The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake
Encyclopedia
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake is a 1959
USA black-and-white
horror film
written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn, one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent
on contract for distribution by United Artists
.
), a university professor specializing in the occult, is summoned to the home of his brother, Kenneth Drake (Paul Cavanagh
), when a family curse threatens Kenneth's life. Jonathan Drake arrives too late to save his brother from a violent death and subsequent decapitation before his burial. The curse is the work of Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell
) and his assistant Zutai (Paul Wexler), who are undead survivors of a 200-year-old massacre of a South American jungle settlement, which was led by one of Jonathan Drake's ancestors.
Compelled by revenge and supernatural destiny, Zurich and Zutai lay their plans to murder and behead Jonathan Drake, which will end the curse on the Drake family.
in 1995.
This film features the final performances of Paul Cavanagh
and Lumsden Hare
.
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
USA black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn, one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent
Robert E. Kent
Robert E. Kent is an American film writer and film producer.He began as a rapid screenwriter for Sam Katzman at Columbia. He later formed his own production company, and Admiral Productions together with Audie Murphy....
on contract for distribution by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
.
Synopsis
Jonathan Drake (Eduard FranzEduard Franz
Eduard Franz , born Eduard Franz Schmidt, was an American actor of theater, film, and television. Franz portrayed King Ahab in the 1953 biblical low-budget film Sins of Jezebel, Jethro in Cecil B...
), a university professor specializing in the occult, is summoned to the home of his brother, Kenneth Drake (Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh was an English film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1928 and 1959. He was born in Chislehurst and died in London from a heart attack....
), when a family curse threatens Kenneth's life. Jonathan Drake arrives too late to save his brother from a violent death and subsequent decapitation before his burial. The curse is the work of Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell
Henry Daniell
Henry Daniell was an English actor, best known for his villainous movie roles, but who had a long and prestigious career on stage as well as in films....
) and his assistant Zutai (Paul Wexler), who are undead survivors of a 200-year-old massacre of a South American jungle settlement, which was led by one of Jonathan Drake's ancestors.
Compelled by revenge and supernatural destiny, Zurich and Zutai lay their plans to murder and behead Jonathan Drake, which will end the curse on the Drake family.
Cast
- Henry Daniell
- Valerie French
- Grant Richards
- Eduard Franz
- Lumsden Hare
- Frank Gerstle
- Paul Wexler
- Howard Wendell
- Paul Cavanagh
Trivia
This film was featured in the television series SvengoolieSvengoolie
Svengoolie is the name of a character from a long-running series of locally-produced television programs in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area...
in 1995.
This film features the final performances of Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh
Paul Cavanagh was an English film actor. He appeared in over 100 films between 1928 and 1959. He was born in Chislehurst and died in London from a heart attack....
and Lumsden Hare
Lumsden Hare
Lumsden Hare was an Irish born film and theatre actor. He was also a theatre director and theatrical producer....
.