Edward L. Cahn directed this obscure film that stars Edward Franz as Jonathan Drake, who is attending his brother's funeral when he finds to his horror that the head is missing, though it turns up later in a cabinet. He then realizes that an old family curse placed on his grandfather by South American Indians is still in effect, and that he may be the next victim. Can he end the curse, and what does it have to do with mysterious Dr. Emil Zurich(played by Henry Daniell)? Remembered fondly by those who saw it on late-night television with its vivid image of a murderous Indian with its mouth sewn shut, is really the only effective thing about this absurd, slow-moving film. Henry Daniell is good though, better than the film deserves.

Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz) and his brother Kenneth (Paul Cavanagh) are the latest in the line of Drake men and as such must suffer the curse placed upon the men of their family for ages. This curse dates back for centuries and involves heads being severed and shrunken. This is an effective touch in the screenplay by Orville H. Hampton, which is fairly strong and violent stuff for 1959. Capable B movie director Edward L. Cahn, whose credits include the sci-fi thriller "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" that served as a basis for "Alien", is at the helm of this decent programmer. It's nothing special, but not bad, either. As one can see, it's not without its creepy elements, although it's awfully talky for much of its running time. It's clearly not too concerned about functioning as a mystery, as our villain is revealed much sooner than we expect, and it becomes a matter of waiting for our protagonists to get caught up to speed. It benefits from a pretty strong cast. Franz, usually a supporting actor or bit player in features (such as the classic "The Thing from Another World") is wholly believable in a lead role. Grant Richards co-stars as the intrepid police detective Jeff Rowan, who goes through the biggest character arc in the story, as a hard headed man who believes in rational and sane explanations who's forced to acknowledge some truly unreal things. Valerie French is Franz's worried daughter, Paul Wexler the most memorable character in the film as the Jivaro Indian henchman who's had his lips sewn shut, and Henry Daniell is lots of fun as the intense archaeologist Dr. Emil Zurich. A short running time (71 minutes) ensures that the story go on no longer than it needs to, while a thunderous score by Paul Dunlap plays in the background. Those shrunken heads, designed by Charles Gemora, are really quite convincing; in general, the special effects, what little there are, are well done. In the end, this little film does have some potency going for it as well as some entertaining climactic action and revelations. Fans of the B movies of the era should find this a reasonable diversion. Six out of 10.

Aaah!! What a classic!! This movie ranks in my top 10 of scary movies. I first saw this movie WAY back in the day when Black & White TV's were the norm (mid to late 60's). Anyways, Released in 1959, this movie tells the story of the Drake Family & how it is faced with an old family curse. The two Drake brothers try to unravel why the family has such a curse upon it. The make up, visual effects and an "eeree" sounding organ give this movie that certain "umph" to scare you. Especially when your watching this late at night! Note: This movie is not for young kids......they'll get nightmares......like I did....when I first saw it. Enjoy!

Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake, The (1959) ** (out of 4) The Drake family has a curse on it because after the male members die their heads are removed. Before MGM released this on DVD it was pretty hard to see the film and it had a very good reputation from the few who remembered seeing it back in the day. Flash forward to my viewing and I was left very disappointed. The film has a terrific ending but everything leading up to this point is rather dull and boring. The performances are also rather annoying but this is probably due more to the screenplay. The one nice bonus was seeing Henry Daniell from The Body Snatcher fame.