User reviews

Yes, the acting in this isn't that great. Yes, the director plays one of the characters, which is pretty much always a bad sign for a horror movie (Glen or Glenda, Eegah, Incredibly Strange Creatures, etc.). Yes, the entire storyline is fantastically predictable and has been done a thousand times. And yeah, the special effects are really, really terrible. And no, it did not scare me enough that I was able to take advantage of their free funeral offer (Does that still hold for DVD's?) But other than that, it really wasn't that bad. So, a rich woman who was formerly in a sanatorium moves into her new husband's old home. His old wife had died there, in a way that the pastor takes every care to explain is suspicious. Then she starts seeing creepy things while her husband is away all the time. I guess there aren't really spoilers here because I'm not TECHNICALLY telling you anything, but anyone who's watched enough of these movies should know the rest by heart. But really, except for a few moments and one really annoying gardener, this manages to keep up a pretty good atmosphere. I thought that it wasn't bad for what it was. Definitely not 2.7

Despite the catch-penny title and stupid "warning" to viewers, this is a well-crafted thriller. In fact, it's a mix of thriller and horror as we can't be sure of what's behind the infernally sneaky skull. Seems poor troubled Jenni accompanies new husband Eric to his dead first wife's empty mansion. It's empty except for loony gardener Eric, who bumbles around like a gimpy zombie. Now strange sounds and happenings that surround a mysterious skull start haunting Jenni. Is it her troubled past and imagination, or maybe the loony gardener devoted to Eric's first wife, or maybe even a truly evil spirit. Old movie fans may notice echoes here of 1940's classic Hitchcock, "Rebecca".

The horror aspect as a whole is downplayed in favor of actress Webber's truly impressive performance as Jenni. In fact, she runs a gamut of emotions in convincing fashion without the self-mockery of many horror flicks. In fact, I'd give her a hooded Oscar for carrying the tricky narrative in compelling style. For guys, her traipsing around in a see-through gown also works. Outstanding too are camera-man Crosby whose b&w shadings are A-picture atmospheric, along with director Nicol who manages to blend the somewhat awkward parts pretty effectively.

I wish IMDB were able to post the movie's budget, with a cast of five and just a few sets, it couldn't be much. But they got their money's worth and so will viewers if you can get past the title and stupid warning.

A man brings his new wife to his home where his former wife died of an "accident". His new wife has just been released from an institution and is also VERY rich! All of the sudden she starts hearing noises and seeing skulls all over the place. Is she going crazy again or is the first wife coming back from the dead?

You've probably guessed the ending so I won't spell it out. I saw this many times on Saturday afternoon TV as a kid. Back then, I liked it but I WAS young. Seeing it now I realize how bad it is. It's horribly acted, badly written, very dull (even at an hour) and has a huge cast of FIVE people (one being the director)! Still it does have some good things about it.

The music is kinda creepy and the setting itself with the huge empty house and pond nearby is nicely atmospheric. There also are a few scary moments (I jumped a little when she saw the first skull) and a somewhat effective ending. All in all it's definitely NOT a good movie...but not a total disaster either. It does have a small cult following. I give it a 2.

Also try to avoid the Elite DVD Drive-in edition of it (it's paired with "Attack of the Giant Leeches"). It's in TERRIBLE shape with jumps and scratches all over. It didn't even look this bad on TV!

As the film begins a narrator warns us THE SCREAMING SKULL is so terrifying you might die of fright--and if such happens a free burial is guaranteed. Well, I don't think any one has died of fright from seeing this film, but a few may have died of boredom. THE SCREAMING SKULL is the sort of movie that makes Ed Wood look good.

Very loosely based on the famous Francis Marion Crawford story, SKULL is about a wealthy but nervous woman who marries a sinister man whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances. Once installed in his home, she is tormented by a half-wit gardener, a badly executed portrait, peacocks, and ultimately a skull that rolls around the room and causes her to scream a lot. And to her credit, actress Peggy Webber screams rather well.

Unfortunately, her ability to do so is the high point of the film. The plot is pretty transparent, to say the least, and while the cast is actually okay, the script is dreadful and the movie so uninspired you'll be ready to run screaming yourself. True, the thing only runs about sixty-eight minutes, but it all feels a lot longer. Add to this a truly terrible print quality and there you are.

There are films that are so bad they are fun to watch. It is true that THE SCREAMING SKULL has a few howlers--but the film drags so much I couldn't work up more than an occasional giggle, and by the time the whole thing is over your head will roll from ennui. If it weren't for Peggy Webber's way with a scream, this would be the surefire cure for insomnia. Give it a miss.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Welcome to a bad ghost story and someone's nightmare. This horror tale finds a newly married husband(John Hudson)and wife(Peggy Weber)haunted by the memory of his previous wife and screaming skulls found throughout their empty mansion and lily pond. Is the husband really trying to drive his already anxious bride insane? Or is it the learning challenged gardener Mickey(Alex Nicol)who has taken care of the mansion's grounds since the death of the original mistress of the house? This low budget horror flick has a story line that keeps you involved all the way the finale. Special effects are pretty bad even at 1958 standards. I swear at times the screaming skull sounds much like it should be in a Godzilla movie. Also in the cast as Reverend Snow is character actor Russ Conway. By the way...the lurking gardener(Nicol)is the film's director. You can catch this as part of AMC's Monsterfest.

This movie is typical of the films that were around when I was a kid. We actually went to them in movie theaters or drive ins and enjoyed them. We weren't jaded by the "more special effects" mentality that exists now. I love that some guy with a few buck would at least attempt a movie like this. I never saw the MST3 group do this, but it doesn't surprise me.

Now the plot is OK. It's a classic ghost story. Drag the new wife (who has some serious issues of her own) to the house of the first wife. Throw in a mentally handicapped gardener, and a lot of secrets, and you're set to go. Where it falls apart concerns what is real and what isn't. Are we seeing the psychological destruction of the man or do these ghosts really exist? How put together are these characters?

The skull, of course, is the central image. There are some really bad images. When the skull is rolled at the young woman, it looks like a bowling ball, bumping across the carpet.

Then there are all those late at night scenes where the bride must come out of her room, walk along the balcony, wait to go down and see what is going on. And, where is that husband all the time.?

The ending is pretty good. There should have been more of that all along instead of a plastic skull being used for horror effects. The acting is pretty stiff, but all these B horror films had pretty poor acting. I'd still recommend it.

The heroine actually does most of the screaming in this very poor man's 'Rebecca' that although an AIP release actually owes far more in content and style (and the friendly warning at the start) to William Castle. Director Alex Nicol makes his job considerably easier by casting himself in a role which requires him to speak only in monosyllables.

Some of these reviews are far more inept than the film the "insightful" film lovers are critiquing. Comments about a lack of gore and such are pretty telling as to the age and tastes of those who hate this flick so passionately.

The Screaming Skull is a creepy, atmospheric tale that relies on mood rather than effects to generate chills. It won't scare the pants off anyone, but it is suitably creepy for late night viewing. It's also wonderfully fun, in the typical 50s b-movie vein. A soap opera plot infused with horror elements. Classic AIP! One of my all-time favorite "bad" movies.

C'mon, people. This one's just fun all the way. The main villain is a skull who is rather unconvincingly underhand-pitched towards his enemies by an off-screen technician. Plus, free coffins if you die of fright from the movie! What's not to love?

When you have a disembodied skull, an empty mansion, a schizophrenic wife, a scheming cad and a nutzo gardener, throw in a minister and his wife - what have you got?

AIP's answer to insomnia.

"The Screaming Skull" gets points for audacity, offering free caskets for anyone who dies of fright from watching the film. Pretty safe bet, when you're lulled into a stupor by people who think they're in a production of "Suspense for Dummies".

But Peggy Webber was a cutie, anyway. She had a few good moments of acting here and there (especially when trying to communicate with the gardener) and no one else fills a nightgown like she. But that scared face she makes - scary in itself. Whoa.

As a whole, though, there is little suspense here and everything is telegraphed like a punch thrown by a mime. You can't be scared by this film, it's impossible. It has its moments, but not enough of them.

HOWEVER, thanks to a certain Mike Nelson and his two robot pals, there are several moments of pure joy, especially in the copy THEY got hold of ("The film jumped, and it was really scary!").

One star for "The Screaming Skull", eight and a half for the MST3K version.

Talk about a "Screaming" bore....

I can't believe the low rating this great film has gotten!

I remember watching "The Screaming Skull" on the late show (when TV actually showed decent stuff) and it scared the living hell outta me. It disappeared from TV, and of course years later having found it on video, it's not gonna scare me under the covers but it's still one of the best and most clever horror films of the 50's.

The plot is good enough - the ghost of a man's first wife haunts his new wife in their super-large house. But the film has a lot of great horror elements that work in its favor - the big house, the creepy house grounds, the grave on the grounds, the path through the woods area, the "odd" person (the gardener), the howling wind, the noisy windows, the scary painting, and much more, especially the skull that keeps on showing up all over the place.

The husband is the guy who played the husband in "50-Foot Woman" and he's just as good here. All the other actors/characters are just fine (there aren't many as the whole film takes place at the house), especially Mickey the Gardener, who loved the first wife (as a friend) and still talks to her as if she was alive.

The whole film has great horror atmosphere, one of the best instances ever of such I believe. There are many genuinely creepy scenes in the film, with the topper being the final incredible sequence, especially when the husband hears the knock on the front door. The look on his face is absolutely priceless as he goes to answer the door. Even after seeing the film so many times, when that door knocks, and the husband's face shows pure fear because he probably knows what's behind it, and he slowly goes to answer it, still gives me shudders!

It's great that "The Screaming Skull" is on DVD. This film definitely deserves a lot better than the films it often gets lumped in with.

How far can a movie's reputation rise above its actual merit?

When I was growing up, my best friend Steve often told me of the scariest movie he ever saw. It was about a skull that screamed as it flew through the air, killing all with whom it came into contact. I still remember his heart-stopping description of it springing to life from a shelf and attacking a helpless woman.

Steve had one vivid imagination. So does Jenni (Peggy Webber), the protagonist of "The Screaming Skull." After coming to live at the estate of her new husband, Eric, she becomes convinced she is being haunted by the spirit of his late first wife, Marion, often in the form of a skull that pops up in unexpected places. Sometimes she also hears screams, though Eric tells her it's only the estate peacocks.

It's hard to believe this was the movie Steve was so terrified of. For most of its running time, "The Screaming Skull" is a quiet melodrama with only faint hints of menace around its edges.

We watch as Jenni alternately speaks of how happy and in love she is or else screams her head off whenever she is startled by something Eric insists is all in her mind. Occasionally, for variety, Jenni and Eric talk to a friendly minister and his wife, but for a kooky gardener (director Alex Nicol) the only other people in this film.

Words can't do justice to how stiff a movie this is. Occasionally you get a musical sting from composer Ernest Gold and a worried expression from Webber, but otherwise this 68-minute movie is like watching paint dry.

And the dialogue! "I thought life had died for me..." "Learning from her, you give again to me. I wish there was some way to thank..." "Perhaps she slipped on a leaf..." "Dead people don't cry..." "The only cure for her fear is to teach her she is loved..."

"The Screaming Skull" is famous for one thing: A promise to patrons to pay for the "burial services" of anyone scared to death by the film. Nicol and writer John Kneubuhl apparently put most of their effort into ensuring no one would ever be in a position to collect.

To give the movie credit, the black-and-white cinematography by Floyd Crosby (who shot "High Noon" and was David's dad) has real character and works surprisingly well at establishing a gloomy mood despite the sunny outdoor setting. The actors are decent most of the time, and the obvious plot twist developed with some craft.

But that's not enough to offset the overall ineptitude on display. The scares, when they finally arrive, are much too artificial and contrived. When the title character finally does attack, it's more likely to provoke titters than jitters.

I didn't care much about how things worked out for Jenni, Eric, Skully, the Rev. I just kept thinking about Steve, wondering how something so inane as this could have provoked such captivating retellings back in the day. I guess sometimes there are two movies, the one that exists and the one we remember. Too bad the former is usually worse.

"The Screaming Skull" is your typical 1950s horror flick: some newlyweds move into the husband's house, where his deceased wife's skull may or may be not be ready to terrorize the new wife. I assume that when it first came out, the teenage boys really liked the scene where...well, you'll recognize it when you see it. If anything, this movie's most interesting aspect is that cinematographer Floyd Crosby is David Crosby's father. Back in 1958 when the movie got released, who ever would have guessed that the cinematographer's son would perform at Woodstock eleven years later? The trailer reminds you that if you die of fright while watching the movie, they'll pay for your funeral. As you can see, I didn't die while watching it. Director Alex Nicol plays the gardener; or, as I wish to call him (playing off of a recent Oscar winner), the non-constant gardener.

When I was six, I saw this movie first run and it gave me nightmares for months. I was afraid to be in my room alone, worrying about the screaming skull rolling across my floor.Twenty years later I noticed it running on television at 1:00 AM and decided to stay up to relive one of the great horrors of my childhood. The only horror that I experienced watching it as an adult was trying to stay awake! Terrible script, acting, and production combine to make it a particularly cheesy film. OK, I know that there are fans for these kinds of regrettable films, but unless you are one of these folks with unlimited time to watch bad films, avoid it.

This movie was mildly, mildly entertaining. Mainly because you keep thinking it's bound to get better. It doesn't, but you keep thinking it must. Basically, it's about a woman who gets married to a man who's first wife died tragically. As time passes, she begins to suspect that she is being haunted by the woman. While this film has some creepy moments, most of it is pretty boring, and nothing is really "scary". Most of you will also be able to see the ending long before it comes. Still, it's not a ridiculously TERRIBLE movie. And I'm sure I've seen the main character before somewhere, though I'm too lazy to actually look up her actor profile.

Synopsis: All's well when The Whitlocks return home from their honeymoon, until all signs point to the presence of another – Whitlock's dead first wife! Is Mickey playing dumb, or does he know something that Eric Whitlock doesn't?

OK, for all you guys who saw this in NYC on WPiX's "Chiller Theatre" in The '60s and '70s, this is for you. I loved it and was scared by it as a kid, laughed at it as an adult. Oh yes, those nasty little robots from MST3K made it viewable all over again! That said ...

... all the prints I've seen are poor, and the lighting is consistently overexposed in many scenes ... must've been filmed on someone's wedding budget ... for three guests. Still, it should be restored.

Nobody wanted to act in this turkey, so the director played the retard Mickey the Gardener. He's the one who looks like "Clapton!"

Cheers: Has atmosphere. Good ghosts. Great for kids, older kids won't scare at all. Roll the Credits! That's David Crosby's father Floyd doing camera chores!

Caveats: Stiff, slow and predictable ending.

Split Rating:

Adult Rating: 2 Stars

Kid Rating: 7 Stars

"Mystery Science Theatre 3000" Rating: Ten Stars!!! One of their best; some great lines.

This film is not worth the storage room. Everything is as transparent as her night attire. And the film does not attempt to convolute what little plot there is.

Eric Whitlock's (John Hudson) first wife dies and only leaves him the house. His second wife, Jenni (Peggy Webber) is a bit richer. Unfortunately, she is still alive; but not for long. You see Jenni is unstable and keeps seeing skulls. They like to scream at her. Now I wonder where the skulls are coming from.

Most of the skullduggery is caused be bone heads popping up every ware.

A better movie is of a skull that contains Le cerveau qui ne voulait pas mourir (1962).

I *love* this movie. It terrified me deliciously on late-night TV when I was 12 or so, and when I discovered it on video in recent years I found it just as enjoyable as I remembered. [I admit that I no longer have to whip back the sheets to reassure myself that there's no skull in the bed, but as a kid I enjoyed several highly dramatic bedtimes because of "The Screaming Skull"...]

And the ghost in the greenhouse (plus funky theme music) still strikes me as a standout spook clip. Over the top? Maybe - but if a horror movie can't be over the top, what can?

This is an underrated film that seems to get more than a fair share of movie bashing. Some of this might be due to the warning at the start of the movie. Viewers are offered a free funeral if they die of fright during the showing of the movie. That offer does raise your expectations to an unrealistic level. There is no place to go from there but down. The scenes themselves are not ghastly or bloody. It isn't supposed to be that kind of a scary movie. "The Screaming Skull" is more of a psychological thriller and mystery movie. You have to remember the time this came out. Back in the late 50s, in a dark theater this was scary stuff. Compared to today's movies it's a little slow and is overshadowed by the graphic nature of modern horror films. This movie wasn't badly done. It's just a little outdated. It's still a decent movie and will probably remain popular with the movie fans of 50s horror. I think it holds its own enough that it's still a decent horror/mystery movie but it can't live up to the warning at the beginning of the movie. Watch this one remembering when it was released and forget that warning.