
| Genre | Horror |
| Format | Blu-ray, DVD-Video |
| Contributor | Christopher Lee, Freddie Francis, Peter Cushing |
| Language | English |
| Runtime | 1 hour and 23 minutes |

Eureka Entertainment is the leading independent distributor of classic silent/early films in the UK & home to the award winning Masters of Cinema Series, a specially curated director-led collection of classic and world cinema. Our catalogue also contains World Cinema, Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Indie Dramas, Hollywood Classics, Comedy and Thriller films as well as a selection of TV titles.
SYNOPSIS:
When the skull, strikes you ll SCREAM!!!
After making a number of successful Hammer Horrors in the early sixties, Director and Academy Award winning cinematographer Freddie Francis (Paranoiac, Tales From the Crypt, Dr. Terror s House of Horrors) moved to the fledgling Amicus Productions and produced an incredible run of horror titles that would make them the only studio able to rival the ascendant Hammer Pictures during the peak years of British horror filmmaking. Of these films, the most chilling is The Skull.
Peter Cushing stars as Dr. Christopher Maitland, a writer and collector of occult items (with a preference for those with a somewhat macabre history), who is offered the chance to purchase a highly expensive and unusual item the skull of the Marquis de Sade. Warned against obtaining the item by fellow collector (Christopher Lee in a rare non-villainous role), the skull s influence draws Maitland in, madness and death soon follow...
Adapted from a short story by Robert Bloch (Psycho) and featuring a score by avant-garde composer Elisabeth Lutyens, The Skull is one of the most expertly crafted British horror movies of its era.
The new height in FRIGHT!''a movie that all fans of classic horror will want to add to their collections'' --Dread Central
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Generated from the text of customer reviewsPeter Cushing was never bad, but in this movie he gives a brilliant performance, quite simply, if your a Peter Cushing fan, you have to add this to your collection, this is not to say the acting from the other actors is bad, far from it, all give exemplary performances, but this is Peter Cushings film and his haunting performance will stay with you long after you've seen the film.
No plot spoilers from me, but if your a devotee of atmospheric character driven horror, this rates very highly and is one of Amicus best films. Like its great rival Hammer, this film may well have had a limited budget, but the sets are wonderfully rich and lush in detail and combined with superb cinematography add immeasurably to its uneasy atmosphere. Freddie Francis having learnt his trade from earlier Hammer films, Paranoic(63),The Evil of Frankenstein(64) and perhaps most notably for atmosphere, Nightmare(64). He would latter return to Hammer and direct one of my favourite Dracula movies, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave(68).
One stand out scene in this movie, that is reason enough to own it, involves the arrest of Peter Cushings character of Christopher Maitland, as pointed out in the extras, two excellent interviews well worth watching, this is one of the most unique scenes in British horror, or for that matter British cinema for its originality.........I will say no more, you will just have to see it for yourself.
This release by Eureka is dual format. The version I have seen is DVD as I don't have Blu-Ray, picture and sound are excellent so no complaints from me and I cannot comment on the Blu-Ray. Like their recent release of "The Man Who Could Cheat Death", this is a worthy addition to anyone who loves British horror from the 50's/60's.
The Skull was made by Amicus who are probably best known for their series of anthology films such as Tales From The Crypt and The House That Dripped Blood and is at last available on dvd. Firstly, do not let the awful cover design put you off this dvd. Why the manufacturers didn't use the original poster art or a decent still from the film is beyond me. However this is only a minor gripe.
The plot is very simple - Christopher Maitland a collector of rare accult items played by Peter Cushing comes into possession of the skull of the Marquis de Sade (the infamous sadist). Fellow collector Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) warns him that the skull can cause horrible things to happen. Needless to say Maitland fails to take his advise and is plunged into a series of nightmarish events. Can he escape from the power of the skull ?
The film moves at a nice pace with good performances from Lee and especially Cushing who carries the last third of the film very well. The special effects are rather dated - you can see the wire holding the floating skull, still it does make a nice change to all the cgi effects we are subjected to nowdays. The print is sharp with good sound and is presented in the original 2.35 ratio. The extras are rather dissapointing. All you get is a trailer for the film. This is an American dvd and is region 1 coded so please make sure you dvd is compatable with region 1 dvds. All in all an excellent dvd and well worth picking up if you (like Me) enjoy classic British horror films.
This Eureka presentation of The Skull on Blu-ray presents the film in a restored and immaculate transfer that easily bests the other hi-definition version of this film in my collection, the American Blu-ray which has The Man Who Could Cheat Death as a second feature. In addition, the Eureka Blu-ray features excellent interviews with Jonathan Rigby and Kim Newman which are a mine of information about the creation of the film. Also comes with a booklet (pictured) containing poster reproductions and other promotional material from the time of the film's release. If you enjoy this sort of thing, then the booklet is almost worth the price of the disk on its own.
The film itself is very different from the output of Amicus's main competitor, Hammer Films, and is one of the most unusual horror films of the period, the reasons for which are detailed in the interviews on the disk. A creepy, surreal gem, containing some of the best work of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Well worth discovering if you're new to the film, and if you're already a fan, how can you not have this in your collection?


This Eureka presentation of The Skull on Blu-ray presents the film in a restored and immaculate transfer that easily bests the other hi-definition version of this film in my collection, the American Blu-ray which has The Man Who Could Cheat Death as a second feature. In addition, the Eureka Blu-ray features excellent interviews with Jonathan Rigby and Kim Newman which are a mine of information about the creation of the film. Also comes with a booklet (pictured) containing poster reproductions and other promotional material from the time of the film's release. If you enjoy this sort of thing, then the booklet is almost worth the price of the disk on its own.
The film itself is very different from the output of Amicus's main competitor, Hammer Films, and is one of the most unusual horror films of the period, the reasons for which are detailed in the interviews on the disk. A creepy, surreal gem, containing some of the best work of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Well worth discovering if you're new to the film, and if you're already a fan, how can you not have this in your collection?
Christopher Maitland, played by Peter Cushing is a collector of occult, and acquires a skull, reputed to be that of the Marquis de Sade. After being told to get rid of it by his friend Sir Matthew Phillips, played by Christopher Lee, he ignores the advice, but soon regrets it.
I pre-ordered this with a little trepidation, as at the time, there was no aspect ratio information. Fear not, it is in the correct ratio of 2.35:1. It is the first time this has been released on blu ray, or even dvd in this country. There is a fine layer of grain on this transfer, but as that is how it would have looked on its release to cinemas it is not a problem, in any case it is not obtrusive, and does not spoil the enjoyment of the film. If you are a fan of Hammer horror, then you should enjoy this. This is a film done in the old style of horror films. If you are only a fan of modern gore this is not for you.This was an Amicus release, who made similar films to Hammer, and were in direct competition. Watch it for what it is, which is pure entertainment, and you will enjoy it.
As stated above this blu ray transfer is in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, colours are natural, and the transfer has good definition. Sound is in the original mono.
Recommended for people who are into the old style of horror films from the 60's and early 70's. I have waited a long time for this title to be released, now it's finally here courtesy of Eureka.
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are Hammer icons. The Skull is my first Amicus horror film with Cushing and Lee and although almost nothing happened, I really enjoyed the story and atmosphere.
Directed by Freddie Francis it's worth having in your collection. Simple but good film. Image and sound quality are satisfactory. The dvd is almost as good as the blu ray. The price was low. Top product.
The Skull is the first "Amicus horror" that was not an anthology. Following shortly on the footsteps of "Dr. Terror's House of Horror", it features the same director (Freddie Francis) and the same cast (Pete and Chris).
Like its predecessor, "The Skull" is a good movie, but not a great movie. This is partly to the production's decision to remain at the surface of the story and not dig into what could have been darker undertones - Black masses, Devil worship etc...
The closest the film gets to this is when Peter Cushing is made prisoner by two thugs and have to play Russian roulette in front of a judge.
The scene is very scary and unsettling and gives an idea about the direction the film could have followed.
As it is, "The Skull" is a reasonably good gothic effort, very cinematographic (there is virtually no dialogue in the last twenty minutes) and overall enjoyable. But I feel it somehow feels to deliver on the premise of Robert Bloch's story.
A Great Film, I can't understand why some people say the Transfer on this DVD looks bad, well I can tell you that it looks First Rate. maybe there was some bad copies out there, but this film looks and sounds great. don't be put off by some of the comments. A good film, and underrated too. I wish Amicus did more films like this. Highly Recommended. Buy it!
The garish artwork on the sleeve insert doesn't reflect the actual tone of the movie. The ingredients would appear to indicate a classic horror movie: those familiar Amicus stalwarts - Subotsky/Rosenberg, along with the adroit directing talents of Freddie Francis at the helm....a stellar cast - Cushing/Lee/Gough et al, so why the 3 stars?... Well, as some have already alluded to: the occasionally slow pace of the movie itself.
Although moody & atmospheric, the movie sometimes smoulders when it should spark into flame....it needs a certain something - an extra frisson. While the moody & atmospheric feel manages to elevate the story to the level of a decent horror yarn, the contribution from Messrs Cushing & Lee also brings enough gravitas to their respective characters, along with good performances from the rest of the cast which includes Jill Bennett & Patrick Wymark. The dialogue is solid, along with some evocative incidental music.
With it's good production values, the movie looks impressive & the tale, which is based on a short story by Robert Bloch, is an intriguing premise: Dr. Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing) is a collector with a fascination with the occult. Maitland is presented with the opportunity to acquire the diminutive skull of the infamous Marquis de Sade - a macabre objet d'art which in sinister fashion, observes those in it's company through it's empty eye sockets. Ignoring the warnings from his friend, Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) the skull's previous owner, Maitland takes possession of it, which leaves him battling the murderous forces of evil within the skull.
The movie is probably best appreciated by settling down in your favourite armchair on a winter's night, rather than a way to round off a boozy friday night on the town. I've just watched it for the third time in a couple of years, so it must be handing me enough to keep me coming back - it's good but not a classic IMO.
This Legend Films Region 1 widescreen release has good picture & sound quality. The only extra is the movie's 2-minute trailer. There are no subtitles.
Amazing cast!
Well received
The Skull has a lot of visual impact, even though almost entirely acted indoors (apart from the graveyard intro).
The photography is first class and the actors are understandably very good, seeing as they are top-notch performers, eg Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Nigel Green, Michael Gough, etc The story itself is not particularly horrific and the plot is simple, but the narrative and quality of acting and filming keep you interested
Klasse Film mit Christopher Lee. Hat mir sehr zugesagt. Danke für die schnelle Lieferung.
Good condition DVD
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