Based on the short story by noted horror author Robert Bloch,
Amicus Studio's 1965 adaptation of The Skull Of The Marquis De
Sade stars
Hammer's finest, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Cushing plays Dr. Christopher Maitland, a wealthy man
who collects historical oddities and occult memorabilia. He's out bid on
a collection of Satanic statues by his friend and fellow collector, Sir
Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) who, for reasons even he cannot
explain, pays far too much for the items. Anthony Marco (Patrick Wymark)
makes some decent money by selling Maitland strange items. When he shows
up at Maitland's doorstep one night with a book on the life of the
Marquis De Sade bound in human skin, Maitland pays him for it and is
quite happy with his purchase.
The next day, Marco comes back with a human skull that
he claims is the actual skull of De Sade. Maitland is suspicious as to
its actual authenticity and figures it must be stolen. Phillips
confirms, over a game of pool, that yes, the skull once belonged to him
and that it is completely authentic but when Maitland asks him why he
doesn't go the police, Phillips tells him that the skull has strange
powers and that he's glad to be rid of it. Of course, Maitland can't
resist the temptation to own it now and so he decides to add it to his
collection only to find out that Phillips was deadly serious in his
warning...
The first thing you'll notice when watching The
Skull in its proper aspect ratio is just how damn good it looks.
The cinematography from Hammer regular John Wilcox (he shot more than a
few films for them include ding The Hound Of The Baskervilles
and The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires) is slick,
eerie and very tense (you've got to love those POV shots through the
skull's eyes!) and the various colored lighting gels employed throughout
the film really give the film an otherworldly feel (at times it feels
almost like an Italian film and one murder in particular reminds us of
Suspiria). Freddie Francis' direction is equally strong
despite a few slower moments and the film is effectively paced and very
well made. The last twenty minutes or so of the film are surprisingly
dark and remarkably atmospheric as Maitland realizes that his actions
are going to bring about a very sinister reaction from the skull he so
desperately wants to own.
As far as the performances go, Cushing is at the top
of his game here and he carries the film with style. With plenty of
screen time and an interesting character to play, Cushing really makes
this 'his' movie. Lee's role is little more than a cameo but he too is
quite enjoyable here and the moments he shares on screen with Cushing
are fun. Supporting performances from Jill Bennett as Cushing's wife and
Nigel Green and Patrick Magee as the local police interested in a few
suspicious deaths are also enjoyable.
While The Skull may not get the
recognition that the Amicus anthology films do, it definitely holds its
own as a superior example of the studio's output.
