TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Nigel P It is a huge shame that – and this may be considered a spoilers – the make-up for the titular creature is so tatty and unconvincing, because just about everything else about this film is excellent.Charming couple Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) and Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett) arrive at a remote and unfriendly Cornish village to read the will of Harry's recently deceased brother. They have been left only 'the cottage', a place that the locals spare no time in assuring him is not a place they want to live. Assuring landlord Michael Ripper even says 'they don't like strangers round these parts', as Harry succeeds in emptying his pub on more than one occasion.The Spaldings are excellently played, and for a 'second-tier' Hammer film, they are aided by an exceptional cast. Mighty veterans John Laurie, George Woodbridge, Charles Lloyd Pack, Marne Maitland and a superbly sinister Noel Willman prop up every densely atmospheric scene. Future 'Blake's 7' phenomenon Jacqueline Pearce is exceptional as fragile, frightened Anne Franklin, displaying the same compelling talents as she does in 'Plague of the Zombies', which Director John Gilling filmed back-to-back with this, using many of the same sets, and locations.The Cornish coasts have always been used to great effect in surprisingly few horrors, but they once again prove a perfect fit.

Leofwine_draca By all rights, Hammer's quartet of cheapie pictures (DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK, PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and this) deserved little, if any success. However the four films present some of the best of the Hammer output, four rich little horror films which blend the subtle chills with some gory shocks - and are all films which remarkably disguise their low budgets with a classy sheen. Only RASPUTIN is an average film while the other three are among my Hammer favourites. THE REPTILE is a smashing film from beginning to end, a perfect little film in every way. The structure is good (there is a deliberate slow pace, in order to build the tension) and the music is the typical Gothic dread we have come to expect from the famous studio, but it is perhaps the story which remains the most interesting aspect, a spin on the werewolf legend with a reptile monster taking the place of the wolf.The reptile could easily have been an object of ridicule (like the cardboard creations in THE MUTATIONS), but thanks to Roy Ashton's famous make up, it remains the most inventive creature in the whole Hammer horror cycle. The fangs and bug eyes may not be the most realistic things ever portrayed, but they're original and cleverly done, and perhaps the work of a genius. Once again, Hammer have come up with a fine ensemble cast who perform their roles perfectly, capturing every side of their characters. There's Jennifer Daniel as the ubiquitous blonde female victim, and Jacqueline Pearce as the lovely but quite deadly Anna, cursed to become a snake woman. Her looks are memorable whether she's in snake form or not.Ray Barrett stars as the rugged hero, appearing somewhat like a Welsh version of Rod Taylor, while Noel Willman plays his role perfectly as the stern, coldly aloof, unlikable doctor (come to think of it, Christopher Lee would have been great too), torn between protecting his daughter and his own interests. He too is an imposing screen presence, almost up there with the Cushings and Lees of the period. The supporting players are perhaps the most memorable. Michael Ripper gives solid support as a pub landlord (what else? Expect the usual dialogue such as, "they don't like strangers round here!") who offers assistance whenever he can, and his is a heartfelt performance of a genuinely kind, friendly character. John Laurie plays another eccentric person, and his cries of "corrupt and evil, corrupt and evil" are certainly similar to "we're all doomed"! With a burning mansion at the end, plenty of heroism, shocks, grave digging, memorable make up, and solid acting, THE REPTILE remains one of my Hammer favourites. It just has that polished feel to it, with gruesome activities taking place in a quite rural village, that I love. You won't be disappointed.

pcsarkar I like Hammer productions, because of the lavish colors, crisp European countrysides and clipped British accents. What irks me sometimes are the rather abrupt endings.. in fact, many endings do not wrap up the plots satisfactorily. Coming to The Reptile, the above statements ring true. And here, there are too many plot holes to be ignored. The brother of the dead Mr Spalding comes to stay in his inherited cottage. Why? How and why did he wrap up his establishment and come to the village? What was to be his proposed source of livelihood in the village? Why were the villagers against the poor fellow, when his brother, the dead Spalding had himself died tragically? Why was the cottage smashed up before his arrival? Who did the smashing? Why was Dr Franklin so taciturn with others, while being a wimp with the sneering Malay (Marne Maitland)? What was the Malay doing anyhow in the doctor's household? Providing victims to the Reptile? Who was being actually punished? Dr Franklin, or the poor villagers, who were being conked off one by one? Why didn't Dr Franklin report the sneering Malay to the police (I hope the dude had his immigration papers in order), or simply ask the daughter to sink her fangs into him, once and for all? Hey.. more holes.... why did Dr Franklin lock Valerie Spalding in the house towards the end? His erratic actions prove that he was no innocent bystander.. he was as guilty as anybody else. And how did Anna enter the Spalding cottage, which was locked? To what purpose? She died mighty sudden of the English cold, just because a window was open. Heck.. no reptile dies that fast. Else our homes and gardens would be full of dead lizards and geckos in winter. The cold slows down reptiles.. makes them sluggish. They just don't die as if a gust of cold wind was a bottle of cyanide.I know its unfair to sit in judgment over a film that was produced about half-a-century ago. But this one has just too many holes.. like a lump of cheese. Appears to be a slapdash job - with a weak plot, a silly reptile costume and crazy characters, whose craziness could not be explained. I guess Anna Franklyn (Jacqueline Pearce) was the only redeeming feature of the movie. She looked sultry, sexy and attractive. She also looked suitably vulnerable.This was a no-winner from the House of Hammer. Sad.

jamesraeburn2003 Newly-weds Harry and Valerie Spalding (Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel) arrive in the remote Cornish village of Clagmoor Heath following the mysterious death of Harry's brother, George Spalding. Harry has inherited his brother's modest but charming moor side cottage and the couple plan to make it their new home. But the locals are not exactly welcoming and the local pub landlord, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper), advises them to sell up and leave but refuses to give a reason. That night the couple are visited by local eccentric Mad Peter (John Laurie) who rants on incoherently about the corrupt and evil place Clagmoor Heath has become. In the middle of the night he reappears foaming at the mouth and his face badly swollen. He dies and Harry is told by Tom that he was a victim of a strange sickness referred to locally as "The Black Death", which has terrorised the community. Tom and Harry join forces to uncover the truth and exhume the graves of both Mad Peter and George Spalding under the cover of darkness. They learn that both men died in identical circumstances and both men bear fang marks in the neck, which suggests a snake bite. It transpires that the reclusive Dr Franklyn (Noel Willman) who lives with his beautiful daughter, Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), in the mansion across the moor are being subjected to a living nightmare at the hands of a snake cult known as "The Orang Sanctu" in the form of the man posing as their manservant (Marne Maitland). During the course of his research in Borneo, Dr Franklyn stumbled upon the secrets of this cult who are now punishing him for his interference. They have placed a curse on his daughter which means that she periodically turns into a giant Cobra snake. The manservant lures victims to the Franklyn home using Anna as bait. Harry is the next victim when a note supposedly from Anna pleading for help is pushed through his front door. He sneaks into the mansion late that night and is confronted by the hideously transformed Anna who plunges her fangs deep into his neck but things do not go quite as expected...The Reptile was shot back-to-back with Hammer's other Cornish set chiller, The Plague Of The Zombies, by director John Gilling at Bray Studios during the hot summer of 1965. Many of that film's sets were re-used and revamped accordingly. If you watch both films you will recognise the same village square set complete with the graveyard in which the zombies rose from their coffins to attack Brook Williams in that marvelous nightmare sequence. In addition, Dr Franklyn's mansion is the same one as inhabited by John Carson's evil Squire Hamilton in that film. Both Plague and The Reptile were produced as b-pics to support other Hammer A features. Plague was paired with Dracula Prince Of Darkness in January 1966 and The Reptile supported Rasputin The Mad Monk later that same year.In common with The Plague Of The Zombies, The Reptile is remarkable in that it was arguably better than the film it supported on the double bill. Despite the very obvious re-use of sets and the low budget, the Cornish atmosphere is well depicted heightening the air of the mysterious as the horror unfolds against the seemingly tranquil and peaceful ways of English village life. Performances are good all round with Jacqueline Pearce (the zombie woman in Plague Of The Zombies) of particular note as the tortured Anna Franklyn. Michael Ripper who was one of the jewels in Hammer's crown of supporting actors offers a good performance as the down-to-earth and kindly Tom Bailey. Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel are well cast as the naive couple who get caught up in the centre of sinister events and John Laurie gives an excellent turn as the eccentric Mad Peter. In addition, Roy Ashton's snake make up is also noteworthy.