Screaming skull

Screaming skull

Shot from the 1958 film The Screaming Skull
Grouping	Supernatural
Sub grouping	Object
Mythology	English folklore
Country	England
Habitat	Homes

A screaming skull is a paranormal object, a human skull which per legend speaks, screams, or otherwise haunts its environs. The legend is most found in England and other Anglo regions.

The Bettiscombe screaming skull of Dorset, England, is attested at least as early as 1897 in the book The Haunted Homes and Family Traditions of Great Britain. That book details an alleged visit to Bettiscombe in 1883 by curiosity-seekers to investigate a skull which per legend was of an African slave once owned by the owner of the house. Per local legend the slave had died determined to be buried in his homeland, and any attempt to bury his skull elsewhere would cause the skull to scream aloud.