The Skull
| The Skull | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Freddie Francis |
| Produced by |
Max Rosenberg Milton Subotsky |
| Written by | Milton Subotsky Robert Bloch |
| Based on | short story The Skull of the Marquis de Sade by Robert Bloch |
| Starring |
Peter Cushing Christopher Lee Jill Bennett Patrick Wymark |
| Music by | Elisabeth Lutyens |
| Cinematography | John Wilcox |
| Edited by | Oswald Hafenrichter |
| Distributed by |
Amicus Productions Paramount Pictures |
|
Release date
|
August 1965 |
|
Running time
|
83 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Skull is a 1965 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus Productions. It starred the frequently paired horror actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, alongside Patrick Wymark, Jill Bennett, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee and Peter Woodthorpe.
It was one of a number of British horror films of the sixties to be scored by avant-garde composer Elisabeth Lutyens, including several others for Amicus. The script was written by Milton Subotsky, from a short story by Robert Bloch, "The Skull of the Marquis de Sade".
In the 1800s, Pierre, a phrenologist (Maurice Good), robs the grave of the recently buried Marquis de Sade. He takes the Marquis' severed head and sets about boiling it to remove its flesh, leaving the skull. Before the task is done, Pierre meets an unseen and horrific death.
In modern-day London, Christopher Maitland (Cushing), a collector and writer on the occult, is offered the skull by Marco (Wymark), an unscrupulous dealer in antiques and curiosities. Maitland learns that the skull has been stolen from Sir Matthew Phillips (Lee), a friend and fellow collector. Sir Matthew, however, does not want to recover it, having escaped its evil influence. He warns Maitland of its powers. At his sleazy lodgings, Marco dies in mysterious circumstances. Maitland finds his body and takes possession of the skull. He in turns falls victim as the skull drives him to hallucinations, madness and death.
The film was an attempt by Amicus to challenge Hammer Film Productions by making a full length colour movie. Once filming started Freddie Francis rewrote much of Subotsky's script.
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