Film Snail

The Skull
The Skull

6.0

The Skull

NR·1965·83m

Summary

An occult investigator buys the 150-year-old skull of the Marquis de Sade, which turns out to be possessed by evil spirits.

Crew

Director

Freddie Francis

Screenplay

Milton Subotsky

Story, Writer

Robert Bloch

Reviews

Wuchak

Wuchak

March 28, 2020

4

**_Features Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee, but way too much filler_**

A researcher of the occult and esoterica (Peter Cushing) apprehends the skull of the nefarious Marquis de Sade and learns that something evil is attached to it, which negatively influences its owners. Patrick Wymark plays his source for artifacts while Christopher Lee plays a rival collector. Patrick Magee is on hand as an inspector.

“The Skull” (1965) is worth checking out for fans of British horror featuring Cushing and/or Lee, but it places with the least of their works. There’s just way too much filler. The runtime could’ve been cut in half and it would’ve been a compelling mini-movie. As it is, it’s just too drawn out for the material to maintain interest.

However, the theme is interesting: Can articles have evil spirits attached to them? During the days of the early Church, articles that Paul touched, like handkerchiefs and aprons, “were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them” (Acts 19:11-12). It was the same thing with Peter’s shadow. These things had the anointing of God on them and thus physically or mentally ill people exposed to them were healed and demons fled! A good example from the Old Testament would be Elisha’s bones noted in 2 Kings 13. These various items were blessed as conduits of God’s power. Could the inverse also be true? Could certain items be cursed with a demonic non-anointing? If the former is true with the kingdom of light, isn’t it possible that the reverse is also true with the kingdom of darkness in some cases, particular items like idols?

The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes and was shot at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England; as well as Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone, London (Maitland's home).

GRADE: C-

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

london, england
auction
possession
evil spirit
murder
statuette
grave robber
based on short story
demonic possession
skull