BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Nigel P This terrific slow-burner is Spanish Director Jess Franco's old dark house mystery in the style of a giallo – a historical one, no less. It is a spectacularly underrated film – consistent, intriguing, well-played and possessed of some impressive twists.Lina Romay, in possibly her best role, plays Rita, shamed servant girl. Without the distraction of hubby Franco's predilection for sex and gore, her performance shows what a true talent she was. Rita is humble and subversive, a million miles away from many of the other parts she played. Antonio Mayans, who would star with Romay years later in the notorious 'Mansion of the Living Dead (1984)', is excellent as Alfred, who may or not be Rita's brother. Franco himself, never a hugely impressive actor, also gives what maybe his best performance as drunken old lawyer Andy. Dependable Alberto Dalbés as Major Brooks and Vincente Roca as Inspector Bore (pronounced 'Borey', fortunately) also spice up the 74 minute running time.The direction is restrained – no lingering, graphic sex scenes or manically zooming lenses here – and really conveys a classic haunted house thriller. Indeed, Edgar Allen Poe is credited as an inspiration in the opening moments, although there is nothing specifically similar that I can see.A darkly shot project – occasionally too dark – this drips with atmosphere, with Franco making the most of his splendidly intimidating location.

Michael_Elliott Night of the Skull (1973) *** (out of 4) Spanish giallo has a family brought together for the reading of a will only soon a maniac wearing a skull mask shows up and starts knocking them off. This is from Jess Franco and this certainly ranks as one of his better made films, technically speaking. Franco creates a very thick atmosphere that helps the film move quite nicely and the mystery is well written and plays out very well. The performances are a lot better than normal especially Lina Romay who's given the chance to act here. The first murder sequence is very well done and the look of the killer is nice. Not your typical Franco film but a good one.

bensonmum2 It's difficult to know how to rate a Franco film. Do you compare his films with all other films, or do you just compare Franco's films with his other films? Compared with the entire population of movies, Night of the Skull probably isn't that good. But for a Franco film, it's not too bad. And when you consider that this is only one of ten films Franco is credited with directing in 1976, it's amazing that Night of the Skull is at all comprehensible.I haven't read this anywhere so I have no real basis for knowing this, but Night of the Skull seems to be Franco's attempt to make a Giallo/Krimi type film. A hooded, cloaked, skull-masked killer is offing the members of a wealthy family gathered together for the reading of a will. Almost everyone in the family is a suspect, that is, until they're killed. Some of the scenes are almost expertly handled like the first murder where the elderly patriarch of the family is buried alive with only his hands, which have been tied behind his back, sticking out of the ground. There are also very few scenes where Franco appears to lose his (and the camera's) focus and stays pretty much on course throughout. On the downside, the killer's identity is, unfortunately, too easy to guess and leaves little in the way of a surprise once he/she is finally unmasked. And, while the acting is never as bad as in something like Franco's Oasis of the Zombies, no one was going to win an award for their performance either.In the end, Night of the Skull is something of a treat for fans of Franco. Non-fans would probably be best advised to steer clear.

AS-69 The label "thoroughly average" is borrowed from the Aurum Horror Encyclopaedia and, for once, describes the movie very well.That does not imply that the movie is without interest. There are nice decors and several interesting scenes, e.g., a man is buried alive with only his hands, which are tied to the back, sticking out of the ground like a cry for help or a women is tied to the rocks and left to the tides. Of course, the movie features also Franco's usual dilettantism such as badly focussed shots.All in all, it is worth a try. No suspense or blood, though. So, watch it only if your are fully awake.The already quoted horror encyclopaedia contains a plot summary which differs slightly from what I have seen. This could mean that, as so often, there exist several different versions of the movie.