Let me tell you about Eric. He lives up the road there at that big estate. He got himself married again. Jenni, I think her name is. Such a pretty young thing. But I tell you, the death of Eric’s first wife hangs like a shadow over that place. Slipped in the rain and cracked her skull open some say. I have to wonder if that weird caretaker of theirs didn’t have something to do with it. I been hearing weird things about that place, Jenni seeing skulls appearing out of nowhere and other ghastly things. I can’t decide if someone is playing cruel pranks on her, if she’s off her rocker, or if there might really be a ghost floating around. Maybe the first wife is jealous of the new bride? You should listen to the whole story and decide for yourself.

The Screaming Skull has made it to the list of my favorite black and white horror movies. It is based on Francis Marion Crawford’s story which gets its title from a real screaming skull legend although there doesn’t seem to be much connection between the fictional tale and the legend.

As I thought about the story I came to realize one reason it was appealing to me: it bears some similarities to one of my other favorite movies of this era House on Haunted Hill predominantly in the unsurety of where the human element ends and the supernatural begins. I’ve always rather enjoyed that sort of blend. It leaves a lot open to the imaginations of individual patrons.

The downfall of this movie is that it takes a while to get to the payoff. There is a great deal of establishing characters and backstory then a gradual working in of the more horrific elements. Some of this setup is good; it lends a more literary feel to the narrative and serves to make memorable characters beyond some random couple plagued by mysterious happenings. On the other hand it can get dull until it gets into the real meat of the horror story. However, with the payoff being what it is I came to appreciate the focus on characterization.

A little better acting might have saved some of the duller moments, however overall the actors do a fair job. The special effects save the reality of the illusion better than a lot of old movies. They can’t compare to what you might see today, but they sell the movie. The final result is a thoroughly enjoyable cinematic ghost story.