History Film / TheScreamingSkull

This 1958 American horror film was directed by Alex Nicol and originally released by Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures in a double-feature package with ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000''. Due to a filing error by one of the producers, the movie went into PublicDomain soon after its release. For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, please visit the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E12TheScreamingSkull Recap page]].

This 1958 American horror film was directed by Alex Nicol and originally released by Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures in a double-feature package with ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000''. For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, please visit the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E12TheScreamingSkull Recap page]].

* DefiniteArticleTitle: '''''The''' Screaming Skull''.

* TheTheTitle: '''''The''' Screaming Skull''.

* NothingIsScarier: The film ''attempts'' this during the LeaveTeCameraRunning segments to build tension, but the execution leaves much to be desired.

* PosthumousCharacter: Marian.
* RealAfterAll: Choke on ''that'', Eric!

* TilMurderDoUsPart
* TheTheTitle

* StringyHairedGhostGirl: In a frilly sun dress and huge floppy hat.

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Eric's ''modus operandi'', assuming he actually killed Marian. Which we do.

* HappinessIsMandatory: As stated above, Eric forbids Jenni from talking about her issues. It's most likely just a ploy to keep her from discussing her problems with others, or prevent her from reaching an epiphany that might screw up his plans for her.

* DomesticAbuse: Murder aside, Eric "forbids" his new wife to mention disturbing issues.

* [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Bare Skulled Ghost Girl]]: In a frilly sun dress and huge floppy hat.

* DomesticAbuser: Murder aside, Eric "forbids" his new wife to mention disturbing issues.

* AlasPoorYorick

* TheBluebeard: Eric.

* CoolCar

'''Eric:''' ''[without a trace of annoyance]'' The gardener.

* DullSurprise: Believe it or not, the best example doesn't come from Jenni, but Reverend Snow when he finds [[spoiler:Eric's dead body]].

* GoldDigger: Eric is a rare male version.

* IWishedYouWereDead: One big source of Jenni's angst.

* KickTheDog: Eric's treatment of Mickey - though in this case it's more "Repeatedly Bitchslap The Dog".
* LeaveTheCameraRunning

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Eric's ''modus operandi'', assuming he actually killed Marian.

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Eventually, Eric decides this. Presumably he would try and make it look like a suicide or accident, as he did with Marion.

Screaming Skulls, that's what. Jenni starts to hear unexplained screeches at night, and stumbles upon skulls that disappear by the time she brings someone else to see them. Is the ghost of Marian hanging around to drive Jenni away? Is this all Mickey's doing, who underneath his mildly retarded exterior hides the shrewd mind of a psychological torturer? Is Jenni suffering another mental breakdown? Or is Eric a murderer -- dispatching Marian for the mansion and attempting to do it again to Jenni so he can inherit her fortune?

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Screaming_Skull.JPG]]

* ScreamingWoman: Jenni splits her screentime between looking worried and shrieking bloody murder.
--> "This movie should've been called ''Screaming, semicolon, Skull''."

--> "This movie should've been called ''Screaming, semicolon, Skull''"

* ScreamingWoman

This 1958 American horror film was directed by Alex Nicol and originally released by Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures in a double-feature package with ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000''. For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, please visit [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E12TheScreamingSkull the Recap page]].

This 1958 American horror film was directed by Alex Nicol and originally released by Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures in a double-feature package with ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000''.

->'''Narrator:''' Therefore, its producers feel they must assure free burial services to anyone who dies of fright while seeing ''The Screaming Skull''.

->'''Narrator:''' ''The Screaming Skull'' is a motion picture that reaches its climax in shocking horror.
->'''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Mike Nelson]]:''' But we cut that.
->'''Narrator:''' Its impact is so terrifying that it may have an unforeseen effect...it may kill you.
->'''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Tom Servo]]:''' If you watch it in front of a moving bus.
->''[The camera pans over a coffin with a "Reserved For You" sign inside]''

->'''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Crow]]:''' Offer void in Utah, Florida and Arizona. Taxes and acquisition fee not included. Must take delivery of dealer's stock.
-->-- The film's OpeningMonologue, more or less

This 1958 American horror film was directed by Alex Nicol and originally released by Creator/AmericanInternationalPictures in a double-feature package with ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000''. A cross between Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Literature/{{Rebecca}}'' and George Cukor's ''Film/{{Gaslight}}'', it would be a mere footnote were it not for its appearance (along with the WesternAnimation/{{Gumby}} short ''WesternAnimation/RobotRumpus'') in [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S09E12TheScreamingSkull episode #912]] of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''.

* AlasPoorYorick: "She ''[[IncrediblyLamePun threw]]'' him well!"

* CoolCar: "Yes, Shocking Horror rides in style in your 1953 Mercedes!"

-->'''Eric:''' That's where Mickey keeps his gardening things.
-->'''Jenni:''' Who's Mickey?
-->'''Eric:''' (''without a trace of annoyance'') The gardener.
-->'''Crow:''' As previously implied.

* JumpCut: An unintentional example: Most prints, including the ''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]'' version, contain a really bad splice from the scene where Jenni approaches the banging window to running toward Eric's arms. In between all that was when she locked the window and became frightened by a scary-looking portrait of a woman
-->'''Servo''': Oh, the film broke and it was horrible!

* LeaveTheCameraRunning: "Uh, movie? Do you need a push or something?"

-->'''Eric:''' It's rather forbidding now, I suppose, empty like this. But it was usually this way. Shortly after Marian and I were married, she removed all the furniture her parents had left her. "This is our home," she used to say. "We must choose everything carefully."
-->'''Crow:''' Is he reading from a report?
-->'''Eric:''' She didn't get very far before she died. But now that you're here, everything will be lovely again.
-->'''Mike:''' And that ends my narration.

* RedHerring: Why, the creepy, child-like gardener the movie constantly shoves into your face at every opportunity and who does not profit even slightly from driving Jenni insane or killing his childhood friend Marian is not, in fact, at all responsible for the events of this film. [[SarcasmMode Gasp!]]
** Do you need a motive if you're AxeCrazy?
** No, but Mickey is plain old, harmless crazy. He never hurts or threatens anyone.

* ScreamingWoman: "I think the title was supposed to be 'Screaming, ''semicolon'', Skull.'"
* SoundtrackDissonance: "Yeah, when you think 'shocking horror,' you think German oomp-pah music."
** Creator/StanleyKubrick thought it was. The score is Ernest Gold's adaptation of "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath) theme from the fifth movement (Dream of a Witches' Sabbath) of Music/HectorBerlioz's ''Symphonie Fantastique'', which was [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mzNO6MzFEg the opening theme]] to ''Film/TheShining''. For bonus points, Gold won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for ''Exodus'' two years later.
** The music in the earlier parts of the film isn't so bad, but the music at the supposedly shocking climax, maybe just due to technical ineptitude, ends up sounding like the music to some slapstick cartoon. It doesn't help that it accompanies scenes like Eric falling down goofily and skulls bouncing around after him. The [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] treatment even lampshades this.
--->'''Mike:''' It's "WesternAnimation/BugsBunny sneaking up" music.