast of this atmospheric period piece is formed by Franco regulars such as Alberto Dalbes , Antonio Mayans who was Franco's habitual collaborator , the giant Luis Barboo , and Lina Romay , Franco future wife and his muse, who this time keeps her clothes on, and , of course, common cameo by Jesús Franco as a notary . Adding other actors customary players in Italian/Spanish B films as William Berger , Evelyne Scott , Yelena Samarina , Angel Menendez and Dan Van Husen who played several Spaghetti/Paella Westerns

While the atmospheric cinematography by Javier Zofio , being really necessary a perfect remastering , due to the images are very dark . Being shot on location in Orihuela , Alicante , Comunidad Valenciana . Adding adequate musical score by the Italian Carlo Savina that results to be intriguing and suspenseful. This Gothic flick was middlingly directed by Jess Franco , though it hasn't usual sleaze and depravity , Uncle Jess' regular marks . This hack director was an expert on exploitation movies , making all kinds of genres , such as : Terror : Miss Muerte, Gritos en la noche, Count Dracula, Vampyres Lesbos, Dracula versus Frankenstein , Jack the ripper , Los Demonios, Mansion of the Living dead and Orloff saga that includes : Secret Dr Orloff , Sinister Dr Orloff , Orloff's Invisible Monster , Faceless . Erotic : Justine , Eugenie of Sade , Venus in Furs, Female Vampire , Devil's island lovers . Adventure : Un Capitan de 15 Años , Lucky the intrepid , Fumanchu and kiss of death, Castle of Fumanchu . WIP subgenre : 99 women, Barbed Wire Dolls. Cannibal subgenre: Sexo Cannibal, Mondo Cannibale and Giallo : Bloody Moon , La noche de los asesinos , among others .