Reverend Snow says Eric tried to kill his second wife, Jenny, for her money. But did they ever bother explaining why he killed his first wife? And if they knew she'd cracked her skull, this implies they found the body, so what is her skull doing in the pond? When we see the grave it appears undistrubed so Eric obviously didn't dig it up to get the skull.
shareI don't think they did explain it. I assumed that the land and house were hers and became his alone upon her death. Or maybe he saw his chance with Jenni and killed the first wife so that he could begin his true plan.
As for the skull in the pond it depends on which one you mean. The first one wasn't really part of the plot I don't think, just an attention getter like the coffin at the beginning. Later I think Eric used a fake skull since it was evidently more durable than the real thing. Then towards the end that was just the ghost getting her revenge and not the actual skull of her mortal self.
Stand by for Ludicrous Speed......
True enough, but Eric was, at one point, searching in the pond, presumably for the skull. Was he looking for the fake one, because he thought it could be used as evidence that he was harrassing Jenni?
shareTo the best of my recollection Eric only searches the pond after he stashes the skull he's been using under the ledge so it would have to be the fake one he's looking for. And when it's no longer there he knows something's up. If someone found it they're probably on to him. He evidently didn't think it was evidence enough to link him to Jenni's death, but he knew the game had just gotten a lot more dangerous.
Stand by for Ludicrous Speed......
Okay, I found the answer, I think. Until now I'd only seen the MSTed version of this movie, but a friend who's seen the original, uncut version, told me of a scene that actually showed Eric throwing the fake skull into the pond, unaware that he's being watched by Mickey, who now knows he's tormenting Jenni. Thus, when Eric can't find the skull in the pond later, we can thus infer that Mickey took it to frustrate him out of revenge.
shareAh, I didn't pick up on the fact that you had missed that bit. Glad you were able to get it cleared up.
Stand by for Ludicrous Speed......
All,
As a true Screaming Skull fanatic about this movie, let me explain once and for all to the fans, the plot, of this incredible horror film. I have literaly incorporated TSS into my life. I have watched the DVD so many times, I lost count.
Anyway, Marion's ghost is the skull in the opening credits!! She haunts the house, pond, and grounds, as evident in the movie. Mickie, the dim witted gardner, knows Marion's ghost haunts the property and keeps this fact to himself, since he is in love with her.
The audience is first introduced to Marion's skull, in the opening credits of the film. She rises up, as the skull, in the lily pond screaming, Eric's name.
The second time, we, see Marion's skull is when she appairates inside of that cabinet, and Jenny sees her, gouges her hand on the imbedded nails, inside of the cabinet door, than Jenni runs out of the room, only to return later, and toss Marion's skull out the window and into the expansive backyard.
Then Marion's skull floats out of the backyard, and goes around to the front of the house and begins her incessant scary knocking on the front door, until Jenny comes down the stairs, and answers the knocking front door, screams in terror and faints in fright!!!
The skull knocking at the front door that terrorized Jenni, was Marion's ghost. Yes, their was a haunting of Jenni, by Marion's ghost. But, not to scare her, but to warn her, about the danger she was in because she was married to a narcisitic man with homicidal tendencies. Marion's ghost was trying to warn Jenni about the danger she faces. Her skull showing up at the door, meant death for Jenni. Aka, look at what he did to me, and will do too you also. The skull that appeared in the ashes of the burnt portrait was a faux skull planted there by Eric, to push Jenni over the brink of insanity. That was the only time, the faux skull appeared, except when Mickey showed it to the Snows. When Eric was abusing Mickey, in the greenhouse, Mickey said, Marion stole the skull from out of the pond. I, think she did also. Well, her ghost anyway. Because the scene afterwards, implies Mickey just discovered the faux skull, under those cut leaves, not that he hid it there. You can tell this clue, by his body language. Mickey acts like he just came across the faux skull by accident. That's why I think, Marion's ghost hid the faux skull.
Eric wanted the faux skull because it implicated him in his scheme to drive Jenni insane so that he could inherit her fortune. Marion hid it to get to Eric. And it worked. I also assume, since the film did not elaborate, that Eric killed Marion in a fit of jealous rage when she was coming down the path in the garden area next to the lily pond.
Marion finally got her vegeance by killing Eric, as we all know from the conclusion of the film. Also, Marion let Jenni know she saved her life by her ghostly knocking at the front door, when she left her clothes behind on the living room floor, after her manifestation on the estate.
Anthony Cashmere
"Marion stole the skull from out of the pond."
Interesting thought. Now that you mention it it does seem to fit. Anyway, nice summation of the plot there. One reason I liked the movie is because there is a bit of complexity to the plot, and there are some sublties that leave the viewer wondering just how much the ghost really plays a part (although I think I like your explanation the best). It's possible to leave too much to the imagination in a movie, but I think this one leaves just enough with enough of an explanation to keep it satisfying. It's definately one I'll be seeing again in the future.
Stand by for Ludicrous Speed......
Thanks, Anthony and Jackie,
I'm glad to see this discussion and know there are others who love, love love this movie. One of the best renditions of the "just got out of the institution" genre! Plus, Mickey is one of the best supporting characters I've ever seen in a movie of this type. Plus, plus, I love that house and property. Gentility run into the ground......wow, gotta see it again!
What about thAT woman chasing our gal arould the grouds who was that?
http://www.moola.com:80/moopubs/b2b/exc/join.jsp?sid=4d6a55744d7a45794e544d3d-2
Vpilutis,
That was Marion's ghost chasing Jenni Whitlock thru the estate's gardens/grounds!!!
Anthony Cashmere
Vpilutis,
That was Marion's ghost chasing after Jenni Whitlock thru the estate's gardens/grounds!!!
Anthony Cashmere
Vpilutis,
That woman chasing our heroine, Jenni, thru the gardens/grounds, up to the masion, was Marion's ghost!!! The first Mrs. Whitlock.
Eric Whitlock literally used the living, ( his current new wife, Jenni)
to bring back the dead ( his previously murdered wife, Marion)!!
Hope this helps!!
Anthony Cashmere
Three times you posted this already I got it
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So you're saying Marion's ghost stole the skull from the pond, then hid it, then Mickey found it? That works for me. :)
shareIt seemed to me that Mickey saw Eric put the skull in the pond, then got it out himself. It is hard to tell by how Mickey reacts, since he is slow-minded and odd acting all of the time, but I thought he had hidden it there in the greenhouse, then decided to take it to the Snow's house to show them. Why else would there be a scene of Mickey being there, seeing Eric put the skull in the pond?
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I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.
Marion stole the fake skull out of the pond? But that makes superfluous the fact that Mickey saw Eric hide the fake skull. I think Mickey stole the skull, but perhaps felt he was under Marion's influence, so he could truthfully say, "Marion stole it".
I can go along with Marion warning Jennie about Eric, by knocking and appearing at the door. But what about the first skull that Jennie found, which she threw out the window? Was that one planted by Eric? Probably not. Down on the lawn, we see one last look of it, and it jiggles slightly before Jennie turns away (for me, one of the creepiest moments in the movie). Either that was the "real" Marion skull, or the fake skull settled, or the wind pushed it?
I don't think we're supposed to know for sure, but it's fun to analyze ;)
Ray,
The skull that Jenni threw out of the window was Marion's skull. The real haunting skull!!
Anthony
It's implausible that the skull in the cabinet was Marion's. The mandible (lower jawbone) is attached to the skull by four muscles, which obviously would be gone. When Jenni picks it up, the mandible would have fallen away then or certainly when she threw it out the window. But I know this doesn't explain the jiggle the skull does on the ground.
shareAnd also, the Pastor tells Jenny that if there really was a skull and she through it out the window, it would have shattered into a million pieces, which it did not...again, this is one of those movies where the details don't really matter...all that mattered when i was a kid is that the movie was spooky...i still love it for that reason....I also love the fact that the film's title, "The Screaming Skull" actually refers to a LITERAL skull that screams and flies through the air....a lot of those old movies have titles that are mostly just symbolic...but not this one...in this one there really IS a skull that screams in it....
shareThis is one of those movies where it really doesn't matter if things make sense. Its just good to bring back childhood memories. The first time I saw this i was about 7 years old and it scared the heck out of me! That dang skull kept following Jenny, then eventually, eric. I had nightmares over that back in the 60s!
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