Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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.

HumanoidOfFlesh "Night of the Assassins" is an atmospheric Spanish giallo made by a prolific exploitation filmmaker Jesus Franco.The the film is largely based on a book by famed English crime novelist Edgar Wallace.The plot of John Willard's famous 1922 stage play "The Cat And The Canary" is an inspiration too in which a group of greedy relatives gathered at a spooky old mansion for a will reading are systematically murdered by a masked killer who's concealed identity holds the key to the macabre mystery.The assassin wears a human skull mask and is particularly merciless."Night of the Assassins" is an atmospheric and stylish giallo with very good performances and the aura of creeping mystery.The killings are bloodless and the lack of sleaze may be disappointing for fans of Franco's graphic exploitation,but I enjoyed this little macabre film.8 out of 10.

The_Void Jess Franco made a lot of films that are liable to make you want to claw your eyes out; but then he also made a lot of films that made you wish he took more care of his overall filmography as the man clearly had talent. Night of the Skull is firmly in the latter category; as while the plot is not particularly original and has been done many times before and since; Franco makes good of it and Night of the Skull is a very successful thriller overall. The basis for the plot takes influence from the often used idea of a will reading causing trouble within a family. The film takes place in England and we focus on the residents of an old castle. The Lord of the manor, Lord Archibald Marian, has been murdered. As the family gather for the will reading, they are shocked to learn of two wills; one to be read in the case that the Lord was murdered, the other in the case that he died of natural causes. The family are shocked further when all of his assets are left to his illegitimate daughter, but there are twists in store before the will can be executed.The film gives a writing credit to the great Edgar Allen Poe for his story "The Cat and the Canary", although clear influence is taken from crime writer Edgar Wallace and indeed his novel "The Terror" (which was adapted in 1965 as The Sinister Monk) features basically the same story. The film has some similarities with the Giallo genre also and Giallo fans will no doubt enjoy this one too (genre entries such as The Weekend Murders and Deadly Inheritance also use the same base for a plot). The film is set in England and Franco takes care with his setting and the film does actually have an English feel; despite the fact that all the characters speak Spanish. Franco also creates an effectively creepy atmosphere that benefits the film immensely. The film is of a higher quality than a lot of Franco's stuff also - with the acting from the ensemble cast being well above par. The storyline is interesting for the duration despite the fact that it will be familiar to most genre fans; and the ending does deliver something of a surprise. It's an unlikely way for the tale to end, but at least it sort of makes some sense. Overall, Night of the Skull is a very decent thriller and comes recommended.

Scarecrow-88 Relatives and hired help of murdered aristocrat(..and close to English Parliament making him quite the important man it seems)converge at his estate to hear if they receive anything from his inheritance as a notary is assigned to read his will. But, a killer donning a skull mask is murdering them one by one using a noted scripture from a book titled "The Apocalypse"("Earth to bury us. Wind to scourge us. Water to drown us. Fire to burn us.")as method of execution. A detective from Scotland Yard, Olive Brooks(Alberto Dalbés), who knows a lot of things about the murdered Lord Archibald Percival Marion that he shouldn't which in itself is mysterious, assists Inspector Bore(Vincente Roca)in the case to find the skull-masked assassin. The film opens the possibility of relative Mr. Tobias(William Berger)being the possible killer because of something his wife Marta(Evelyn Scott)says when they are in private. Lina Romay has the role of plain Rita, supposedly the abused daughter of the murdered Lord Marion, whose servant mother was his mistress.Secrets and red herrings abound as characters aren't who they appear and few can be trusted.Not your prototypical Jesús Franco flick operating as a psycho-thriller murder mystery as he uses lots of rain and noirish darkness to create atmospheric flourishes. He doesn't even use as much zoom lens, although he does often close his camera in on faces tight showing their expressions during key moments in the film. He also, every now and then, likes to implement images of a skull into the film at certain points as the plot thickens. I didn't think the film was mind-blowing or anything, but still fairly entertaining on a basic crime mystery level. You could call this Jesús Franco's Spanish equivalent of the Italian giallo, but I'd say "Night of the Skull" is more akin to Agatha Christie mysteries(..even if the film claims Edgar Allen Poe as it's source). The film doesn't even feature a reliance on nude flesh or sexual sequences ..and surprisingly Franco doesn't even exploit Romay's naked body, something he hardly ever passes up. Despite this being a psycho-thriller, the film isn't very violent..most of the murders are rather tame or occur out of focus(or blanketed in the dark such as when the dead Lord Marion's butler stabs a couple who are about to find out a damning secret). I think real die-hard fans of Jesús Franco will be rather disappointed with this film.