The Reptile | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster by Tom Chantrell | |
Directed by | John Gilling |
Written by | Anthony Hinds (aka John Elder) |
Produced by | Anthony Nelson Keys |
Starring | Noel Willman Jennifer Daniel Ray Barrett Jacqueline Pearce Michael Ripper John Laurie |
Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
Edited by | Roy Hyde James Needs |
Music by | Don Banks |
Production company | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 min. |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | £100,599 [1] |
The Reptile is a 1966 British horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by John Gilling, and starred Noel Willman, Jacqueline Pearce, Ray Barrett, Jennifer Daniel, and Michael Ripper. [2] [3]
In the 19th century in the fictional village of Clagmoor Heath in Cornwall several locals are dying from what the locals call the "Black Death". Harry Spalding inherits his late brother Charles' cottage and arrives with his new bride, Valerie. The inhabitants of the village keep clear of the newly arrived couple and only the publican, Tom Bailey, befriends them. Tom explains that the hostility exhibited by the townspeople is the result of many mysterious deaths in the community.
The sinister Dr. Franklyn, the owner of the nearby Well House, is the only resident in the vicinity of the cottage and he lives with his daughter Anna. Franklyn treats Anna with cruel contempt and she is attended by a silent Malay servant.
Hoping to learn something of the deaths, Harry invites the local eccentric, 'Mad' Peter, home for dinner. After warning them that their lives are in danger, 'Mad' Peter quickly departs only to return later that evening with his face blackened and swollen before dying. The Spaldings attempt to alert Franklyn, but he arrogantly states that Peter's death is not his concern, explaining that he is a Doctor of Divinity, not a doctor of medicine.
In an attempt to help Harry clear up the mystery, Tom illegally unearths Peter's corpse and discovers a strange neck wound like a snake bite. Harry and Tom dig up Charles’ coffin and find that his corpse also has those same marks. Realizing that they are threatened by something far worse than they had ever imagined, Harry is quick to answer an urgent message from the Well House. There, he is bitten by a mysterious reptilian creature, but he still manages to return to his home and recover from the bite.
Meanwhile, at the Well House, Valerie witnesses Franklyn's attempt to kill Anna in the cavern where she is covered by a blanket, having shed her skin. A struggle ensues between Franklyn and the Malay, accidentally causing a lantern to be knocked over and setting the house ablaze. Franklyn throws the Malay to his death in the sulphur pool. Franklyn then imprisons Valerie in his study as he tells her how his daughter Anna was changed into the reptile creature after being abducted and cursed by a Malay snake cult that included the Malay servant. Now she sheds her skin every winter and he keeps her warm by keeping her next to the local sulphur pools under Well House. Upstairs, Franklyn is bitten by Anna and dies from the bite. Anna attempts to bite Valerie too, but succumbs to the cold as Tom Bailey smashes the window from outside; Anna dies in the fire. Harry and Tom arrive and save Valerie. The three escape safely and watch as the house is consumed by the flames.
Initially pitched to Universal Pictures three years earlier as The Curse of the Reptiles, the script was written by Anthony Hinds using his pseudonym, John Elder. [4] Hammer producer Anthony Nelson Keys, in an effort to save money, had decided to shoot four films on the same sets with staggered release dates. [4] [5] Three of the films, Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966) were completed before The Reptile could begin filming. [4]
As documented in books on Hammer Film's history, actress Jacqueline Pearce disliked wearing the Reptile make-up as she suffered from claustrophobia. After this film she vowed never to wear "creature" make-up in her future acting projects. [5] [6]
The film was released in some markets on a double feature with Rasputin, the Mad Monk. [7] [8] The film's lack of success caused Hammer to revert to limiting itself to more traditional horror product like Dracula Prince of Darkness which was far more successful. [8]
A novelization of the film was written by John Burke as part of his 1967 book The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus. [9]
The Hammer Story: The Authorised History of Hammer Films called the film "classic sixties Hammer" [10]
Allmovie wrote, "there are some inconsistencies in Anthony Hinds' script, but the film is handsomely mounted and delivers its share of shocks". [11]
Time Out wrote, "it's slower and moodier than its companion-piece (Plague of the Zombies), but strikingly Conan Doyle-ish in its stately costume horrors. Jacqueline Pearce is terrific". [12]
British Horror Films said, "it's superb". [13]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that it "has an unusually controlled dignity for a Hammer production; instead of the customary blood-lettings, we are invited to observe with nervous curiosity the slow self-destruction of a proud but superstitious man incapable of rescuing his daughter from the fate half-wished upon her by himself ... Altogether, a film of quite some merit." [14]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "the script is too silly for all but the most uncritical." [15]
The Reptile was adapted into a 12-page comics story by Steve Moore and Brian Lewis, which was published in Hammer's House of Horror #19, published in April 1978 by Top Sellers Ltd.
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Dracula is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the film also features Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing, along with Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, and John Van Eyssen. In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Jacqueline Pearce was a British film and television actress. She was best known for her portrayal of the principal villain Servalan in the British science fiction TV series Blake's 7 (1978–1981), a performance which her obituarist in The Times wrote produced "a sexual awakening for a generation of sci-fi fans".
The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and it was also followed by new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema.
The Plague of the Zombies is a 1966 British horror film directed by John Gilling and starring André Morell, John Carson, Jacqueline Pearce, Brook Williams, and Michael Ripper. The film's imagery influenced many later films in the zombie genre.
Dracula: Prince of Darkness is a 1966 British gothic supernatural horror film directed by Terence Fisher. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, and is the third entry in Hammer's Dracula series, as well as the second to feature Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. It also stars Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley.
Barbara Shelley was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror films, notably Village of the Damned; Dracula, Prince of Darkness; Rasputin, the Mad Monk and Quatermass and the Pit.
Suzan Maxine Farmer was an English film and television actress. She was regularly cast in movies produced by Hammer Films.
Rasputin the Mad Monk is a 1966 Hammer horror film directed by Don Sharp and starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Richard Pasco, Dinsdale Landen and Renée Asherson.
Michael Reed, BSC was a British cinematographer who worked on films and TV shows from the 1950s to 1980s, including Dracula: Prince of Darkness and Shout at the Devil.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1973 British horror film directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the eighth film in Hammer's Dracula series, and the seventh and final one to feature Christopher Lee as Dracula. The film was also the third to unite Peter Cushing as Van Helsing with Lee, following Dracula (1958) and Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).
Bernard Robinson designed sets for several of Hammer's films in their heyday, including The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas (1957), Dracula (1958), Curse of the Werewolf (1960), The Phantom of the Opera (1962), The Gorgon (1964) and Quatermass and the Pit (1968). He was known for giving the Hammer films a lavish, expensive look while working on a restricted budget. The association ended with his premature death in 1970.
Seven Arts Productions was a production company which made films for release by other studios. It was founded in 1957 by Eliot Hyman, Ray Stark, and Norman Katz.
Taste the Blood of Dracula is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's Dracula series, and the fourth to star Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film also features Geoffrey Keen and Gwen Watford.
Michael George Ripper was an English character actor.
John Derek Carson-Parker, known as John Carson, was an English actor known for his appearances in film and television.
Sir James Enrique Carreras was a British film producer and executive who, together with William Hinds, founded the British company Hammer Film Productions. His career spanned nearly 45 years, in multiple facets of the entertainment industry until retiring in 1972.
Melissa Stribling was a Scottish film and television actress. She began her professional career in a repertory company, presenting a different play each week at the Grand Theatre, Croydon in 1948. She remains best known for playing the role of Mina Holmwood in the horror film Dracula (1958).
The World of Hammer is a British television documentary series created and written by Robert Sidaway and Ashley Sidaway, and produced by Robert Sidaway.