My VHS copy of this film-taken from a television broadcast 25 years ago is never long on the shelf. I show this film alot. This is one of those rare films that stands alone. It defies being pigeonholed. The plot is one of a kind. Although the budget appears to be slight the film actually benefits from this. The acting is high caliber. I remember as a kid originally seeing it late one Saturday night on Chiller Theatre (out of Pittsburgh Pa.) The headhunter with his lips sown shut haunted my dreams for weeks! Fans of B-movies should make an effort to see this film. It would be an excellent candidate for restoration and digital release.
50 Reviews
Surprisingly gory for it's day
babeth_jr28 August 2007
I just recently viewed this film for the first time and was surprised at some of the more gory elements of this film. It was made in 1959, and it dealt with decapitation and shrunken heads. Although it didn't actually show the decapitation, it did show the skin being removed from a decapitated skull. By today's horror standards it was pretty mild (this picture was filmed in glorious black and white so you don't get the blood red effect of today's films) but nonetheless, it was pretty gory for it's day.
The story revolves around Jonathan Drake (portayed by Eduard Franz), the remaining male survivor of his family. His family has been cursed since his grandfather's time by a tribe of Amazon indians that were slaughtered by his grandfather and several other men.
Henry Daniell is just great as the creepy Dr. Zurich. There are several other strong supporting performances by Grant Richards as the stalwart Detective Jeff Rowan and Paul Cavanaugh as Kenneth Drake, Jonathan Drake's brother, who unfortunately loses his head to fulfill the "Drake Curse".
I did laugh a few times during the movie...Paul Wexler portrays Xutai, one of the Amazon indians, and he has to be seen to be believed. Even with his mouth sewn shut he looked more funny to me than menacing. Also you can tell that this movie was filmed on a very low budget. The sets are pretty substandard.
Despite these minor flaws I found this movie to be highly entertaining.
The story revolves around Jonathan Drake (portayed by Eduard Franz), the remaining male survivor of his family. His family has been cursed since his grandfather's time by a tribe of Amazon indians that were slaughtered by his grandfather and several other men.
Henry Daniell is just great as the creepy Dr. Zurich. There are several other strong supporting performances by Grant Richards as the stalwart Detective Jeff Rowan and Paul Cavanaugh as Kenneth Drake, Jonathan Drake's brother, who unfortunately loses his head to fulfill the "Drake Curse".
I did laugh a few times during the movie...Paul Wexler portrays Xutai, one of the Amazon indians, and he has to be seen to be believed. Even with his mouth sewn shut he looked more funny to me than menacing. Also you can tell that this movie was filmed on a very low budget. The sets are pretty substandard.
Despite these minor flaws I found this movie to be highly entertaining.
Those are some pretty cool fingerprints.
Hey_Sweden16 October 2012
Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz) and his brother Kenneth (Paul Cavanagh) are the latest in the line of Drake men and as such must suffer the curse placed upon the men of their family for ages. This curse dates back for centuries and involves heads being severed and shrunken.
This is an effective touch in the screenplay by Orville H. Hampton, which is fairly strong and violent stuff for 1959. Capable B movie director Edward L. Cahn, whose credits include the sci-fi thriller "It! The Terror from Beyond Space", is at the helm of this decent programmer. It's nothing special, but not bad, either. As one can see, it's not without its creepy elements, although it's awfully talky for much of its running time. It's clearly not too concerned about functioning as a mystery, as our villain is revealed much sooner than we expect, and it becomes a matter of waiting for our protagonists to get caught up to speed.
It benefits from a pretty strong cast. Franz, usually a supporting actor or bit player in features (such as the classic "The Thing from Another World") is wholly believable in a lead role. Grant Richards co-stars as the intrepid police detective Jeff Rowan, who goes through the biggest character arc in the story, as a hard-headed man who believes in rational and sane explanations who's forced to acknowledge some truly unreal things. Valerie French is Franz's worried daughter, Paul Wexler the most memorable character in the film as the Jivaro Indian henchman who's had his lips sewn shut, and Henry Daniell is lots of fun as the intense archaeologist Dr. Emil Zurich.
A short running time (71 minutes) ensures that the story go on no longer than it needs to, while a thunderous score by Paul Dunlap plays in the background. Those shrunken heads, designed by Charles Gemora, are really quite convincing; in general, the special effects, what little there are, are well done. In the end, this little film does have some potency going for it as well as some entertaining climactic action and revelations. Fans of the B movies of the era should find this a reasonable diversion.
Six out of 10.
This is an effective touch in the screenplay by Orville H. Hampton, which is fairly strong and violent stuff for 1959. Capable B movie director Edward L. Cahn, whose credits include the sci-fi thriller "It! The Terror from Beyond Space", is at the helm of this decent programmer. It's nothing special, but not bad, either. As one can see, it's not without its creepy elements, although it's awfully talky for much of its running time. It's clearly not too concerned about functioning as a mystery, as our villain is revealed much sooner than we expect, and it becomes a matter of waiting for our protagonists to get caught up to speed.
It benefits from a pretty strong cast. Franz, usually a supporting actor or bit player in features (such as the classic "The Thing from Another World") is wholly believable in a lead role. Grant Richards co-stars as the intrepid police detective Jeff Rowan, who goes through the biggest character arc in the story, as a hard-headed man who believes in rational and sane explanations who's forced to acknowledge some truly unreal things. Valerie French is Franz's worried daughter, Paul Wexler the most memorable character in the film as the Jivaro Indian henchman who's had his lips sewn shut, and Henry Daniell is lots of fun as the intense archaeologist Dr. Emil Zurich.
A short running time (71 minutes) ensures that the story go on no longer than it needs to, while a thunderous score by Paul Dunlap plays in the background. Those shrunken heads, designed by Charles Gemora, are really quite convincing; in general, the special effects, what little there are, are well done. In the end, this little film does have some potency going for it as well as some entertaining climactic action and revelations. Fans of the B movies of the era should find this a reasonable diversion.
Six out of 10.
One scary movie for a 10 year old in 1960
Stormy_Autumn28 November 2005
The movie concerned the death of Jonathan's brother and the brother's missing head. Of course the fact that his head is missing isn't discovered until the funeral. Then the realization hits that the brother's death and decapitation is because of a curse put on their grandfather by a South American tribe he had cheated. At this point Jonathan considers there is a strong possibility that he is next. That thought occurs when he awakens in the middle of the night to discover a rather gruesome looking native, with his mouth sewn shut, standing over him with a long, sharp knife. Now he, family and friends must find a way to save his life. It's too bad most of you will never see this in the theater. (Eduard Franz and Henry Daniell were great actors!)
Seeing it again a few years ago (over 50), I could see all the fallacies and the real lack of anything to be afraid of, it was pretty phony in loads of places. And, compared to what the producers and directors put out today, it, also, was pretty tame. But one more thing I will say scary though it might have been then, now I consider it fun.
Seeing it again a few years ago (over 50), I could see all the fallacies and the real lack of anything to be afraid of, it was pretty phony in loads of places. And, compared to what the producers and directors put out today, it, also, was pretty tame. But one more thing I will say scary though it might have been then, now I consider it fun.
By turns this entry in the (rather limited) shrunken head movie genre is both goofy and genuinely creepy.
stanhyde21 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of my more pleasant discoveries in the MGM MIDNIGHT MOVIES series. It's the kind of movie that's a happy surprise to find on DVD, blending "so bad they're good moments" with genuinely creepy moments, and with a different approach to Voodoo (and shrunken heads . . .) than most genre pictures.
First of all the print is EXCEPTIONAL. (In fact, I'm sure the scene painters never realized that the spackle painting or faux marble paint jobs on the Drake's family's WOODEN CRYPT would ever be seen so clearly.)
Made in 1959, it was directed by Edward L Cahn who helmed a lot of my favorites such as Invisible Invaders (1959) Curse of the Faceless Man (1958) It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) Voodoo Woman (1957) The She-Creature (1956) Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
JONATHAN DRAKE's effects are surprisingly strong for the time . . . a headless corpse in a coffin, many "shrunken head" close-ups, a henchman with his lips sewn shut, the preparation of shrunken heads and a freezer to keep the heads in . . .
Effects are by Charles Gemora . . . who also played Gorillas and created the Martian for George Pal's WAR OF THE WORLDS.
The film is oddly shot . . . it feels like a B-movie TWILIGHT ZONE episode with all the action being shot on inside sets (cars always drive either five feet onto or off of the set and then the action cuts). If it wasn't shot for television (and given the level of the grue it probably wasn't) it sure feels like an extra long episode of THRILLER.
The story concerns the Drake family, whose great-grandfather led an expedition to free a Swiss trader in the Upper Amazon and, after a massacre of the natives there, were cursed for all eternity. At age 60 (it's a pretty benign curse) the Drake men die - of shock - their heads disappear, only to have their skulls show up later on in the family vault.
One of the joys of the film is that Jonathan Drake has to make a 2 day journey by train to his brother's house because "no planes fly there" but the cop who shows up to investigate the brother's death . . . a tough talking guy in a pork-pie hat . . . is clearly American, as is the brother's Doctor . . . though they seem to have a British Butler. Are they somewhere in South America . . . hmm, the plant life looks like a studio version of Maine. Frankly, the whole story is happening in some delirious alternate reality . . . somewhere between Ed Wood land and the Roger Corman continent . . . and that just makes things more fun.
Henry Daniell, as Dr. Zurich, chews up scenery and spits it out. He's creepy and great. (His greatest genre role was probably in the 1945 THE BODY SNATCHER.) And the ultimate revelation about the villain is just . . . well, very cool and . . . well, lets just say you'll probably have a hard time guessing what's going on even if you have been wondering about Dr. Zurich's gloves.
Katie found the film genuinely creepy at times, but this is balanced out by some earnestly played hokum that will probably have most people smiling more than they're cowering in fear.
So, put on the popcorn, settle back, and enjoy the kind of movie that "they just don't make like that anymore." It's double-billed with Karloff's VOODOO ISLAND on the MGM MIDNIGHT MOVIES DVD, a great thematic pairing but THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE is definitely the film that will bear repeated viewings.
BEST STan
First of all the print is EXCEPTIONAL. (In fact, I'm sure the scene painters never realized that the spackle painting or faux marble paint jobs on the Drake's family's WOODEN CRYPT would ever be seen so clearly.)
Made in 1959, it was directed by Edward L Cahn who helmed a lot of my favorites such as Invisible Invaders (1959) Curse of the Faceless Man (1958) It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) Voodoo Woman (1957) The She-Creature (1956) Creature with the Atom Brain (1955)
JONATHAN DRAKE's effects are surprisingly strong for the time . . . a headless corpse in a coffin, many "shrunken head" close-ups, a henchman with his lips sewn shut, the preparation of shrunken heads and a freezer to keep the heads in . . .
Effects are by Charles Gemora . . . who also played Gorillas and created the Martian for George Pal's WAR OF THE WORLDS.
The film is oddly shot . . . it feels like a B-movie TWILIGHT ZONE episode with all the action being shot on inside sets (cars always drive either five feet onto or off of the set and then the action cuts). If it wasn't shot for television (and given the level of the grue it probably wasn't) it sure feels like an extra long episode of THRILLER.
The story concerns the Drake family, whose great-grandfather led an expedition to free a Swiss trader in the Upper Amazon and, after a massacre of the natives there, were cursed for all eternity. At age 60 (it's a pretty benign curse) the Drake men die - of shock - their heads disappear, only to have their skulls show up later on in the family vault.
One of the joys of the film is that Jonathan Drake has to make a 2 day journey by train to his brother's house because "no planes fly there" but the cop who shows up to investigate the brother's death . . . a tough talking guy in a pork-pie hat . . . is clearly American, as is the brother's Doctor . . . though they seem to have a British Butler. Are they somewhere in South America . . . hmm, the plant life looks like a studio version of Maine. Frankly, the whole story is happening in some delirious alternate reality . . . somewhere between Ed Wood land and the Roger Corman continent . . . and that just makes things more fun.
Henry Daniell, as Dr. Zurich, chews up scenery and spits it out. He's creepy and great. (His greatest genre role was probably in the 1945 THE BODY SNATCHER.) And the ultimate revelation about the villain is just . . . well, very cool and . . . well, lets just say you'll probably have a hard time guessing what's going on even if you have been wondering about Dr. Zurich's gloves.
Katie found the film genuinely creepy at times, but this is balanced out by some earnestly played hokum that will probably have most people smiling more than they're cowering in fear.
So, put on the popcorn, settle back, and enjoy the kind of movie that "they just don't make like that anymore." It's double-billed with Karloff's VOODOO ISLAND on the MGM MIDNIGHT MOVIES DVD, a great thematic pairing but THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE is definitely the film that will bear repeated viewings.
BEST STan
His voodoo-lips are sealed!
Coventry22 May 2018
I'm always nearly stupefied when browsing through the career overview of director Edward L. Cahn. This man directed low-budget horror treasures at an incredibly immense pace; - sometimes up to eight or nine movies per year. No wonder he dropped dead at the age of 64! But unlike other people who directed hundreds of films, like Jess Franco or Cirio H. Santiago, the efforts of the sadly unknown and underrated Cahn were always reliable and competent B-movies. Like "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake", for instance, which is a short and straightforward (barely 70 minutes) but grimly compelling tale about tribal voodoo, shrunken head routines, floating skulls and ancestral curses! When, after his grandfather and father, also his brother unexpectedly dies from a sudden heart condition at the age of sixty, Jonathan Drake is convinced that the curse placed upon his great-great-grandfather by a witchdoctor in the Amazon jungle is still active. The floating skulls of his ancestors keep appearing in his nightmares, and there truly is a native tribesman (with his lips sewn shut) strolling around to kill the masculine Drake family members and cut off their heads to perform a voodoo shrinking rite. There's absolutely nothing to dislike about "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake". The plot is simple but effective, with a proper explanation regarding the family curse's origin and a good mixture of believer & non-believer characters. Several of the ideas and sequences were quite gruesome and explicit for their time (like the headless corpse in the coffin or the uncanny resemblance between the victims' faces and their shrunken potato versions) and there are many more and even nastier little gimmicks coming to the surface as the story unfolds itself further. The acting performances are more than adequate for a late fifties' B-movie, with particularly Henry Daniell stealing the show as the mean & vicious Dr. Zurich. Recommended and fun, just like other Edward L. Cahn horror efforts such as "Invisible Invaders", "It: The Terror from Beyond Space" or "Invasion of the Saucer Men"
Fun with shrunken heads
JohnSeal14 January 2000
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake is, by some miracle, a notch above the typical Robert E. Kent produced dross. Not just another Cahn catastrophe, it features what must have been some shocking scenes in 1959 involving decapitation, head shrinking, and, er, lip sewing, for want of a more technical phrase. Decent atmosphere and enough chills to give the little ones a fright.
Scared me silly as a kid
preppy-313 January 2000
Hilarious little horror film involving a curse on the Drake family--each male member of the family is killed at age 60 and decapitated! There's more but it's really too complicated (and unbelievable) to go into.
I originally saw this on a local TV station on a Saturday afternoon in the 1970s. I was in the fourth grade and it scared me silly! A shot of a headless corpse in a coffin really did it for me. I saw it again in high school and just thought it was silly. Seeing as an adult it still IS silly---but in a good way.
This is a LOW budget film with tacky looking sets (obviously borrowed from another picture) and a cast of virtual unknowns. The only name here is Henry Damiell who looks miserable. Also Valerie French is just terrible. Good acting is given by Grant Richard (as Lt. Rowan) and Eduard Franz (as Jonathan Drake).
This is not a good movie but worth seeing--for laughs. The plot is really out there (especially a twist at the end). Also notice the vault with electric lighting (!!!) and a knife used at the end that is (pretty obviously) rubber. LOVED the way it shook! A camp classic!
I originally saw this on a local TV station on a Saturday afternoon in the 1970s. I was in the fourth grade and it scared me silly! A shot of a headless corpse in a coffin really did it for me. I saw it again in high school and just thought it was silly. Seeing as an adult it still IS silly---but in a good way.
This is a LOW budget film with tacky looking sets (obviously borrowed from another picture) and a cast of virtual unknowns. The only name here is Henry Damiell who looks miserable. Also Valerie French is just terrible. Good acting is given by Grant Richard (as Lt. Rowan) and Eduard Franz (as Jonathan Drake).
This is not a good movie but worth seeing--for laughs. The plot is really out there (especially a twist at the end). Also notice the vault with electric lighting (!!!) and a knife used at the end that is (pretty obviously) rubber. LOVED the way it shook! A camp classic!
Rare starring vehicle for perennial villain Henry Daniell
kevinolzak31 March 2019
1959's "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" a 1959 United Artists release from the same director as its cofeature INVISIBLE INVADERS, Edward L. Cahn. Among the fine veteran cast are Paul Cavanagh ("The Kennel Murder Case," "The Scarlet Claw," "The Strange Door," "She Devil") and perennial villain Henry Daniell, best remembered as the actual lead opposite Karloff and Lugosi in 1945's "The Body Snatcher," doing small roles in later films like "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." Top billed Eduard Franz plays Jonathan Drake, descendant of an explorer cursed by a Jivaro witch doctor for annihilating his tribe, a white man's head sewed on to an Indian body, existing for 180 years to dispatch the last of the Drake line so that he can finally achieve lasting peace. Daniell's Dr. Emil Zurich is revealed early on as the culprit, posing as an archaeologist expert in shrunken heads, assisted by a silent undead Jivaro (Paul Wexler) whose mouth is sewn shut, a memorable henchman described as looking like a young Christopher Lee. Much of the film is designed as a dull police procedural, saving on costs but shortchanging the viewer (despite the plethora of stock footage, cofeature "Invisible Invaders" is more lively). There are still some delightfully queasy moments depicting the process used to shrink the heads (severed by a bamboo blade so that the soul remains intact), poison curare, and bloodied headless corpses.
Is it all that hard to keep your head?
michaelRokeefe18 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
From United Artists, a very interesting black & white horror flick. Somewhat predictable, but atmospheric and haunting...you really want to take the invitation to be chilled. Jonathan Drake(Eduard Franz), a professor specializing in the occult and the eldest male descendant of the cursed Drake family, arrives for his last living brother's funeral and it is discovered he has been decapitated right before the services. This continues the curse, and its a doozy that has lasted 200 years; the curse is the work of angry head-shrinker Dr. Emil Zurich(Henry Daniell), who survived a South American jungle massacre led by one of Jonathan's ancestors.
Kudos to director Edward L. Cahn for making writer Oville H. Hampton's story put a little chill down our spine and satisfy that thing inside us that draws us to horror films. Sometimes you just can't turn away. And especially those oldies in beautiful black & white. The rest of the cast features other B-film stars you'll recognize; Paul Cavanagh, Grant Richards, Valerie French and Howard Wendell.
Kudos to director Edward L. Cahn for making writer Oville H. Hampton's story put a little chill down our spine and satisfy that thing inside us that draws us to horror films. Sometimes you just can't turn away. And especially those oldies in beautiful black & white. The rest of the cast features other B-film stars you'll recognize; Paul Cavanagh, Grant Richards, Valerie French and Howard Wendell.
Another Cahn Classic . . . !
zardoz-132 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Director Edward L. Cahn's horror chiller "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" qualifies as creepy, atmospheric hokum about an ancient Jivaro Indian curse put on an American family about 180 years ago. I'll admit that the only way I could watch this hypnotic nail-biter as a child was from behind my father's easy chair across the living room from the television set back in the early 1960s. The sight of levitating skulls, a spooky Indian stalking his victims, a severed head in a boiling cauldron of water, shrunken skulls, decapitated heads in refrigerators, and a headless corpse in a coffin rattled me. I remember that this movie made my blood run cold, and the intensity it exerted over me as I found myself drawn to watching it repeatedly never seemed to abate.
Now, forty years have passed since I've seen this nightmarish nonsense, and I'm grateful MGM Home Video has preserved it for posterity in a double-bill DVD with another Cahn film "Voodoo Island" with Boris Karloff. Of course, "The Four Skulls" doesn't give me goose bumps anymore, but I can appreciate the dread it once instilled in me. Moreover, as a testament to Cahn's authority as a horror movie maestro, it is worth mentioning that Cahn helmed another fright flick that gave me the jitters, the outer space saga "It! The Terror from Beyond Space," one of the films that inspired Ridley Scott's "Alien." The difference between "It!" and "The Four Skulls" is the latter occurred in contemporary setting and just about everything in "The Four Skulls" appeared down-to-earth and believable.
"The Four Skulls" unfolds in the eponymous protagonist's study. Cahn highlights a line from William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" that serves as the film's theme: "The evil of that men do lives after them." The hero, Jonathan Drake, a 60-year old professor of Occult sciences, writhes in the clutches of an hallucination as unseen forces snuff out the only candle in the room and three (obviously superimposed heads) float into view. Drake's daughter Alison (Valerie French of "Jubal") lights another candle and tries to comfort her father who is clasping a shrunken Indian head. Just as Jonathan recovers from one fright, he experiences another. Alison has tried to contact him about his brother Ken who has tried to contact her father. Jonathan (Eduard Franz of "The Burning Hills") sits up attentively when Alison says Ken "said he'd seen somebody named Tsantsas." Jonathan shows Alison what a "tsantsas." He explains the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador call a "tsantsas" a shrunken head. Alison dismisses the relevance of this information in regard to Ken. "He doesn't know anything about your work or your experiments." Jonathan wires Ken he will arrive shortly by plane, and Ken instructs his butler Rogers to prepare a guest room. Meanwhile, a Jivaro Indian, Zutai (Paul Wexler of "Suddenly"), whose mouth has been sewn shut and who wears a white pajama-like outfit, sneaks into Ken's study with a basket in one hand and stiletto in the other. He pricks Ken's neck with the curare-dipped stiletto. The Indian is kneeling over Ken in the process of cutting off Ken's head when Rogers (Lumsden Hare of "The Gorilla Man") interrupts him. Zutai beats it out the back door. Dangling in the doorway is the object Ken saw just before Zutai attacked hima tsantsas!
The next day, police lieutenant Jeff Rowan (Grant Richards of "Isle of Destiny") appears at Kenneth Drake's residence in response to Alison's call. At the same time that Rowan shows up, Drake's body is being loaded into a hearse. Ken's personal physician, Dr. Bradford (Howard Wendell of "The Big Heat") assures Rowan that no foul play was involved in Ken's sudden death. He hands Rowan the death certificate and explains Ken died from "coronary occlusion." He adds an autopsy would be a irrelevant. "There is a history of cardiovascular failure in the Drake family, probably a congenital weakness, something in the heredity." Bradford elaborates: "For the last three generations every male member of the Drake family has died in the same way. And at almost the same age, sixty." When Rowan wonders if the shrunken head played any part in Ken's death, a gentlemen seated in the studyDr. Zurichattracts his attention. "That's a little preposterous, isn't it lieutenant?" Earlier, Zurich (Henry Daniell of "The Sea Hawk") refused to shake Rowan's hands. He echoes Jonathan's comments about the tsantsas when he pontificates that tsantsas is "The Jivaro Indian name for shrunken heads." He adds that Rogers summoned him because as Zurich states, "I am considered something of an authority on the Indian culture."
When Jonathan arrives at Ken's house, he demands the undertaker open the casket. Everybody is shocked when they discover Ken's head has been removed. Lt. Rowan launches an investigation and Jonathan has to spill the beans to Alison about the family curse in the Drake vault in Ken's backyard. "The curse began with Captain Wilfred Drake who had a trading station on the upper Amazon. When the Jivaro Indians kidnapped his Swiss agent, Captain Wilfred led an expedition into the jungle to try and save him." Jonathan explains that the Captain found the Swiss agent's headless corpse in the village and massacred everybody except for a witch doctor who escaped into the jungle. "He's the one who's put the curse on every Drake male descendant."
Not long afterward, Zutai steals into Kenneth's house and paralyzes Jonathan with the curare poison, but Rogers surprises him again. Lt. Rowan behaves like "Dirty Harry" and on a hunch investigates Dr. Zurich's house and finds some interesting things, namely Dr. Bradford's head in a fridge. Rowan later learns that Dr. Zurich is 180 years old. Zurich desperately wants to kill Jonathan and acquire his head intact to shrink it. He kidnaps Alison and things really begin to snap, crackle, and pop in this entertaining claptrap. Daniell stands out as the evil Dr. Zurich. "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" is a hootenanny!
Now, forty years have passed since I've seen this nightmarish nonsense, and I'm grateful MGM Home Video has preserved it for posterity in a double-bill DVD with another Cahn film "Voodoo Island" with Boris Karloff. Of course, "The Four Skulls" doesn't give me goose bumps anymore, but I can appreciate the dread it once instilled in me. Moreover, as a testament to Cahn's authority as a horror movie maestro, it is worth mentioning that Cahn helmed another fright flick that gave me the jitters, the outer space saga "It! The Terror from Beyond Space," one of the films that inspired Ridley Scott's "Alien." The difference between "It!" and "The Four Skulls" is the latter occurred in contemporary setting and just about everything in "The Four Skulls" appeared down-to-earth and believable.
"The Four Skulls" unfolds in the eponymous protagonist's study. Cahn highlights a line from William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" that serves as the film's theme: "The evil of that men do lives after them." The hero, Jonathan Drake, a 60-year old professor of Occult sciences, writhes in the clutches of an hallucination as unseen forces snuff out the only candle in the room and three (obviously superimposed heads) float into view. Drake's daughter Alison (Valerie French of "Jubal") lights another candle and tries to comfort her father who is clasping a shrunken Indian head. Just as Jonathan recovers from one fright, he experiences another. Alison has tried to contact him about his brother Ken who has tried to contact her father. Jonathan (Eduard Franz of "The Burning Hills") sits up attentively when Alison says Ken "said he'd seen somebody named Tsantsas." Jonathan shows Alison what a "tsantsas." He explains the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador call a "tsantsas" a shrunken head. Alison dismisses the relevance of this information in regard to Ken. "He doesn't know anything about your work or your experiments." Jonathan wires Ken he will arrive shortly by plane, and Ken instructs his butler Rogers to prepare a guest room. Meanwhile, a Jivaro Indian, Zutai (Paul Wexler of "Suddenly"), whose mouth has been sewn shut and who wears a white pajama-like outfit, sneaks into Ken's study with a basket in one hand and stiletto in the other. He pricks Ken's neck with the curare-dipped stiletto. The Indian is kneeling over Ken in the process of cutting off Ken's head when Rogers (Lumsden Hare of "The Gorilla Man") interrupts him. Zutai beats it out the back door. Dangling in the doorway is the object Ken saw just before Zutai attacked hima tsantsas!
The next day, police lieutenant Jeff Rowan (Grant Richards of "Isle of Destiny") appears at Kenneth Drake's residence in response to Alison's call. At the same time that Rowan shows up, Drake's body is being loaded into a hearse. Ken's personal physician, Dr. Bradford (Howard Wendell of "The Big Heat") assures Rowan that no foul play was involved in Ken's sudden death. He hands Rowan the death certificate and explains Ken died from "coronary occlusion." He adds an autopsy would be a irrelevant. "There is a history of cardiovascular failure in the Drake family, probably a congenital weakness, something in the heredity." Bradford elaborates: "For the last three generations every male member of the Drake family has died in the same way. And at almost the same age, sixty." When Rowan wonders if the shrunken head played any part in Ken's death, a gentlemen seated in the studyDr. Zurichattracts his attention. "That's a little preposterous, isn't it lieutenant?" Earlier, Zurich (Henry Daniell of "The Sea Hawk") refused to shake Rowan's hands. He echoes Jonathan's comments about the tsantsas when he pontificates that tsantsas is "The Jivaro Indian name for shrunken heads." He adds that Rogers summoned him because as Zurich states, "I am considered something of an authority on the Indian culture."
When Jonathan arrives at Ken's house, he demands the undertaker open the casket. Everybody is shocked when they discover Ken's head has been removed. Lt. Rowan launches an investigation and Jonathan has to spill the beans to Alison about the family curse in the Drake vault in Ken's backyard. "The curse began with Captain Wilfred Drake who had a trading station on the upper Amazon. When the Jivaro Indians kidnapped his Swiss agent, Captain Wilfred led an expedition into the jungle to try and save him." Jonathan explains that the Captain found the Swiss agent's headless corpse in the village and massacred everybody except for a witch doctor who escaped into the jungle. "He's the one who's put the curse on every Drake male descendant."
Not long afterward, Zutai steals into Kenneth's house and paralyzes Jonathan with the curare poison, but Rogers surprises him again. Lt. Rowan behaves like "Dirty Harry" and on a hunch investigates Dr. Zurich's house and finds some interesting things, namely Dr. Bradford's head in a fridge. Rowan later learns that Dr. Zurich is 180 years old. Zurich desperately wants to kill Jonathan and acquire his head intact to shrink it. He kidnaps Alison and things really begin to snap, crackle, and pop in this entertaining claptrap. Daniell stands out as the evil Dr. Zurich. "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake" is a hootenanny!
A forgotten gem!
Norm-3017 January 2000
I remember seeing this film on the old "Chiller Theatre" TV show
back in the early 60's (NYC), and it scared the ---- out of me!
Actor Franz is EXCELLENT in this film, and Paul Cavenaugh (who plays Drake's brother) is best remembered for his appearances in Sherlock Holmes films (most notably, "Scarlet Claw").
Plus, if you think about it, it's the only film i can recall that has to do with shrunken heads!
Definitely a MUST-SEE! Norm
back in the early 60's (NYC), and it scared the ---- out of me!
Actor Franz is EXCELLENT in this film, and Paul Cavenaugh (who plays Drake's brother) is best remembered for his appearances in Sherlock Holmes films (most notably, "Scarlet Claw").
Plus, if you think about it, it's the only film i can recall that has to do with shrunken heads!
Definitely a MUST-SEE! Norm
Short and sweet, but underwhelming and unambitious
The_Void11 September 2006
What we have here is a film that could have been a fascinating slice of classic B-movie cinema, but unfortunately relegates itself to the mundane thanks to some extremely uninspired handling. The film features the usually fascinating themes of voodoo and ancient curses, and it's given an extra dimension of intrigue thanks to the idea of shrunken heads, which provides the film with a lot of its more unpleasant moments. The film is hardly shocking nowadays, but back in 1960, I don't doubt that the scenes featuring severed heads were distressing for the audience. These scenes are brilliantly offset by the fact that most of the film is very old-school, and wouldn't have been out of place with a release in the 1930's. The plot follows the Drake family; who were lumbered with a curse after one of the ancestors decided to kill a bunch of Indians on the Amazon two hundred years ago. The film isn't on for long, lasting only 70 minutes, but that's actually a shame as while the film we do have is never entirely fascinating; with a better script and a bit more ambition from all concerned; The Four Skulls of Jonathon Drake could have been a great film. None of the actors are particularly worth mentioning; but the ensemble performance does fit the movie in that nobody is willing to go that extra mile. Overall, I would say that this film is just about worth seeing; but it's not a major priority, and there are certainly a lot of better horror flicks from the same period.
Another Dispatch from Soundstageland
Scott_Mercer24 May 2005
Sorry, at this point in my film viewing career I have a hard time taking seriously old films that were shot exclusively on a sound stage; especially if they have a very low budget, and especially if they try to make you think you're looking at the outside of a house. The minimal sets give the film a cramped, claustrophobic feel. In a horror film, that should help the film accomplish its ambitions, but it really doesn't, it just draws attentions to its shortcomings. But this certainly is an appropriate film for a midnight showing on a local UHF station passing like a ghost in the night...
There were a few odd shots in the film that made me think: "Hmmm...was this film originally supposed to be in 3-D?" That should give you some idea of the gimmicky directing style on display here by Mr. Cahn.
The actor playing Dr. Zurich was quite good but I couldn't stand the sub-Jack-Webb cop character who seems to show up far too often in 50's films, be they sci-fi or otherwise. This guy is supposed to be the hero? What a stiff! He's got about as much charisma as his starched hat.
The DVD in the Midnight Movies series is quite good, with stunning visual quality, probably better than this film looked at the drive-ins where it played to teenagers making out in the back seat of Dad's '59 Buick. The soundtrack was a bit weird though, the music was too loud compared to the dialog. Pared on DVD with "Voodoo Island," that film is clearly the more enjoyable of the two, but only by a bit. FSOJ certainly had a lower budget. As a fan of Ed Wood films, this film is a good testament to whatever it is Wood's art had: it takes more than a low budget and a meager script to reach the delirious heights of an Ed Wood anti-masterpiece.
There were a few odd shots in the film that made me think: "Hmmm...was this film originally supposed to be in 3-D?" That should give you some idea of the gimmicky directing style on display here by Mr. Cahn.
The actor playing Dr. Zurich was quite good but I couldn't stand the sub-Jack-Webb cop character who seems to show up far too often in 50's films, be they sci-fi or otherwise. This guy is supposed to be the hero? What a stiff! He's got about as much charisma as his starched hat.
The DVD in the Midnight Movies series is quite good, with stunning visual quality, probably better than this film looked at the drive-ins where it played to teenagers making out in the back seat of Dad's '59 Buick. The soundtrack was a bit weird though, the music was too loud compared to the dialog. Pared on DVD with "Voodoo Island," that film is clearly the more enjoyable of the two, but only by a bit. FSOJ certainly had a lower budget. As a fan of Ed Wood films, this film is a good testament to whatever it is Wood's art had: it takes more than a low budget and a meager script to reach the delirious heights of an Ed Wood anti-masterpiece.
Would love to see this Movie again
bea17526 April 2001
I was nine years old when i saw this film and it scared the crap out of me and i have never forgot how bad. I was so scared i had my face covered though half of the movie. My mother took me to the movies for the first time to see this movie and the admission price was 15 cents . There is some things in your life you just don't forget. Would love to see it again.
Bob
Bob
Entertaining gothic/jungle cheapie
funkyfry5 December 2002
Warning: Spoilers
*******SPOILERS*********
A very mysterious curse is on the Drake family -- they always seem to die an unnatural death and their bodies are found missing the head! An evil, vengeful witch doctor with the secret to immortality is behind it.
Daniell is excellent here, as always, and Cahn's direction is sufficient to move the story along. Will provide numerous unintentional laughs today, but there is gruesome atmosphere and some truly disturbing images -- such as the doctor's imposing slave with mouth sewn shut and eyes wide open, ready for the next Drake beheading....
A very mysterious curse is on the Drake family -- they always seem to die an unnatural death and their bodies are found missing the head! An evil, vengeful witch doctor with the secret to immortality is behind it.
Daniell is excellent here, as always, and Cahn's direction is sufficient to move the story along. Will provide numerous unintentional laughs today, but there is gruesome atmosphere and some truly disturbing images -- such as the doctor's imposing slave with mouth sewn shut and eyes wide open, ready for the next Drake beheading....
Floating Skulls & Shrunken Heads
Mike-7642 December 2006
Jonathan Drake, and daughter Alison, visits his brother Kenneth because he is becoming more unnerved due to a family curse. Kenneth is killed before his brother's arrival by a mysterious Indian. When Drake and Alison arrive, the funeral is in progress and later discover that Kenneth Drake's head is missing. Enter police detective Lt. Rowan, who soon discovers that the males of the Drake family have died suddenly at the age of 60 and were decapitated. An associate of the Drake family, Dr. Zurich, is the man responsible for the killings and is quick to kill Jonathan Drake before Rowan and Alison try to stop him, but must combat the supernatural of the killings even when they learn that Zurich is actually dead! Decent horror schlock from the 50's with good acting, directing, and atmosphere, but nothing really standout from similar films of the same era. My big problem is that the reason Zurich wants revenge on the Drake family is never fully explained. A good ending for the film helps the enjoyment. Rating, 7.
one for each skull
SnoopyStyle31 October 2020
Kenneth Drake is murdered by a mystery man who looks like one of the shrunken heads that his family collects. He is presumed to have died naturally like all men in the family around the same age. It turns out that the family is under a South American Indian curse and Jonathan Drake looks to be the next victim.
It's a lesser B-movie horror. The production value is strictly B-movie. The acting is pretty stiff. The villain is an interesting one but he needs more work. He needs to be scarier. He's just an Indian character with strings coming out of his face. He's a supernatural being and he should haunt our nightmares. The other issue is all the suit and tie people walking and talking. It doesn't make for the most energetic thriller. It's stuffy. This could be an interesting premise. There is potential for this subject matter but non of this excels. It's not scary or a good thriller. The special effects are nothing. The kills are nothing. Actually shrinking a skull would be infinitely more fascinating and thrilling.
It's a lesser B-movie horror. The production value is strictly B-movie. The acting is pretty stiff. The villain is an interesting one but he needs more work. He needs to be scarier. He's just an Indian character with strings coming out of his face. He's a supernatural being and he should haunt our nightmares. The other issue is all the suit and tie people walking and talking. It doesn't make for the most energetic thriller. It's stuffy. This could be an interesting premise. There is potential for this subject matter but non of this excels. It's not scary or a good thriller. The special effects are nothing. The kills are nothing. Actually shrinking a skull would be infinitely more fascinating and thrilling.
Ever wondered how to shrink a human head??
Stevieboy66621 August 2023
"Written, produced and directed to scare the daylights out of you!" I'm not sure that this horror movie about a family curse, Amazonian magic, a zombie, shrunken heads and floating skull will scare the life out of most viewers but it is a lot of hokum fun. I can remember watching this on my little black and white portable bedroom TV back in the 1980's and really enjoyed it, I have just watched it again courtesy of the wonderful Talking Pictures TV (UK) and once again I liked it. For 1959 this was quite gruesome, one of the standout scenes has a witch doctor go through the process of shrinking a decapitated head, it is pretty graphic (had it been shot in colour then it would certainly be a very early gore/splatter movie). At a funeral service a grieving man asks to see his dead brother, when the coffin is opened the corpse has no head! The attack scenes are quite nasty too though the obvious rubber "blade" does undermine them. Unusual for a film of this age this was rated 18 by Talking Pictures. Low budget B movie but there is plenty going on, it ticks all the horror boxes and at 70 minutes is perfect in length.
A Midnight Movie.
AaronCapenBanner17 October 2013
Edward L. Cahn directed this obscure film that stars Edward Franz as Jonathan Drake, who is attending his brother's funeral when he finds to his horror that the head is missing, though it turns up later in a cabinet. He then realizes that an old family curse placed on his grandfather by South American Indians is still in effect, and that he may be the next victim. Can he end the curse, and what does it have to do with mysterious Dr. Emil Zurich(played by Henry Daniell)? Remembered fondly by those who saw it on late-night television with its vivid image of a murderous Indian with its mouth sewn shut, is really the only effective thing about this absurd, slow-moving film. Henry Daniell is good though, better than the film deserves.
Entertaining and enjoyable without too many flaws
kannibalcorpsegrinder8 October 2012
When the death of his brother puts him next in line to succumb to a strange curse that leaves the men in his family strangely decapitated shortly after death, a man races to find the source of the events and put a stop to them before he becomes next.
Not that bad of an effort, as this one happened to be quite enjoyable despite it's utterly brief running time. That brevity is really the only true flaw here since it moves along a lot quicker than it really should as it brings up the fact that there's really not a lot offered about the curse or what's going on with the different figures that are trying to enact the curse. That said, there's some fun stuff to be had here with the Gothic atmosphere of the shrunken heads and flesh-stripped skulls, the hulking henchman who has his mouth sewn shut is eerily creepy and the sprawling estates this takes place in are all pretty much standard for a Gothic horror effort, and those are the most fun in here. There's a decent enough plot twist that keeps things moving along and it's definitely got some pretty entertaining brawls thrown into the mix, but otherwise it's just a short, mostly decent Gothic horror entry.
Today's Rating-Unrated/PG: Violence.
Not that bad of an effort, as this one happened to be quite enjoyable despite it's utterly brief running time. That brevity is really the only true flaw here since it moves along a lot quicker than it really should as it brings up the fact that there's really not a lot offered about the curse or what's going on with the different figures that are trying to enact the curse. That said, there's some fun stuff to be had here with the Gothic atmosphere of the shrunken heads and flesh-stripped skulls, the hulking henchman who has his mouth sewn shut is eerily creepy and the sprawling estates this takes place in are all pretty much standard for a Gothic horror effort, and those are the most fun in here. There's a decent enough plot twist that keeps things moving along and it's definitely got some pretty entertaining brawls thrown into the mix, but otherwise it's just a short, mostly decent Gothic horror entry.
Today's Rating-Unrated/PG: Violence.
Are there many more movies about shrunken heads?
bensonmum29 September 2019
The Quick Pitch: Over 100 years ago, a South American witch-doctor placed a curse on the male members of the Drake family. Each will die at the age of 60 and each will have his head mysteriously removed prior to burial. Jonathan Drake's fear of the curse is justified when his brother's head disappears shortly after death.
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake could easily be dismissed as a low-budget throwaway, except for its rather unique subject matter. I'm not sure I can remember seeing a film (at least from this time period) with shrunken heads as a central theme. To the film's credit, it treats the subject seriously without ever getting too silly. The decapitation scenes, while handled off-screen, are about as gruesome as anything you'll find in a 1950s era film. And the special effects involving the decapitated and shrunken heads are better than I expected. The acting is fairly atrocious from the entire cast. Henry Daniell's overacting as the main baddie might be the lone bright sport - and that's probably for all the wrong reasons. Budgetary limitations really show up in the sets. Nothing looks real and it's painfully obvious everything is stage-bound. I'm guessing the movie was filmed on a set no bigger than my living room. My favorite examples of the low budget nature of the film are the repeated scenes where cars are driven on the small set to the front of the Drake estate. Each time, the car goes about 10 feet from right-to-left, hard 180 degree turn, through the tiny gate, coming to a stop 5 feet later within touching distance of the front door. This scene occurs so often that it really got amusing.
5/10
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake could easily be dismissed as a low-budget throwaway, except for its rather unique subject matter. I'm not sure I can remember seeing a film (at least from this time period) with shrunken heads as a central theme. To the film's credit, it treats the subject seriously without ever getting too silly. The decapitation scenes, while handled off-screen, are about as gruesome as anything you'll find in a 1950s era film. And the special effects involving the decapitated and shrunken heads are better than I expected. The acting is fairly atrocious from the entire cast. Henry Daniell's overacting as the main baddie might be the lone bright sport - and that's probably for all the wrong reasons. Budgetary limitations really show up in the sets. Nothing looks real and it's painfully obvious everything is stage-bound. I'm guessing the movie was filmed on a set no bigger than my living room. My favorite examples of the low budget nature of the film are the repeated scenes where cars are driven on the small set to the front of the Drake estate. Each time, the car goes about 10 feet from right-to-left, hard 180 degree turn, through the tiny gate, coming to a stop 5 feet later within touching distance of the front door. This scene occurs so often that it really got amusing.
5/10
Classic Scary Movie!
fluna103024 October 2008
Aaah!! What a classic!! This movie ranks in my top 10 of scary movies. I first saw this movie WAY back in the day when Black & White TV's were the norm (mid to late 60's). Anyways, Released in 1959, this movie tells the story of the Drake Family & how it is faced with an old family curse. The two Drake brothers try to unravel why the family has such a curse upon it. The make up, visual effects and an "eeree" sounding organ give this movie that certain "umph" to scare you. Especially when your watching this late at night! Note: This movie is not for young kids......they'll get nightmares......like I did....when I first saw it. Enjoy!
The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake (1959) **1/2
Bunuel19768 July 2005
I was expecting to give THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959) a *** rating but I had to reduce it by 1/2 a notch because the performances of the two younger leads were pretty lifeless in my opinion: the girl did nothing but lounge around in furs all through the picture, even as her father was having his spells and assassination attempts and the detective was rather ineffectual, particularly in his first meeting with the assassin. But then, in the climax, after he is shown in one shot to be way behind Henry Daniell, in the next one he's on the roof of a cabin ready to jump on Daniell! That was rather silly, in my opinion, which is a pity because, on the whole, I found it to be quite good and enjoyable; the head-shrinking scenes were particularly effective.
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake
Scarecrow-8813 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"
the head of a decapitated white man on the body of a jungle Indian"
Oh, boy, is this one a stinker. Eddie Cahn's film career was all over the place. This accompanies Voodoo Woman on the Stench Scale it stinks up the nostrils. My heart breaks for such a talented actor as Henry Daniell (The Body Snatcher) who winds up as a "ghost" who shrinks the heads of 60-year-old Drake male descendants, associated with a curse 200 years old dating back to a head shrinker tribe. Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz) is the only current male after his brother was killed, the head taken by Daniell and his Indian "head hunter", Zutai (Paul Wexler, his mouth "stringed shut" just like the shrunken heads accumulated from the head flesh of the Drake victims). A detective (Grant Richards) is on the case, investigating the decapitation/desecration of Jonathan's brother's corpse he also is looking for those trying to kill Jonathan, as well. The plot, including the revelation of what Daniell's Dr. Zurich is, must be seen to be believed. It has a cult following, which doesn't really surprise me considering the bonkers, outré plot, which includes a lengthy sequence showing Zurich and Zutai's face-peeling, head-shrinking process, including boiling the decapitated head in a steaming bowl over an open fire! Daniell, with that rich, intellectual voice and aristocratic presence, quite sinister when alone with those he plans to kill, manages to almost escape this debacle with his dignity, but the end, when his identity is revealed, is rather embarrassing. As for the plot: introduced is Daniell, an authority on tribal customs and beliefs, is behind the killing of the Drakes, shrinking their faces after they are peeled from the skulls, then planting the skulls in the Drake mausoleum as if a trophy case of mockery. In doing all this (including pricking the necks of the Drakes with the most flexible needle I've ever seen (the ending has Zutai going at Richards with the needle and it bending, a flimsy prop that fails to be convincing at all)), Zurich continues to live eternal. Valerie French is Jonathan's curvy daughter trying to determine who would want to hurt her family and why. Howard Wendell tragically learns of who the culprits are behind the Drake murder and Jonathan's attack, as Zurich and Zutai surprise him while he questions the methods of head shrinking, a victim because he helped their latest victim recover from the poison needle. The diabolical nature of the plot and the cringe-inducing racism behind the villains make this quite a time-capsule curio. It has its fans, but I'm just not one of them. The scene that takes the cake: Daniell in tribal headdress invoking this nightmare that produces skulls that freak Jonathan out as he sleeps. And the fingerprints on the skulls when Richards brings in a forensics expert to dust is right up there with Jonathan's nightmare.
Oh, boy, is this one a stinker. Eddie Cahn's film career was all over the place. This accompanies Voodoo Woman on the Stench Scale it stinks up the nostrils. My heart breaks for such a talented actor as Henry Daniell (The Body Snatcher) who winds up as a "ghost" who shrinks the heads of 60-year-old Drake male descendants, associated with a curse 200 years old dating back to a head shrinker tribe. Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz) is the only current male after his brother was killed, the head taken by Daniell and his Indian "head hunter", Zutai (Paul Wexler, his mouth "stringed shut" just like the shrunken heads accumulated from the head flesh of the Drake victims). A detective (Grant Richards) is on the case, investigating the decapitation/desecration of Jonathan's brother's corpse he also is looking for those trying to kill Jonathan, as well. The plot, including the revelation of what Daniell's Dr. Zurich is, must be seen to be believed. It has a cult following, which doesn't really surprise me considering the bonkers, outré plot, which includes a lengthy sequence showing Zurich and Zutai's face-peeling, head-shrinking process, including boiling the decapitated head in a steaming bowl over an open fire! Daniell, with that rich, intellectual voice and aristocratic presence, quite sinister when alone with those he plans to kill, manages to almost escape this debacle with his dignity, but the end, when his identity is revealed, is rather embarrassing. As for the plot: introduced is Daniell, an authority on tribal customs and beliefs, is behind the killing of the Drakes, shrinking their faces after they are peeled from the skulls, then planting the skulls in the Drake mausoleum as if a trophy case of mockery. In doing all this (including pricking the necks of the Drakes with the most flexible needle I've ever seen (the ending has Zutai going at Richards with the needle and it bending, a flimsy prop that fails to be convincing at all)), Zurich continues to live eternal. Valerie French is Jonathan's curvy daughter trying to determine who would want to hurt her family and why. Howard Wendell tragically learns of who the culprits are behind the Drake murder and Jonathan's attack, as Zurich and Zutai surprise him while he questions the methods of head shrinking, a victim because he helped their latest victim recover from the poison needle. The diabolical nature of the plot and the cringe-inducing racism behind the villains make this quite a time-capsule curio. It has its fans, but I'm just not one of them. The scene that takes the cake: Daniell in tribal headdress invoking this nightmare that produces skulls that freak Jonathan out as he sleeps. And the fingerprints on the skulls when Richards brings in a forensics expert to dust is right up there with Jonathan's nightmare.
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