THE SCREAMING SKULL

John Hudson and Peggy Webber

THE SCREAMING SKULL (1958). Director: Alex Nichol. Colorized. 

Eric Whitlock (John Hudson) brings his new wife, Jenni (Peggy Webber), home to his estate where his first wife died in an accident. Insecure and neurotic, Jenni has spent time in a sanitarium -- and not just for a rest cure. Now she begins seeing a skull lying and even moving about when no one else is around. Eric suspects the culprit is the simple-minded caretaker and gardener, Mickey (Alex Nicol, who also directed), but he denies all. Jenni wonders if she should just pack it in and head back to the nuthouse ...

Webber with Alex Nichol

The plot isn't much in this standard thriller, but it's well acted, competently directed by Nicol, and well-photographed by Floyd Crosby, who did a lot of work for Roger Corman (including Attack of the Crab Monsters). John Hudson was the twin brother of William Hudson of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman fame. Although not especially attractive by conventional Hollywood standards, Webber was a very talented actress and acquits herself admirably in this pot-boiler. Nicol isn't always convincing as a simpleton, but he generally gets it across. The story mixes touches of the supernatural with a heinous human plot but this approach doesn't always blend well.    

Verdict: Good performances help put this over but it isn't that memorable. **1/4. 

THE PREMATURE BURIAL

THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962). Produced and directed by Roger Corman. 

Convinced that his own father suffered from catalepsy and was buried alive, Guy Carrell (Ray Milland of The Sea Serpent) has a morbid fear of the same fate and takes elaborate steps to prevent it. His wife, Emily (Hazel Court), father-in-law Gideon (Alan Napier), and friend Miles (Richard Ney) convince him to cast off his fears and live life on its own terms. His crypt, with a variety of safety devices should he be entombed while alive, is burnt to the ground, and he starts out on a new life. But he may find that certain forces could be conspiring against him ... 

Guy on the moors

The Premature Burial is one of the best of Roger Corman's "Poe"-influenced vehicles, although the screenplay -- by Ray Russell [The Horror of It All] and Charles Beaumont -- seems more influenced by Robert Bloch or Jimmy Sangster than Poe. Although at first Milland, filling in for Vincent Price, seems a bit stiff, he eventually settles in and gives a good performance, underplaying as if afraid of being too hammy as Price could be. (Originally this was not going to be released by American International, and since Price had an exclusive contract with AIP, Milland had to be hired -- then the film was released by AIP.) Court, Ney, Napier and Heather Angel as Guy's sister, Kate, all give notable performances, as do John Dierkes and Dick Miller (whom I did not recognize) as gravediggers. The moody film is well-shot by Floyd Crosby and Ronald Stein's score adds to the considerable atmospherics. Both gentleman also worked on Attack of the Crab Monsters. 

Verdict: Classy, well-acted, absorbing horror melodrama. ***. 

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS

The crab prepares to feast

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (1957). Produced and directed by Roger Corman.

A research party on an isolated atoll where atomic testing took place has disappeared, and a new group has been sent to investigate. Although they believe that the members of the first party are deceased, they eerily keep hearing their voices in the night. It develops that the radiation has mutated two land crabs into giants who develop the thought patterns of the people they devour, and turn against humans to protect their species. As one scientist puts it, "once they were human. Now they're land crabs." The crab telepathically calls out in the voices of the dead men in order to pounce upon the members of the new group. To make it easier for the hungry crabs to turn the scientists into prey, they use explosive energy charges to blow up the island bit by bit, giving the potential victims less places to run to.

Richard Garland and Pamela Duncan

Although the basic premise of the story might have been taken from an old horror comic tale, Attack of the Crab Monsters adds some unique elements of its own. It would be easy to dismiss the flick as absurd and highly illogical -- why does only one crab devour all of the members of the first party, for instance  -- but it's hard to dismiss the effectiveness of Roger Corman's adroit direction and the sheer disgusting creepiness of the situation the scientists find themselves in. (If anything, the actors in this completely underplay the terror and disorientation their characters must be feeling.) 

"Foolish. Very foolish."

The actors include "B" movie stalwarts Pamela Duncan [Soldiers of Fortune], Russell Johnson, Ed Nelson [T-Bird Gang], Mel Welles, Leslie Bradley, Richard H. Cutting and Beach Dickerson [Creature from the Haunted Sea, which was also directed by Corman]. Ronald Stein contributes a score which adds to the dread atmosphere, and the film is well-photographed by Floyd Crosby. The highlight of the film is a surreal sequence when the one remaining giant crab emerges from the ocean and telepathically shouts out at the survivors -- "foolish, very foolish" --  in a French accent no less! The low-tech effects fit the production perfectly and are kind of charming. NOTE: For more information on this film and others like it see Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Gotta love those crabs. ***.