Pauline Christophe (Mary J. Todd McKenzie) was a powerful voodoo witch. She lived in a mansion located at the top of a mountain. The mountain is referred to as Skull Mountain because the terrain of the mountainside looks like a skull is carved into it. On her deathbed Pauline has the local priest (Don Devendorf) mail letters to four people, Lorena Christophe (Janee Michelle), Phillippe Wilette (Mike Evans), Harriet Johnson (Xernona Clayton) and Dr. Andrew Cunningham (Victor French). All four people are cousins of each other and Pauline’s great grandchildren. All four have never met either each other or Pauline.
Pauline dies and is buried in the family cemetery the day the others arrive. Pauline’s attorney, Mr. Ledoux (Senator Leroy Johnson), reads a cryptic letter written by the old woman. Since Andrew hasn’t arrived yet, Ledoux leaves the letter and tells everyone that he will return in a week’s time to read the will. Andrew arrives after Ledoux leaves. Now everyone must stay in the house together for a week.
Andrew turns out to be a white man. He was abandoned as a baby and grew up in an orphanage. He knows nothing about his family and is looking for answers. The only thing anyone knows is that they are descendants of King Henry Christophe I, from Haiti. King Henry was a leader in the Haitian revolution. He helped earn Haiti’s freedom from France and proclaimed himself king. He was the only king of Haiti, and he was reportedly a practitioner of voodoo.
As soon as the heirs arrive strange things begin to happen. The heirs begin having hallucinations and strange dreams. Thomas Pettione (Jean Durand), the family butler, is also a practitioner of voodoo and secretly has ceremonies targeting each of the heirs. His goal is to wipe out the remaining members of the Christophe family.
“The House on Skull Mountain” was released in 1974 and was directed by Ron Honthaner. It is an American horror film and blaxploitation cinema. The main feature of the film is the mostly black cast. It is a slightly different take on the Old Dark House mystery and very much a voodoo movie.
The music is quite different from your normal horror movie score. Most of it was done by Jerrold Immel. There is also a love song stuck in the middle of the film that seems a little out of place. The movie also contains two rap songs. “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” by “Bone Thugs-N-Harmony” during the beginning credits and “Notorious Thugs” by “Notorious B.I.G.” during the ending credits.
It’s not exactly the most interesting Old Dark House film but it does have its pluses. It has some very interesting matte paintings, human skulls, and a lot of candles. The mansion used is also an interesting setting. The house is in Atlanta and is the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center.
The film also contained an interesting homage to American Illustrator Charles Allan Gilbert by recreating his artwork called “All Is Vanity”. In the film Lorena is sitting in front of dressing table mirror. The way the picture is set up it looks like a human skull.