The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake is a 1959 American black-and-white horror film written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn.

It was one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent on contract for distribution by United Artists.

Set in the present day (i.e. 1959), it tells the story of a curse placed on the Drake Family by the witch doctor of the Jivaro, a tribe of indigenous people in Ecuador, following a 19th century massacre led by Capt.

Since that time, for three generations, all the Drake men have died at age 60, after which they were decapitated, and their heads shrunken by persons unknown.

A tall man with long hair and lips sewn closed pokes Kenneth with a bamboo stiletto, barely breaking the skin.

Jeff surreptitiously returns to Zurich's house, finds his secret laboratory, and discovers Dr. Bradford's head.

It ran at the Hi-Way Drive-In Theater in Ft. Lauderdale FL on August 2, 1963 as part of what was advertised as "4 Horror Hits 4" and "The Fright Show of the Year".

[7] For its UK theatrical release, The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake was assigned an X-certificate by the British Board of Film Censors on 23 April 1959.

[10] It became a "staple on the late-night [TV] circuit",[11] as well as being shown during the day more than a decade after its initial theatrical release; e.g. on WNEW-TV in New York City at 1:30 pm ET on Saturday May 3.

The anonymous reviewer notes that "There are enough frightening shots of skulls and head-shrinking in this Vogue Pictures programmer to satisfy avid horror fans in the neighborhood and action houses."

"[16] The sources consulted on a weekly basis by BoxOffice did not find The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake to be a particularly good film.

"[17] Modern-day critic Bryan Senn finds considerable fault with the film, writing that it "comes with a distasteful whiff of bigotry.

'The head of a decapitated white man on the body of a jungle Indian', observes [Jonathan] with distaste, as if disgusted by this absurdly literal form of miscegenation."

He calls the movie a "dull programmer" with a "morbid script" and actors who are "alternately incompetent and disinterested," describing French's character as "simple and shallow" and Daniell as looking "sour and bored.

Dendle also writes of Zutai that "Though fully sentient and emotive as far as we can tell, he doesn't exhibit any volition independently of Zurich's orders.

He calls it a "preposterous but lively confection," and notes that "Cahn's direction is pedestrian, but he manipulates the paraphernalia of skulls and shrunken heads to eerie effect, while Daniell and Wexler (the latter's zombie unnervingly possessing the sewn lips of a shrunken head) made superbly sinister presences.

He writes that the film is one of a number made during the 1950s that "managed to sneak through the cracks of the country's postwar complacency, all of them sharing an air of claustrophobic fatalism," something enhanced by The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake having been shot in "moody black and white on a few spartan sets."

"[20] Leonard Maltin gives the film 2 out of 4 stars, describing it as "Acceptable horror fare involving centuries-old voodoo curse upon family and contemporary scientist who puts an end to the weird goings-on.

"[21] Film historians Ted Okuda and Mark Yurkiw give the movie the same rating, but instead of stars, award it 2 of 4 skulls.

They note that "The low-budget thriller made a stronger impact on impressionable young minds back in the day, but it remains acceptably creepy fare.

He writes that Cahn "maintains an eerie, slightly disturbed atmosphere" with a "dependable performance from Henry Daniell and the unique 'mouth sewn shut' disfigurement of his henchman."