The Skull (1965)

Dr. Maitland, a distinguished scholar with a peculiar fascination for the macabre, finds his curiosity piqued by Anthony Marco, a man as notorious as the morbid curios he peddles. Though Marco's ungodly hours and shady dealings earn him the scorn of Maitland's wife, the doctor himself is irresistibly drawn to Marco's dark offerings. One chilling evening, Marco unveils a prize guaranteed to thrill Maitland's morbid fancy: a book, grotesquely bound in human skin and forged by the sadistic hand of the infamous Marquis de Sade. However, this gruesome artifact is merely an appetizer, designed to whet Maitland's appetite for the main course. The subsequent night, Marco presents the ultimate artifact - the skull of De Sade himself. Haunted by tales of possession and madness, the skull carries a sinister history. Its previous owner, Sir Matthew Phillips, welcomed its departure with palpable relief, fueling rumors that the skull holds a malevolent spirit capable of possessing its keeper. Maitland, intrigued yet skeptical, dismisses these stories as mere superstition. But his skepticism is soon tested when his dreams transform into terrifying nightmares, and reality begins to warp into a horrifying echo of his deepest fears. Succumbing to the skull's insidious influence, Maitland finds himself spiraling into a murderous frenzy. As he navigates this uncharted territory between the esoteric and the monstrous, he must decipher the mystery of the skull before he is consumed by its dark power. In this chilling tale, viewers are led to question: Can Maitland escape the demonic grasp of De Sade's skull, or is he destined to become its latest victim?

The Skull is a horror movie featuring George Coulouris.

The Skull is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy and it's also available on CBS.

It is also possible to buy The Skull on Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store and YouTube.