| The Screaming Skull | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Directed by: | Alex Nicol | |
| Produced by: | John Kneubuhl, T. Frank Woods John Coots | |
| Written by: | Budd Schulberg | |
| Starring: | John Hudson Peggy Webber Russ Conway | |
| Runtime: | 68 mins. | |
| Country: | United States | |
| Language: | English | |
| Distributed by: | American International Pictures | |
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 science fiction film directed by Alex Nicol. This film was featured on the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Plot summary[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
Newlyweds Jenni and Eric return to the home of Eric and his now deceased first wife. At the home they meet Eric's friends, the Reverend and Mrs. Snow, as well as Mickey, the gardener.
During a visit from the local minister, Rev. Snow, and his wife, Jenni learns that Eric's late wife drowned in a lily pond behind the house. In a gesture of conciliation with Mickey, who was attached to Eric's late wife, she offers to place lilies on the grave of Eric's late wife, who is buried on the grounds.
Soon Jenni begins to believe the ghost of Eric's first wife is haunting her. She sees a skull in her dreams, and her fears become real when a skull rolls towards her on the living room carpet. She comes to believe she is being haunted by Eric's late wife's ghost. As the haunting continues Jenni begins to lose her mind, and Eric tells Rev. Snow that she may end up back in a sanatarium.
At first, Eric leads Jenni to believe it is Mickey who is tricking her into seeing the skull. But when they burn a picture of his first wife together, Jenni sees a skull in the ashes. Eric sees it, too, but tells her it's not there. Then he hides the skull in the lily pond. When he returns to retrieve it, it is gone.
Later, when Jenni is frightened again, she runs up the stairs to Eric, who tries to choke her to death. But she survives, and Eric, tormented and attacked by a screaming skull, runs screaming from the house and tumbles into the lily pond, drowning.
Jenni, who has gone insane, is rescued by Rev. Snow and his wife, who surmise that Eric may well have killed his first wife, too, and had been seeking his new wife's fortune by causing her to go insane.
Spoilers end here.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| John Hudson | Eric Whitlock |
| Peggy Webber | Jenni Whitlock |
| Russ Conway | Rev. Edward Snow |
| Tony Johnson | Mrs. Snow |
| Alex Nicol | Mickey, the gardener |
Selected quote[]
- ”The Screaming Skull" is a motion picture that reaches its climax in shocking horror. It's impact is so terrifying that it may have an unforeseen effect. It may *kill* you! Therefore, its producers feel they must assure free burial services to anyone who dies of fright while seeing the Screaming Skull." - The Narrator, from the opening.
External links[]
- Full movie online at Google Video.
- MST3K Episode Guide: The Screaming Skull