The Reptile (1966) - film review

On the death of his brother, Harry Spalding and his wife Valerie elect to move into his cottage, in a remote Cornish village.  They receive a cold welcome from the locals and they soon discover why.  Harry’s brother is the latest victim of a strange illness, known locally as the Black Death.  Harry ignores the advice of the friendly publican Tom and decides to stay.  A short time later, Valerie is visited by a young woman, Anna, the daughter of Dr Franklyn, a reclusive man who has devoted his life to the study of Eastern mysticism.  Valerie accept’s Anna’s invitation to dine with the Franklyns at their grand house, but during the evening she and Harry are perturbed by the cruel way in which Dr Franklyn treats his daughter.  Concerned that Anna is in danger, Harry decides to break into the house one evening and find out more about the mysterious Dr Franklyn.  As he explores the darkened passageways he is suddenly attacked by a man-like creature with a reptilian face.  Bitten on the neck by the monster, Harry manages to stagger back to his cottage.  Is he about to suffer the same fate as his brother...?

The Reptile is easily one of Hammer’s better horror offerings, in spite of the fact that it was made on a shoestring budget, experienced a troubled production and had a luke-warm reception on its original release.  A combination of judicious lighting, ingenious camerawork and sharp editing transform what could have been a mediocre monster movie into a highly atmospheric and profoundly unsettling film.  John Gilling’s direction is restrained but very effective and ekes every last drop of menace and creepiness from the Gothic horror tale that it has to tell.  

To reduce costs, The Reptile was made back-to-back with The Plague of the Zombies (1966), a film (also directed by Gilling) that shares not just its sets and locations but also many of its plot elements and its underlying anti-colonialist, anti-capitalist themes. Two of the supporting actors in the zombie film make a reappearance in The Reptile, having more substantial roles – Michael Ripper (a Hammer stalwart) and Jacqueline Pearce, who would later find fame as Servalan in the BBC television series Blake’s Seven.   There are no big name actors in this film (which was made as the B movie accompaniment to Rasputin: The Mad Monk), but that does not diminish its appeal one iota.

One of the many problems that presented director John Gilling was the screenplay.  He was so unimpressed with Anthony Hinds’ script that he found himself re-writing it during the shooting of the film.  There were also difficulties with the make-up of the monster and Jacqueline Pearce had to be called back so that some of her scenes (in which she played the titular reptile) could be re-shot.  None of these production nightmares is apparent in the end result, which is regarded by many as one of the most atmospheric and compelling of British horror films.  Unlike much of Hammer’s gore-drenched horror output, The Reptile is a film that has dated well and still manages to chill the blood.

© James Travers 2009

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?