The look on his face is absolutely priceless as he goes to answer the door. 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 whole film has great horror atmosphere, one of the best instances ever of such I believe. 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 husband is the guy who played the husband in "50-Foot Woman" and he's just as good here. 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 plot is good enough - the ghost of a man's first wife haunts his new wife in their super-large house. 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. I remember watching "The Screaming Skull" on the late show (when TV actually showed decent stuff) and it scared the living hell outta me. I can't believe the low rating this great film has gotten! But they got their money's worth and so will viewers if you can get past the title and stupid warning. 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. 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. For guys, her traipsing around in a see-through gown also works. In fact, I'd give her a hooded Oscar for carrying the tricky narrative in compelling style. In fact, she runs a gamut of emotions in convincing fashion without the self-mockery of many horror flicks. The horror aspect as a whole is downplayed in favor of actress Webber's truly impressive performance as Jenni. Old movie fans may notice echoes here of 1940's classic Hitchcock, "Rebecca". 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. Now strange sounds and happenings that surround a mysterious skull start haunting Jenni. It's empty except for loony gardener Eric, who bumbles around like a gimpy zombie. Seems poor troubled Jenni accompanies new husband Eric to his dead first wife's empty mansion. In fact, it's a mix of thriller and horror as we can't be sure of what's behind the infernally sneaky skull. I'd still recommend it.ĭespite the catch-penny title and stupid "warning" to viewers, this is a well-crafted thriller. The acting is pretty stiff, but all these B horror films had pretty poor acting. There should have been more of that all along instead of a plastic skull being used for horror effects. And, where is that husband all the time.? The ending is pretty good. 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. When the skull is rolled at the young woman, it looks like a bowling ball, bumping across the carpet. 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. Where it falls apart concerns what is real and what isn't. Throw in a mentally handicapped gardener, and a lot of secrets, and you're set to go. Drag the new wife (who has some serious issues of her own) to the house of the first wife. I never saw the MST3 group do this, but it doesn't surprise me. I love that some guy with a few buck would at least attempt a movie like this. We weren't jaded by the "more special effects" mentality that exists now. We actually went to them in movie theaters or drive ins and enjoyed them. This movie is typical of the films that were around when I was a kid.
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