Fans of classic British horror films, and fans of the DS Judah Zachery storyline, will want to see the new DVD release of the 1965 Amicus studios production, "The Skull." The movie boasts a stellar cast that includes Uncle Peter Cushing in the lead, Uncle Christopher Lee as a wealthy aristocratic occultist, the unjustly neglected Patrick Wymark as a seedy dealer in occult relics, and juicy roles for Michael Gough and Patrick Magee. The score by Elizabeth "twelve-tone Lizzie" Lutyens is evocative of Bob Cobert's subsequent work on DS without really sounding like something that influenced Cobert (whose work tends to be more lyrical). And, as if all that weren't enough, one of the demons mentioned in the film is Balberith, the name given in some sources for the dark Master of Nicholas and Angelique in the 1968 storyline's forays to the Underworld.
The DVD finally allows us to see this movie in something closer to the correct aspect ratio, though I'm not sure they managed to get it completely right. I'm hoping to see a write-up by Tim Lucas with technical critique. I also wonder who was really responsible for the screenplay. Milton Subotsky got the onscreen credit but the dialogue seems far too literate and complex to come from the hand of a hack producer.
G.
