All I can say to you is keep away from the skull of the Marquis de Sade!
So I was flipping through the Pluto app and I saw a regency man digging in a grave. I was interested in what this might be and started watching it. Later when I saw it had Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, I knew it was going to be worth giving my attention to.
The story is based on a short story by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho. It centers around the mystery of Marquis de Sade’s skull being dug up after he died; but otherwise has nothing to do with the real character.
We start off with French phrenologist being compelled to dig up Sade’s skull and study it. He burns the flesh off it and something terrifying happens, something that scares his proustitute? Girlfriend? Courtesan?
Fast forward to present day and Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing) is ready to go to auction to purchase some demon statuettes. He is a professor and a collector of the occult and paranormal, wanting to add these figurines to his collection. At the auction is also his friend Sir MathewPhillips (Christopher Lee) overbids for the statuettes excessively.
Maitland questions him but Sir Phillips can’t explain why he did what he did.
At home Maitland’s wife hates the hobby forcing all the objects to being contained to his study. Maitland doesn’t work on his research, instead having a delegate look for the items for him. His research in the occult items is Anthony Marco (Patrick Wymark) who’s has just obtained a Marquis de Sade biography, made from human skin. He also offers Maitland the de Sade’s skull. Marco shares the history with us going back into regency times and hearing how the phonologist became a terrible horrible person after he got the skull. He died under odd circumstances. Maitland doesn’t believe that Marco actually has the skull and laughs him off.
Later, Maitland shares the story with his friend Sir Phillip expecting him to laugh at the anecdote, but Philips tells him it’s true. He used to own the skull and it’s pure eveil, it makes you do things you wouldn’t normally and you can’t fight it. Phillips even shares how he locked it up only for it to appear around the house. He is extremely freaked out, but it has the opposite effect on Maitland who at all isn’t worried, but finds himself wanting to add it to his trophies in order to study it.
Marco ends up dying and Maitland gets the skull. However, this story turns out to be more compelling than he thought.
The movie moves kind of slow and isn’t as interesting until Maitland (Cushing) gets the skull. There the director, lighting, music, etc. really kick into high gear and the film becomes engrossing. It is weird, atmospheric, and definitely worth a watch for any gothic fans.
I also loved Cushing’s and Lee’s interactions. They just work off each other so well.
For more Christopher Lee films, go to Count Dracula the Propagator of This Unspeakable Evil Has Disappeared. He Must Be Found and Destroyed!: Horror of Dracula (1958)
For more Peter Cushing, go to One of Our Guests is a Werewolf, I Know It.: The Beast Must Die (1974)
For more Robert Bloch, go to We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes: Psycho (1960)
For more on from Catherine Morland’s Viewing List, go to Scheming Relatives, Millions of Dollars, Mistaken Identity, Murder, and More!: One Body Too Many (1944)
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