Dehydrator
06-20-2002, 06:59 AM
THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959)
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Starring:
Eduard Franz
Valerie French
Grant Richards
my rating 7/10
+++ might contain minor spoilers +++
This movie is on TV every now and then and I remember having seen it in the 6th grade properbly one or two times but didn't remember much from it. I watched it without taping it a year ago and was suprised how much of a cool little movie this is and stuck video tapes up my anus for not taping it afterwards. Last week I finally managed to tape it and wasn't too disappointed.
The plot : Old researcher Jonathan Drake has weird hallucinations about four skulls dancing before him. His daughter is worried (as you might imagine) and after his brother dies ( and is found with no head ), she seeks help by the police. They soon discover that the family is plagued by a curse that made every male person in their ranks die at the age of 60 and being found with no head. The kicker is, once they're buried their skulls are found in the family crypt, the skulls, not the head. Indians with their mouths sewen shut and shrinkheads seem to have something to do with it...
I hope it made you curious, if you're willing to expose yourself to really old movies (it's B&W of course), this is a true gem. It's fairly original and quite graphic for it's time ( you get the connection between skulls of fresh-died persons being found and shrinkheads?) and has as good as no dead spots. Of course, once the plot is revealed fully, it's quite silly stuff ( I laughed my ass off that one certain twist near the end) all around but it's entertaining nontheless. I can't comment on the acting because I have no idea who is who since I can't get to the imdb for strange reasons ( access denied, but don't ask me how). It's a bit low budget I think, some effects aren't exactly well done (those 4 skulls the guy keeps hallucinating about) and I heard the director is mostly known for his low-budgetness. The guy who plays the villan is cool, even when it's revealed 10 minutes into the plot that he's the villan, there's still enough to keep you guessing about. The score is okay too, not too overbearing as most movies from this time tend to be.
Recommended viewing, if you can find it. It's a lot of fun stuff.
7/10
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Starring:
Eduard Franz
Valerie French
Grant Richards
my rating 7/10
+++ might contain minor spoilers +++
This movie is on TV every now and then and I remember having seen it in the 6th grade properbly one or two times but didn't remember much from it. I watched it without taping it a year ago and was suprised how much of a cool little movie this is and stuck video tapes up my anus for not taping it afterwards. Last week I finally managed to tape it and wasn't too disappointed.
The plot : Old researcher Jonathan Drake has weird hallucinations about four skulls dancing before him. His daughter is worried (as you might imagine) and after his brother dies ( and is found with no head ), she seeks help by the police. They soon discover that the family is plagued by a curse that made every male person in their ranks die at the age of 60 and being found with no head. The kicker is, once they're buried their skulls are found in the family crypt, the skulls, not the head. Indians with their mouths sewen shut and shrinkheads seem to have something to do with it...
I hope it made you curious, if you're willing to expose yourself to really old movies (it's B&W of course), this is a true gem. It's fairly original and quite graphic for it's time ( you get the connection between skulls of fresh-died persons being found and shrinkheads?) and has as good as no dead spots. Of course, once the plot is revealed fully, it's quite silly stuff ( I laughed my ass off that one certain twist near the end) all around but it's entertaining nontheless. I can't comment on the acting because I have no idea who is who since I can't get to the imdb for strange reasons ( access denied, but don't ask me how). It's a bit low budget I think, some effects aren't exactly well done (those 4 skulls the guy keeps hallucinating about) and I heard the director is mostly known for his low-budgetness. The guy who plays the villan is cool, even when it's revealed 10 minutes into the plot that he's the villan, there's still enough to keep you guessing about. The score is okay too, not too overbearing as most movies from this time tend to be.
Recommended viewing, if you can find it. It's a lot of fun stuff.
7/10