Das schwarze Reptil

This film is one of the best period horror films of it's day. The costumes and sets are lavish and the acting is notable. The 'Reptile' itself is hinted at but not seen for most of the film, building suspense. It is a shame that the video box shows what the Reptile looks like, lessening the shock when you see it on the screen. The make up was very ahead of its time, much more realistic than other films of its day. The only problem about the film is that it plays like a mystery, but we already know what is going on. People die after getting on the neck. No one knows who or what is doing the killing. A good guess on our part would be, the Reptile. By the time the players figure that out, we have already have figured out who is the Reptile. The film is a little low on terror and gore for a Hammer film, but writing and effects more than make up for it. Plus the film boasts one of the best 'dead body POV shots' ever filmed. A must for any Hammer fan!

"The Reptile" is a competently produced and watchable horror entry from Hammer productions but offers little new to the genre. Once again we have new-comers to a district that harbours a deadly secret, who must deal with hostile locals before getting get sucked into events, while ominous music and the classic 'moors' setting establishes tone. The generic characters don't present much of a challenge to the actors (exceptions being John Laurie, whose Mad Peter manages to avoid the usual town-drunk shtick and Jacqueline Pearce, who is very good as the mysterious girl). Sadly, while the movie effectively builds to a climax, the final scenes are marred by the appearance of the titular creature and its sudden anticlimactic death. A fair amount of suspension of belief is required (especially to the 'basement' of the Franklyn home) and there are some plot-driven inconsistencies (e.g. venom works a lot faster on secondary characters than on primary characters), but otherwise, 'The Reptile' is a pretty good example of mid-sixties British horror (other than the absence of Hammer perennials Cushing and Lee).

Upon the mysterious death of his brother, Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett) and his wife Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) decide to move to the inherited cottage in a small village in the Cornish countryside. On arrival in the village they are received coldly by the locals, with one exception, bartender and owner of the village pub, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper). The couple are further mystified when their odd neighbours, Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman) and daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), try to persuade them to sell the house and leave the place as soon as possible. Deciding to stay, Harry and Valerie come to learn that their brothers' death was not the only one to have happened mysteriously. Is there any truth in the Black Death rumours? And does the strange Franklyn family hold the key?

Quality Hammer production that belies it's problematic shoot. As common knowledge now dictates, The Reptile was filmed back to back with Plague Of The Zombies and thus used the same, and excellent, sets. However, with a tight budget, make up problems and constant rewrites of the script, it was a far from a happy production. So somewhat surprising then that it's actually a real tight and effective picture. There is a lovely sense of mystery dripping throughout the piece, and it's real nice to see a Hammer film being driven by its characters. Yes we are all desperate to see the "creature" of the title, but this is astutely kept from us by director John Gilling. So when the last quarter arrives and the story unravels its mystery, the impact is doubled, while make up problems be damned, the "creature" is excellent and a nice addition to the Horror genre. The performances from the cast are uniformly strong, particularly from the stoic Ripper, while Don Banks' music is right on the money. Released as the support feature to Rasputin The Mad Monk, The Reptile is a little Hammer gem waiting to be discovered by more people outside of Britain. 8/10

The Reptile is famous for the fact that it utilises the same sets as the brilliant 'Plague of the Zombies', and as such; you would expect the rest of the film not to be up to Hammer's usual standards. This couldn't be further from the truth! While this may not be Hammer's best work, all the things that us fans have come to expect from this great studio are present, along with a few other little surprises. The film follows a man and his wife who move to a small village to live in the cottage that the man's brother left him. The brother died in mysterious circumstances...and our hero makes it his business to find out why. This plot is good enough, but it's the other one that really sparks the interest. The film introduces a brand new monster - the Snake Woman! Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster etc are all fine; but we've seen them all before. I have a lot of respect for this film just due to the fact that it's got something different on offer. The Snake Woman is an unfortunate victim of a curse...and she stalks the local population on the moors at night.

The film features a lot of suspense, and it pretty much runs throughout the entire run time. We are always on tender hooks to uncover the mystery behind the mystifying Snake Woman, and this is helped by the way that the plot continues to deal out cards, without telling the audience exactly what is going on until the end. The only real problem with the film is that the mythology never really explained in any great detail...the film, having a new monster at it's centre, would have benefited greatly from delving a little more into how she came about. This film is notable for Hammer fans because of the fact that the studio's favourite co-star, Michael Ripper, has got himself a starring role! This actor has done so much for Hammer films, and it's good to see him in a larger role for a change. The film benefits from the traditional Hammer style, including both lavish sets and a sense of goodwill that runs throughout. The film's climax is really good, as it provides an answer to both the plots running during the film, and even manages a little poetic justice! On the whole - don't miss this one. It may not be Hammer's best - or most famous - but I'm already looking forward to seeing it again!

After the mysterious death of his brother, Harry Spalding and his wife Valerie move to the Cornwall Cottage of that of their inherited house. The locals turn a cold shoulder, but the local bar owner Tom greets them. Weird things are going on and just like his brother, a local man dies in the same fashion. Maybe it has something to do with their odd neighbour Dr. Franklyn and his daughter Anna. Who before this had happened, asked the couple to sell and leave this place.

Capable work all round, but especially from the versatile cast makes this one very solid Hammer chiller. Like many of the reviewers on here have already mentioned, it was filmed back to back with the same director's "Plague of the Zombies" (which I've yet to see). It's typical Hammer fluff with a towering atmosphere of eerie intrigue, a well-renown earth shaking score, engulfed by fluid camera-work and an extremely offbeat premise. Sounds like a real treat indeed. But something stops it from being one of Hammer's greater achievements. It gets off to a slow start, but doesn't really hit momentum until the film's final 15 minutes. There's nothing wrong with that as the script is well defined and there's detailed characterisations, but it seems to suggest more than it actually delivers. The story's angle builds up the mystery effectively enough and drums up a bunch of suspense with some stinging strikes in a viper pace. The back-story of the snake people could have been explored a little further and motivation behind the attacks were quite hazy. But in all, where it counts it surely did entertain. The make-up effects of the creature weren't too crash hot, but the aftermath of the tenacious attacks left some unpleasant visuals. Some mouth foaming goodness. A strong period setting enforces Hammer great eye for detail and perfection in creating the times. The isolated and uneasy air of the countryside sprawls off the screen. The cast were all very good and lifted from the ordinary. Michael Ripper really does make the most and is extremely potent when on screen. Ray Barrett and the gorgeous Jennifer Daniel were convincing. Marne Maitland is profoundly shifty in a pinpoint turn as The Malay.

A decent effort by Hammer studios.