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The Screaming Skull
Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels. He was born at Bagni di Lucca, Italy. In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited the Allahabad Indian Herald.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1908
About the author
F. Marion Crawford
1,443 books90 followersFrancis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels. He was born at Bagni di Lucca, Italy. In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited the Allahabad Indian Herald. Returning to America he continued to study Sanskrit at Harvard University for a year, contributed to various periodicals, and in 1882 produced his first novel, Mr Isaacs. This book had an immediate success, and its author's promise was confirmed by the publication of Doctor Claudius: A True Story (1883). After a brief residence in New York and Boston, in 1883 he returned to Italy, where he made his permanent home. He also published the historical works, Ave Roma Immortalis (1898), Rulers of the South (1900) renamed Sicily, Calabria and Malta in 1904, and Gleanings from Venetian History (1905). The Saracinesca series is perhaps known to be his best work, with the third in the series, Don Orsino, set against the background of a real estate bubble, told with effective concision. A fourth book in the series, Corleone, was the first major treatment of the Mafia in literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 8, 2024
It was an interesting horror novella about a screaming skull and a murder. The narrative was a bit too long and overwritten but I enjoyed listening to the story.
The novella is part of the Weird anthology edited by the Vandermeers.
The novella is part of the Weird anthology edited by the Vandermeers.
September 16, 2019
What a cleverly told story from a first person narrator's view. Luke, a doctor, is found dead with a skull next to his head. But whose skull is it? An old sailor and ex-captain with a sense to tell a short story as intriguing and long as possible (due to long autumn and winter nights spend with friends) leads you on a real horrortrip (a rollercoaster ride actually) of dark allusions and hidden details unveiled. Did I tell you, that Luke's wife passed away before her husband obviously by natural reasons? Why does our narrator throws the bandbox with the skull out? The story has so many interesting details, corners and perspectives and is a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended. Another Crawford classic!
June 11, 2012
This the second piece in The Weird, the gigantic anthology by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. This is will be a shorter review that usual for me, and feel free not to vote on it, it's really only be written to help make up the final review for the The Weird, but since there are a hundred or so stories in that book there is no way I'll be able to write about or remember them all by the time I'm done.
This has that late Victorian / early 20th Century horror story feel to it (duh), which I just can't find myself to really enjoy. Characters are just about screaming "The Horror! The Horror!" to things and there is an underlying melodrama that just doesn't do it for me (sort of the same way I feel about Lovecraft). In this story the narrator pokes some fun at these devices but they are still the narrative engine that keeps the story moving forward. For people who like ghost stories from the above mentioned era, or who don't find Lovecraft to be a gigantic bore this story will probably be a pleasure.
I was going to give this three stars, because it had some good spots, and I enjoyed the self-conscious aspect of the story, and I know that it's probably a precursor to the sorts of things that I enjoy reading, but I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. Think of this as a loving two stars.
This has that late Victorian / early 20th Century horror story feel to it (duh), which I just can't find myself to really enjoy. Characters are just about screaming "The Horror! The Horror!" to things and there is an underlying melodrama that just doesn't do it for me (sort of the same way I feel about Lovecraft). In this story the narrator pokes some fun at these devices but they are still the narrative engine that keeps the story moving forward. For people who like ghost stories from the above mentioned era, or who don't find Lovecraft to be a gigantic bore this story will probably be a pleasure.
I was going to give this three stars, because it had some good spots, and I enjoyed the self-conscious aspect of the story, and I know that it's probably a precursor to the sorts of things that I enjoy reading, but I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. Think of this as a loving two stars.
January 12, 2020
A few days ago I was tired but couldn't sleep. Every time I tried to sleep I would begin coughing, so I ended up sitting on a chair in the living room hoping I would soon stop coughing long enough to go to bed. While I sat there I wanted something to read, something short simply because I didn't think I could concentrate on something long, so I picked up a book of stories by F. Marion Crawford. Without much thought to it I turned to the first story in the book which was The Screaming Skull. That sounded familiar to me, but not as a book, I got this picture in my head of a black and white Vincent Price horror movie. Don't all black and white horror movies have Vincent Price in them? Anyway, I went to find out.
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white horror film, produced by John Kneubuhl, T. Frank Woods, and John Coots, directed by Alex Nicol, that stars John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway, and Nicol. The Screaming Skull marked Nicol's directorial debut; he decided to try it because he felt that he was not acting in the roles which he wanted. The film was distributed by American International Pictures on a double bill in different markets with either Earth vs. the Spider or Terror from the Year 5000.
The film's storyline concerns a neurotic newlywed woman who believes she is being haunted by the ghost of her new husband's previous wife. Over a scene of an opening coffin, a narrator explains that the film's climax is so terrifying that it may kill the viewer, while reassuring the audience that should they die of fright they will receive a free burial service. Inside the coffin is a card that reads "Reserved for You".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTbu6...
Now that I got through all that I find that while there is a movie called The Screaming Skull, not only does it have nothing to do with our story, except there's a skull in it, and I suppose it's screaming I didn't watch it, and that Vincent Price is not in it. I don't know any of the people who are in it, but I'm not writing a review on a movie so it doesn't matter. About the time I was finishing up the story I began wondering about the author, F. Marion Crawford. The first thing was I couldn't tell from the name whether the author was a man or a woman, the name seems to fit either. So I went on a search to find out and found this:
F. Marion Crawford. During his lifetime Francis Marion Crawford (a man, the "his" gave it away), wrote over forty books and was one of the most popular and commercially successful authors of his day. Such was Crawford's fame that when he fell ill in the year of his death, bulletins of his condition were reported on the front page of the New York Times. Yet strangely, quite soon after his death, his literary star faded in the heavens, his posthumous readership declined and gradually his books failed to be reprinted. Eventually one could only find the odd short story of his - usually For the Blood is the Life or The Upper Berth in various anthologies of supernatural tales. Francis Marion Crawford became a forgotten writer and there seems to be no logical reason for the evaporation of interest in the work of this skilled author; it is a mystery.
I was rather annoyed when after reading that far to find out why it is that Mr. Crawford, an author so very popular when he was alive is almost forgotten now, and get to the end of the paragraph and read "it is a mystery". And so I still don't know why he has been forgotten. As to the story, it was fun to read but there was so very many things I would have done differently if I had been there. One thing I decided after reading this story is that doctors back then were a little unusual. At least having someone find a box with a skull in it laying next to a dead doctor and not being alarmed because after all "doctors are fond of such things" makes them a little unusual. If someday while walking along a beach I find one of my doctors laying dead with a skull next to him or her I'm going to find it strange. Anyway, the doctor is buried and the skull is put back in the box and taken back to the doctor's house. And now the screaming starts. The narrator, who is living in the house by now, tells us the various things he has done to stop or at least slow down, the screaming. He finds that it doesn't scream as much depending on what room it is in, things like that. Eventually he decides that the skull must have been the wife of the doctor and that's why it likes it in the bedroom. Why the head isn't with the body I don't know. Why he doesn't go bury the head with the body if that's what he thinks I don't know. Or bury it someplace else, some place far away. Or give it to a medical school since they apparently seem to like these things. Or burn it, or smash it to pieces, I don't know. Oh, and why is the doctor dead? Why is his wife dead? And whose skull is it? Go find out, it's only a few pages long. Happy reading.
The Screaming Skull is a 1958 independently made American black-and-white horror film, produced by John Kneubuhl, T. Frank Woods, and John Coots, directed by Alex Nicol, that stars John Hudson, Peggy Webber, Russ Conway, and Nicol. The Screaming Skull marked Nicol's directorial debut; he decided to try it because he felt that he was not acting in the roles which he wanted. The film was distributed by American International Pictures on a double bill in different markets with either Earth vs. the Spider or Terror from the Year 5000.
The film's storyline concerns a neurotic newlywed woman who believes she is being haunted by the ghost of her new husband's previous wife. Over a scene of an opening coffin, a narrator explains that the film's climax is so terrifying that it may kill the viewer, while reassuring the audience that should they die of fright they will receive a free burial service. Inside the coffin is a card that reads "Reserved for You".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTbu6...
Now that I got through all that I find that while there is a movie called The Screaming Skull, not only does it have nothing to do with our story, except there's a skull in it, and I suppose it's screaming I didn't watch it, and that Vincent Price is not in it. I don't know any of the people who are in it, but I'm not writing a review on a movie so it doesn't matter. About the time I was finishing up the story I began wondering about the author, F. Marion Crawford. The first thing was I couldn't tell from the name whether the author was a man or a woman, the name seems to fit either. So I went on a search to find out and found this:
F. Marion Crawford. During his lifetime Francis Marion Crawford (a man, the "his" gave it away), wrote over forty books and was one of the most popular and commercially successful authors of his day. Such was Crawford's fame that when he fell ill in the year of his death, bulletins of his condition were reported on the front page of the New York Times. Yet strangely, quite soon after his death, his literary star faded in the heavens, his posthumous readership declined and gradually his books failed to be reprinted. Eventually one could only find the odd short story of his - usually For the Blood is the Life or The Upper Berth in various anthologies of supernatural tales. Francis Marion Crawford became a forgotten writer and there seems to be no logical reason for the evaporation of interest in the work of this skilled author; it is a mystery.
I was rather annoyed when after reading that far to find out why it is that Mr. Crawford, an author so very popular when he was alive is almost forgotten now, and get to the end of the paragraph and read "it is a mystery". And so I still don't know why he has been forgotten. As to the story, it was fun to read but there was so very many things I would have done differently if I had been there. One thing I decided after reading this story is that doctors back then were a little unusual. At least having someone find a box with a skull in it laying next to a dead doctor and not being alarmed because after all "doctors are fond of such things" makes them a little unusual. If someday while walking along a beach I find one of my doctors laying dead with a skull next to him or her I'm going to find it strange. Anyway, the doctor is buried and the skull is put back in the box and taken back to the doctor's house. And now the screaming starts. The narrator, who is living in the house by now, tells us the various things he has done to stop or at least slow down, the screaming. He finds that it doesn't scream as much depending on what room it is in, things like that. Eventually he decides that the skull must have been the wife of the doctor and that's why it likes it in the bedroom. Why the head isn't with the body I don't know. Why he doesn't go bury the head with the body if that's what he thinks I don't know. Or bury it someplace else, some place far away. Or give it to a medical school since they apparently seem to like these things. Or burn it, or smash it to pieces, I don't know. Oh, and why is the doctor dead? Why is his wife dead? And whose skull is it? Go find out, it's only a few pages long. Happy reading.
October 8, 2023
Not a bad ghost story, but the dog . Otherwise, atmospheric and told in an interesting way.
September 4, 2020
Amazing narrative of a creepy scary story. It gives the impression that the narrator is addressing the reader, which makes it even more unsettling. Good old-fashioned horror, a true gem of the kind.
March 16, 2025
OMFG!
What a masterpiece... WOW!!! (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
I just finished it and I can feel every part of my body aching with goosebumps!
The temperature of my house felt below zero and i teleport to another time and place!
HOLLY F!
I need a copy of that book NOW! ( ˘ ³˘) 💕
But let's talk a little bit about it first.. yeah, seems right!
The story begins with Jim, an old sea captain, who moves into an old countryside mansion.
He goes there with his wife when they’re newly married.
The local people say the mansion has a strange past. They talk about a skull...
The skull of the previous owner’s wife, who died mysteriously, they believe it haunts the place and screams at night.
Some think these are just stories, others see them as superstition, like Jim does. But Jim’s wife believes the mansion is truly haunted.
At first, Jim doesn’t care about the rumors and tries to live normally.
Then weird things start happening.
The skull shows up in odd places... Jim hears noises and screams at night.
His wife gets more and more scared, and soon Jim starts to think the skull might really be haunted.
As time goes on, Jim gets obsessed with the skull.
He wants to figure out how the previous owner’s wife died and why the skull acts so strange.
● Plot:
The plot follows Jim, a retired sea captain, and his wife as they settle into a creepy old mansion. It starts simple—moving in, hearing rumors—but gets intense when the skull starts appearing and screaming. The story builds suspense as Jim goes from ignoring the haunting to trying to solve the mystery. It ends with him uncovering the truth, tying the skull to the past owner’s wife.
● Theme:
- belief vs doubt
- obsession
- fear of the unknown
● Atmosphere:
Is spooky and eerie. The mansion, nighttime screams, and the creepy skull create a sense of dread.
● Writing Style:
- F. Marion Crawford uses a straightforward but descriptive style. Gives clear pictures of the mansion and the skull’s actions, making the horror feel real.
It starts slow but speeds up as the mystery going deeper
- The narrator talks (in the 1st person) to a long time friend, so it feels like he is actually talking to the reader and it makes it sooo so creepy and add to the atmosphere a lot.
As the readers we can feel the mansion, the creaky wooden floors, the leaves from the trees dancing with the wind, the wind blowing from the porch and piercing through the broken windows, the skull, how it looks in the dark or under the small flame of the waiting candle!
The bloody drop, how the burning fire in the fireplace feels & looks like, how the place smells or even how Jim's clothes are dusty or perhaps worn from time...
WOW...
JUST A MASTERPIECE!
●Style:
The style is a classic gothic horror. It mixes the everyday life with supernatural elements & suspense. it has the mood and setting of the old horror tales.
● Characters:
- Jim: ex-captain who doesn’t believe in ghosts at first.
- Jim’s Wife: She’s believes in the haunting from the start, (a contrast to Jim.)
- The Skull: Not a person, but it feels alive with screams and movements, almost like a character itself.
- The locals (off page) but add from the rumors and make tension.
● Reading Time:
It’s a short story, so it takes about 30-60 minutes to read, (it's up to your speed)
i listen to the audiobook and it took me 1h and 11mins to complete it without pushing it ( i recommend you to listen the audiobook and not read the book, the experience is on another dimension!)
●Setting:
The story takes place in an old, creepy mansion in the countryside (probably in England)
● Content Warnings:
- Supernatural horror (ghostly skull, screams)
- Mild violence or disturbing imagens (implied death, the skull moving)
- Psychological tension (fear, obsession)
- It’s not gory, maybe creep out some readers
- Blood
● Ending:
The ending is where Jim solves the mystery.
He learns the truth about the skull and its connection to the previous owner’s wife, likely revealing her death wasn’t natural.
● Things Readers Might Not Like:
- Slow Start: The beginning might feel too calm for readers who want instant scares.
- Old-Fashioned: The language and style are from the early 1900s, so maybe it'll feel difficult.
- Simple Plot: maybe you'll find it predictable or not very scary
- Limited Characters: Only Jim and his wife get focus (his wife way less)
● Extra:
- The skull is the star of the book, it’s creepy and memorable, like a symbol of the past that refuse to stay buried.
- Crawford mixes real emotions ( skepticism, fear) (supernatural, spooky.)
- It’s a great example of gothic horror that doesn’t rely on blood* but on atmosphere and mystery.
- it's added to my "all time favorite"!!!
- Book review"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VYTn...
◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
What a masterpiece... WOW!!! (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ♡
I just finished it and I can feel every part of my body aching with goosebumps!
The temperature of my house felt below zero and i teleport to another time and place!
HOLLY F!
I need a copy of that book NOW! ( ˘ ³˘) 💕
But let's talk a little bit about it first.. yeah, seems right!
The story begins with Jim, an old sea captain, who moves into an old countryside mansion.
He goes there with his wife when they’re newly married.
The local people say the mansion has a strange past. They talk about a skull...
The skull of the previous owner’s wife, who died mysteriously, they believe it haunts the place and screams at night.
Some think these are just stories, others see them as superstition, like Jim does. But Jim’s wife believes the mansion is truly haunted.
At first, Jim doesn’t care about the rumors and tries to live normally.
Then weird things start happening.
The skull shows up in odd places... Jim hears noises and screams at night.
His wife gets more and more scared, and soon Jim starts to think the skull might really be haunted.
As time goes on, Jim gets obsessed with the skull.
He wants to figure out how the previous owner’s wife died and why the skull acts so strange.
● Plot:
The plot follows Jim, a retired sea captain, and his wife as they settle into a creepy old mansion. It starts simple—moving in, hearing rumors—but gets intense when the skull starts appearing and screaming. The story builds suspense as Jim goes from ignoring the haunting to trying to solve the mystery. It ends with him uncovering the truth, tying the skull to the past owner’s wife.
● Theme:
- belief vs doubt
- obsession
- fear of the unknown
● Atmosphere:
Is spooky and eerie. The mansion, nighttime screams, and the creepy skull create a sense of dread.
● Writing Style:
- F. Marion Crawford uses a straightforward but descriptive style. Gives clear pictures of the mansion and the skull’s actions, making the horror feel real.
It starts slow but speeds up as the mystery going deeper
- The narrator talks (in the 1st person) to a long time friend, so it feels like he is actually talking to the reader and it makes it sooo so creepy and add to the atmosphere a lot.
As the readers we can feel the mansion, the creaky wooden floors, the leaves from the trees dancing with the wind, the wind blowing from the porch and piercing through the broken windows, the skull, how it looks in the dark or under the small flame of the waiting candle!
The bloody drop, how the burning fire in the fireplace feels & looks like, how the place smells or even how Jim's clothes are dusty or perhaps worn from time...
WOW...
JUST A MASTERPIECE!
●Style:
The style is a classic gothic horror. It mixes the everyday life with supernatural elements & suspense. it has the mood and setting of the old horror tales.
● Characters:
- Jim: ex-captain who doesn’t believe in ghosts at first.
- Jim’s Wife: She’s believes in the haunting from the start, (a contrast to Jim.)
- The Skull: Not a person, but it feels alive with screams and movements, almost like a character itself.
- The locals (off page) but add from the rumors and make tension.
● Reading Time:
It’s a short story, so it takes about 30-60 minutes to read, (it's up to your speed)
i listen to the audiobook and it took me 1h and 11mins to complete it without pushing it ( i recommend you to listen the audiobook and not read the book, the experience is on another dimension!)
●Setting:
The story takes place in an old, creepy mansion in the countryside (probably in England)
● Content Warnings:
- Supernatural horror (ghostly skull, screams)
- Mild violence or disturbing imagens (implied death, the skull moving)
- Psychological tension (fear, obsession)
- It’s not gory, maybe creep out some readers
- Blood
● Ending:
The ending is where Jim solves the mystery.
He learns the truth about the skull and its connection to the previous owner’s wife, likely revealing her death wasn’t natural.
● Things Readers Might Not Like:
- Slow Start: The beginning might feel too calm for readers who want instant scares.
- Old-Fashioned: The language and style are from the early 1900s, so maybe it'll feel difficult.
- Simple Plot: maybe you'll find it predictable or not very scary
- Limited Characters: Only Jim and his wife get focus (his wife way less)
● Extra:
- The skull is the star of the book, it’s creepy and memorable, like a symbol of the past that refuse to stay buried.
- Crawford mixes real emotions ( skepticism, fear) (supernatural, spooky.)
- It’s a great example of gothic horror that doesn’t rely on blood* but on atmosphere and mystery.
- it's added to my "all time favorite"!!!
- Book review"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VYTn...
◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
February 18, 2024
written in 1908 by the Italian-American writer and historian Francis Marion Crawford. Surface-wise its cliche if this wasn't so old it likely played a part in making the tropes.
X= Cliche
A newly married couple, Jim and his wife (x), who move into an old mansion (x) a mysterious history (x) in the countryside (x), there's a skull (x) that belonged the bloody history of the place (x).
(Then, things get interesting. Were horror-movie writers to use the above as a backstory rather than the substance they might be good at their jobs.)
But, worldly old sea captain who has inherited the house of a doctor friend, Captain Braddock discovers a box containing the top half of a skull. "One always remembers one's mistakes much more vividly that one's cleverest things, doesn't one?
... Ultimately the house the is haunted by a skull which will not be allowed to be removed from the house, and what is rattling around inside, a piece of lead?
Fun weirdness, and an ambiguous ending.
3/5 for subverting narrative expectations, albeit not exceptionally.
X= Cliche
A newly married couple, Jim and his wife (x), who move into an old mansion (x) a mysterious history (x) in the countryside (x), there's a skull (x) that belonged the bloody history of the place (x).
(Then, things get interesting. Were horror-movie writers to use the above as a backstory rather than the substance they might be good at their jobs.)
But, worldly old sea captain who has inherited the house of a doctor friend, Captain Braddock discovers a box containing the top half of a skull. "One always remembers one's mistakes much more vividly that one's cleverest things, doesn't one?
... Ultimately the house the is haunted by a skull which will not be allowed to be removed from the house, and what is rattling around inside, a piece of lead?
Fun weirdness, and an ambiguous ending.
3/5 for subverting narrative expectations, albeit not exceptionally.
October 7, 2025
That was so weird, and I liked it a lot🤣
September 4, 2023
4.25⭐
"If I were you, I would never tell ugly stories about ingenious ways of killing people, for you never can tell but that someone at the table may be tired of his or her nearest and dearest." A statement made by the narrator that not only haunts him but actually in a literal way comes back to bite him.
The story is told by a retired sea captain in such a way that it’s as if the narrator is relating it to you as it is told from his point of view and in a monologue style. However, he is actually talking to another character, a friend from his maritime days, but of him we hear very little. The narrator has moved into a house which is haunted by a screaming skull. Whenever the skull is moved, or the old sailor tries to get rid of it, strange, sometimes terrifying happenings occur in the house. The house used to be occupied by a couple the narrator was friends with a Dr. Luke Pratt and his wife. Whilst staying with them once before their deaths, he shared with them a tale he had heard on one of his many travels and now, he can’t help but wonder? if the presence of the screaming skull now has something to do with it. He recounts his story over one long evening to this unnamed friend of past events to a dramatization of what is happening in the house as he speaks. At the climax of his story, he brings the skull out which is kept in a bandbox to show it to his guest, only to discover that it has disappeared from the box.
A real slow burn thriller, but well worth the read.
"If I were you, I would never tell ugly stories about ingenious ways of killing people, for you never can tell but that someone at the table may be tired of his or her nearest and dearest." A statement made by the narrator that not only haunts him but actually in a literal way comes back to bite him.
The story is told by a retired sea captain in such a way that it’s as if the narrator is relating it to you as it is told from his point of view and in a monologue style. However, he is actually talking to another character, a friend from his maritime days, but of him we hear very little. The narrator has moved into a house which is haunted by a screaming skull. Whenever the skull is moved, or the old sailor tries to get rid of it, strange, sometimes terrifying happenings occur in the house. The house used to be occupied by a couple the narrator was friends with a Dr. Luke Pratt and his wife. Whilst staying with them once before their deaths, he shared with them a tale he had heard on one of his many travels and now, he can’t help but wonder? if the presence of the screaming skull now has something to do with it. He recounts his story over one long evening to this unnamed friend of past events to a dramatization of what is happening in the house as he speaks. At the climax of his story, he brings the skull out which is kept in a bandbox to show it to his guest, only to discover that it has disappeared from the box.
A real slow burn thriller, but well worth the read.
November 18, 2018
A wonderfully narrated tale, told in the manner of an old Sea Captain, talking to a long time friend, so it immediately feels like he is actually talking to the reader.
Horribly grotesque, it brought chills to me, reading it as I did, mostly through a sleepless night! The descriptive way the narrator speaks, at once familiar and to a comrade, draws you straight into his awful tale - and it really is awful.
Recounting the facts surrounding the titular Screaming Skull, and the ever stranger, and more and more atmospheric way the narrative leads to its horrific ending (no spoilers!) is a masterpiece in tension, and you really do feel as if you are almost there...which, of course, no doubt, was the author's cleverly written intention.
It is a wonderfully macabre and creepy tale, one for a stormy night with the wind (?) screaming around an old house, perfect for a traditional Christmas Eve or Halloween reading. I loved it...even though I am sure it's going to give me even more sleepless nights!
Horribly grotesque, it brought chills to me, reading it as I did, mostly through a sleepless night! The descriptive way the narrator speaks, at once familiar and to a comrade, draws you straight into his awful tale - and it really is awful.
Recounting the facts surrounding the titular Screaming Skull, and the ever stranger, and more and more atmospheric way the narrative leads to its horrific ending (no spoilers!) is a masterpiece in tension, and you really do feel as if you are almost there...which, of course, no doubt, was the author's cleverly written intention.
It is a wonderfully macabre and creepy tale, one for a stormy night with the wind (?) screaming around an old house, perfect for a traditional Christmas Eve or Halloween reading. I loved it...even though I am sure it's going to give me even more sleepless nights!
February 17, 2015
Great creepiness and fear building the atmosphere of waiting for something terrible to happen. Not that scary though, more suspenseful.
October 14, 2017
Other than the boredom that comes with a distractingly ‘old man’s ramble’ feel to the prose, I actually liked it.
3.5 Stars.
3.5 Stars.
August 2, 2020
Loved it! The older weird tales tend to be a bit slow, and clunky, but I love the psychological backing and forthing the slower style allows for. Constant tense atmosphere, and doubting of reality. Weird fiction is great, as often the basic premise is the mind as the source of horror, and this short displays that in stellar fashion.
December 26, 2023
The writing and the atmosphere in this short story one can call a ‘classical’ horror/ghost story was great. Some details of the plot (especially a dog, ) were not that brilliant in my opinion, so this will have to be 3 stars.
October 22, 2016
Eh. This was a little annoying. The story was fine, and probably would've been a three star tale were it not for the point of view. It's first person and addresses the reader directly throughout. (I saw someone else refer to it as a monologue, but I don't know if that's right.) The addressee (the reader) is a friend of Captain Braddock that he's talking to for the whole 25 pages, and I'm just not a fan of that writing style. It was distracting enough to be detrimental to my enjoyment of the story.
That being said, it's not a bad little tale. If you like mildly spooky things, and don't mind the narrative as I described it, then check it out.
That being said, it's not a bad little tale. If you like mildly spooky things, and don't mind the narrative as I described it, then check it out.
October 24, 2017
An ex-sailor narrates this short tale of terror, featuring the animated skull of his sister-in-law, which won't quit screaming and causing all kinds of chaos (it can even knock on doors) and being a general nuisance. It's a well crafted story, with gruesome details of the sister-in-law's death - boiling lead was poured into her ears which the narrator can now hear rattling around in her skull - the skull having being whitened in quicklime in the back garden. The missing lower jaw is found later in the tale, with human hair stuck to it embedded in the aforementioned quicklime. These vivid details add a deliciously macabre feel to the tale.
April 7, 2018
This story was great fun! Its just only slightly eerie, but still gives you a good chill. Its definitely written to be read aloud. If you have a patient audience of children, its worth reading to them during Friday the 13th or Halloween, or any creepy rainy day. If I ever find the time, I'd like to record a dramatic reading of this myself.
December 30, 2016
A screaming skull haunts the house in which it is closeted in a sealed hatbox. Listened to this on Classic Tales podcast. Link: http://classictales.libsyn.com/ep-490...
October 18, 2017
I love the device of putting the reader into a conversation with the narrator who's relating the strange history of the skull and getting more and more freaked out as he goes. Super effective.
I need to read more Crawford.
I need to read more Crawford.
May 31, 2017
A GREAT HORROR STORY!
January 14, 2018
Very Edgar Allen Poe, throughly enjoyed this one 😙
May 5, 2018
A good quick read. Creepy with a twist.
November 12, 2018
I really enjoyed this little story
August 29, 2023
Trying to sleep but the SKULL in my wall keeps SCREAMING 😩
September 4, 2025
This is undoubtedly one of the finest 'revenge from beyond the grave' tales that have been written in any language. It has deservedly spawned many clones in various forms of entertainment, and can be read anytime, anywhere, but preferably in stormy nights with the windows rattling.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
July 5, 2021
3.75☆
Great plot, great ending but the narrator was super annoying. Kudos to Crawford for making an annoying protagonist like the sea captain.
Great plot, great ending but the narrator was super annoying. Kudos to Crawford for making an annoying protagonist like the sea captain.
January 29, 2024
Read in ‘The Weird’ compendium of short stories. I initially liked the conversational narrative but it quickly wore thin and felt like old man nonsense ramble. The sea captain’s guilt regarding the skull was a bit hammy but suppose that’s contemporary attitudes for the 1900s.
October 20, 2022
Another classic horror short story from Crawford, this one from 1908. The story's been anthologized numerous times, recently in the VanderMeers’ massive compendium The Weird. It features wonderful narration by a retired sea captain known for his long-winded stories. His meandering account, told to a friend, gradually escalates the terror until readers begin to wonder if he's gone mad.
At the start, the retired sailor reveals that the deaths of his friends, Dr. Luke Pratt and his wife, who were the previous residents of his seaside house, may have been triggered by a story he shared at dinner of a diabolical true crime:
What follows is a chilling tale of murder, and of a haunted skull that makes a terrifying screaming sound. While I rate this story a bit below Crawford's "The Upper Berth," it's a meticulously constructed story, abounding with weirdness, a fun story to read on a chilly Autumn evening.
At the start, the retired sailor reveals that the deaths of his friends, Dr. Luke Pratt and his wife, who were the previous residents of his seaside house, may have been triggered by a story he shared at dinner of a diabolical true crime:
If I were you, I would never tell ugly stories about ingenious ways of killing people, for you never can tell but that some one at the table may be tired of his or her nearest and dearest.
What follows is a chilling tale of murder, and of a haunted skull that makes a terrifying screaming sound. While I rate this story a bit below Crawford's "The Upper Berth," it's a meticulously constructed story, abounding with weirdness, a fun story to read on a chilly Autumn evening.
November 28, 2014
I really like the story and the tone, but I had slight issues with the voice. I found the way the text is structured rather artificial. The main character tells the story to an interlocutor who is there with him, but from whom we hear no sound (even though they seem to contribute to the dialogue). He could also be addressing the reader, of course, or even a ghost. But still, it felt stilted.
The actual story, though, with the screams and the lead and the skull in a box, was awesome.
The actual story, though, with the screams and the lead and the skull in a box, was awesome.
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