The Skull

by Shaun Hutson

THE SKULL — It had been waiting for centuries, buried in a place they called the evil ground... waiting for just one drop of blood to restore it to life. But when Nick Regan discovered the skull on a construction site, he and his archeologist wife Chrissie were more puzzled than alarmed. It was too large to be human, but looked like no animal skull they had ever seen. Their curiosity soon turned to fear when the bones grew a thin covering of gray flesh... and then to frantic terror when they discovered that it had come alive...

Genres: Horror, Fiction

324 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 29, 1982

About the author

British horror novelist, including horror and urban thriller novels.

His novella Slugs was made into a movie, although Hutson didn't like the movie. He also appeared in two horror movies himself.

Hutson is a Liverpool F.C. fan.

Reviews

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpectedly tame early Hutson

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a small village in England, a couple make discoveries that turn their lives upside down. The wife, an archeologist, finds an old relic with blood and semen inside. The husband, a surveyor, finds a skull. Not just any skull but one that looks like the missing link. The head of the local museum takes an interest and once he mixes the two, finds the skull starts to regenerate. Soon there is a centuries old monster stalking the countryside.

One of Shaun Hutson's first horror novels. It sometimes shows the rough edges. None the less, it is a really great read. Loads of violence and gore. Not as much as some of his later books, but still a bucket full.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaun Hutson has been delighting and horrifying readers since the ‘80s with his signature brand of ultra-violent, gore-drenched horror. If you’ve ever cracked open Slugs or Erebus, you know what you’re in for—piles of entrails, buckets of blood, and more squishy, revolting detail than most sane people would ever want. His books have never been accused of being subtle, but that’s kind of the point: Hutson is the king of schlocky horror that knows exactly what it is. Critics might call them trash, but fans know they’re trash in the absolute best way.

That’s why The Skull comes as something of a surprise. It’s still gory—Hutson without gore would be like a rock band without guitars—but compared to his usual catalog of excess, this one is practically restrained. The carnage is there, but it never quite reaches the eye-popping absurdity of a flesh-eating mollusk apocalypse or demonic madness on a biblical scale. In other words, this is Shaun Hutson behaving… dare I say… sensibly? Weird.

The plot is classic pulp horror, though: a cursed artifact (guess what it is!) falls into the wrong hands, and before you know it, there’s a trail of corpses leading to something far older and nastier than anyone bargained for. There are mysterious deaths, disturbing visions, and a protagonist who gets way too deep into a nightmare they didn’t sign up for. You’ve read this kind of story before, but it’s still fun to watch Hutson spin his version of it.

As for the verdict: The Skull is fine. Not bad, not amazing, just… fine. It’s entertaining for entertainment’s sake, which is basically Hutson’s brand, but it lacks that outrageous energy that makes Slugs or Erebus so memorably grotesque. You’ll enjoy the ride while it lasts, but odds are you’ll forget most of it the moment you close the book—unless you’ve got a real thing for skulls, in which case, congratulations, this was written for you.

Would I recommend it? Sure, if you’re a Hutson fan or just want a quick, grisly diversion that doesn’t demand much from you. But if you’re hunting for the gleeful insanity that made him infamous, this one might feel like Shaun Hutson on his best behavior—and who really wants that?

[Krk · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise with an 70s/80s execution, as should be expected. Fun for the most part, but a tiering end. A plus: Nick Regan isn't an angry Graduate student. In fact, he's that anthesis of the educated, scholarly Nancy-boy. Unfortunately, I can't add this to my list of horrors featuring angry, male, Graduate students.

[Alf Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early Hutson. Quite simplistic but enjoyable all the same.

[Craig Jex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish I was old enough to have been around to enjoy the 80s horror boom of pulpy paperback novels with their glorious cover art and deranged plots where authors ran wild knowing you could get away with extreme gore in book form than you could on film (especially in the UK at the time).

This is a very early Shaun Hutson (I think it’s his first and pre dates Slugs) tale and it shows but it’s a very quick read and is entertaining for what it is. It lacks in plot and character development but when the plot is such dumb fun, who really cares.

[Robin Gilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's something wonderfully easy about reading a Hutson novel and this one is no exception, although it also not his best; I felt it needed one more edit and perhaps somebody to challenge a few of the character's decisions. And okay, its cold, we get it. Everyone's cold. Unnaturally cold. Cold, cold. But the guy's a Liverpool fan and in my eyes that means he can do no wrong!

[Mikepottz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange looking skull is found which bites a person drawing blood which the skull is then able to regenerate into a seven foot, powerfully build creature with a massive penis, four great incisors that goes on a feeding frenzy. One hopes they are dead before this wretched creature starts to eat you. Story is bonkers but lacks the typical gore one expects from Hutson.

[Anthony Creane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read "The Skull" way back in my teens, and I loved it.
Somewhere over the years I lost that copy, and recently ordered another copy from Amazon. This book (I believe) is no longer in print, unlike almost all of Hutson's other books, and I was curious to see what I thought now.

After finishing it, it was better than I expected but not quite as enthralling as I remembered. This is not a fault of the book nor of Hutson, blame me. Blame nostalgia.
It was still fun.
I don't know Hutson, but from what I've seen and read of him (in interviews and the like), I feel he would be the first to admit he won't win any literary awards - and be proud of it.
He tells the story and gets the job done, something that seems deceptively simple stylistically. And God knows, there are enough authors who muddy their work with "literary" flourishes.

I have read a lot of Hutson's books over the years, so even without having read "The Skull" previously, I would have a fair idea what to expect. This is one of his very earliest books, and while he has improved as an author over the years (as you would expect - "Lucy's Child" springs to mind as an example as I type this), "The Skull" has all the hallmarks of classic Hutson.

The best way I can liken this book is finding a cult classic 80's horror film - you know what you're going to get, so sit back, enjoy the ride.

[Ash Hartwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first foray in to the mind of Shaun Hutson but I doubt it will be my last. This story of a village cut off my floods and the discovery of ancient tunnels beneath a building site put me in mind of early James Herbert. The horror builds, layer on layer until the final drama unfolds. It may appear dated in this modern age of email and mobiles but that's the world I grew up in so I loved the trip down memory lane. A vandalised phone box - a real relic of my youth! The characters are real and believable, as are their actions. and Hutson is good enough to make you believe the improbable or unlikely with a knowing nod of the head.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, what a fun read by Mr. Hutson! This was basically like reading a late '80s horror movie. The plot is ridiculously insane and never quite gets a full explanation, but who cares? Essentially a monster movie in book form with a bunch of mumbo-jumbo thrown in as explanation! This book contains tons of moist gore, sex scenes and there's many mentions of the monster's huge penis.......! This book was a blast and a perfect read for October. Lots of fun.

[Emily Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down

[Ryan Sasek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really digging everything by Hutson. Fun novel.

[Darren High · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from children's Goosebumps books, this is the best horror I've read. I'm surprised at the number of ratings, it's totally underrated. I was hooked from start to finish.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid horror pulp writing,
formula sex and violence,
Don't expect complexity.

[Eliza Clara Hemming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure entertainment. Gory, tense and nasty!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Horror story violence amd goreamd entrails all over the place! Mr Hutson knows.how to write a brilliant Horror story!

[Fatts · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is my first Hutson read and i gotta say i was a little disappointed. I love gore and everyone claimed this guy is king of gore,which the book was definitely gorey,but i just expected more i guess.the other thing that bothered me is this book seriously doesnt get going until page 160. I liked this book but i really hope his others are better especially since I've already bought 5 of them. was let down, but in the end it was ok at best.2.5 stars

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

The first 18 or so chapters are solid gold pulpy shock horror. Then, chapter 19 hits and you can see Hutson trying to stretch the narrative out. I'm guessing there may have been a word count issue. from 19 to about 23 things slow down, there's some extraneous characterization and plot points, a whole bunch of yadda yadda about a funeral and the propulsive plot sort of peters out. But then right around 23 the plot snaps right back into place and the story ends with a wonderful bang. With a stronger editor, this would have been a classic.

My edit: (spoilers) I would have pulled the death of the creature at the dilapidated train station a little further up in the narrative, eliminating some of the wheel spinning in that last act. Then, Beech's infection could occur sooner and here (if necessary) I would have stretched out his pursuit of Nick and Chrissie and concluding with a similar ending. There is great potential for an exciting and well-deserved sequel, perhaps a with a similar critique about gentrification creeping in and unearthing ancient horrors. Give me a call, Shaun. Overall, a really fun, cinematic, and propulsive horror thriller.

[Snobbery and Decay · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were a few facts I reminded myself I should keep in mind when jotting down a few lines about Shaun Hutson’s The Skull. First is that Hutson was 24 when this book - presumably his first novel - was first published. Second, it was the early 80s and the world was very different then. And thirdly, I’d just finished an excellent novel just prior to reading this one and comparisons, although unlikely, would be deeply unfair. Then again, life is unfair. I should know.

The story takes place in the little village of Lockston in Derbyshire, a place where everybody knows everybody, where there’s even only one pub. The village is in the thrall of torrential rains and it’s cold. Really cold. Really really cold. Got it? There we meet a remarkably successful 24 years old - a coincidence perhaps? - pro-active, no nonsense and most presumably quite attractive building surveyor with the slightly macho name of Nick Rogan, a man whose manners are wanting, especially when it comes to secretaries or nerds. One day, he finds a skull sporting massive incisors in the building site he’s supervising. He brings it to his hot - like really really hot - and also quite clever but utterly devoted - to the point of complete obliteration - wife Chrissie, who happens to work in the village’s museum - I’ll let that sink with you for a second - for identification. The skull picks the curiosity of her colleague, the eccentric and somewhat shadowy Professor Peterson and after a young bookish lab assistant cuts himself with the skull’s incisors and the skull begins to re-generate, the professor’s curiosity turns into dangerous obsession. This is a monster movie on paper and it has no other ambition than this and that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, this is why I don’t mind a bit of Gary Brandner from time to time. But (young) Hutson was no Brandner.

The book reads like a very first draft, the author plowing through his outline with the subtlety of a jackhammer, abound with grammatically correct sentences and an ear for cliched and unlikely dialogues. Needless to say, the characterisation is pretty much non-existent, just like details related to the creature’s life/death cycle, which remains unclear. Unsurprisingly, the prominent victims feature the intellectual, the queer, the homeless and women. What is surprising however is how sub-standard the gore quotient was, which is ironic. Or disappointing if you came here for this particular thrill.

I do intent to read more Shaun Hutson if only to ascertain whether The Skull was the unpolished product from a time in the author’s life and the beginning of an emerging talent or just the first book of many more of the same.

[Becky Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a teen & remains so today. A very easy & gripping read with fantastic articulations all throughout. You really bond to the main characters - Nick & Chrissie - and once the storyline warms up, you can't put it down. My copy is worn almost down to a nub now, might need to order a new one soon! Would highly recommend.