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The Screaming Skull (1958)
American Independently made Horror Thriller.
A newly married couple arrives at the home of the husband’s late wife, where the gardens have been maintained by a gardener faithful to the dead woman’s memory. Soon, eerie events lead the new wife to think she’s losing her mind.
The Screaming Skull was directed by Alex Nicol, an actor who had roles on Broadway productions and often played supporting characters.
He decided to try directing a film, as he felt that he had not been offered the roles that he desired as an actor.
Though it is never credited, the film is based on Francis Marion Crawford’s classic horror story of the same title, first published around 1906. Interestingly, Crawford’s inspiration for the tale, in turn, came from the folklore surrounding the so-called “screaming skull” that was kept on display at Bettiscomb Manor in Dorset, England. The actual skull that inspired both the story and the movie is said to be that of a black slave whose request for burial in his native country was denied following his death and was subsequently followed by strange occurrences and unexplainable shrieking noises that emanated from the wooden box in which the skull was kept.
| Directed by | Alex Nicol |
|---|---|
| Produced by | John Kneubuhl |
| Written by | John Kneubuhl |
| Starring | John Hudson Peggy Webber Russ Conway |
| Music by | Ernest Gold |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Edited by | Betty J. Lane |
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Production
companies |
Madera Productions, Inc.
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| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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68 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
