La morte arriva strisciando

"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

A young couple, Harry and Valerie Spalding, inherit and move into a small cottage previously owned by the husband's now deceased brother, Charles. Charles' death is something of a mystery, but none of the locals in the small Cornish village want to discuss it or any of the other deaths they've seen. Harry has seen some strange things in his time and believes that these deaths are similar to the cobra bite victims he saw in India. But a cobra in Cornwall - it's not possible. The couple meets their standoffish and odd neighbor, Dr. Franklyn, and his charming, but strange daughter, Anna. The Franklyn's are hiding a secret, but is it a secret capable of killing Charles and others in the community? Is there a giant, snake-like creature hiding in the Franklyn's house?

Of all the wonderful movies that Hammer made, I'm of the opinion that The Reptile is one of the most often overlooked gems in the catalog. It's a really nice movie that doesn't seem to get near the attention I feel it deserves. Good acting from a rather small cast (with a big, meaty role for Hammer regular Michael Ripper), nice pacing, solid direction, and that Hammer "look" (for lack of a better word) that I always enjoy. But what really sets The Reptile apart is the atmosphere. There's a real sense of fear and mystery about the whole movie. It's as creepy and suspense filled as anything Hammer ever made. And I just love the whole notion of a snake-cult putting a curse on Franklyn and his daughter. It's a unique, original idea for a movie. Sure, there have been other snake-to-man movies, but none that I've seen are as well done as this one. Finally, I've read complaints about the make-up effects. Personally, I think they're fine given the relative modest budget Hammer put-up for the movie. The snake appliances may not look as real as one might have hoped for, but at least they're not some weightless CGI nonsense. Just go with it and have fun.

A young couple inherits the husband's cottage in Cornwall, England and soon find themselves confronting a mysterious, unknown serial killer that has been murdering villagers. That's the basic premise of THE REPTILE and the only drawback is that nothing much is explained until the final reel--but along the way it's an absorbing mystery of the kind that Hammer does so well with plenty of chills to keep you watching until the denouement.

It's all done up in the best kind of British color cinematography with sets that look substantial enough and appropriate costumes for the period. Under John Gilling's direction the actors go through their paces in realistic fashion. Noel Willman is especially sinister as Dr. Franklyn while Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel play the troubled young couple with conviction. Barrett is especially good in the leading role and Michael Ripper does a fine character role as the tavern owner who helps them.

Summing up: an efficient chiller from Hammer, mysterious and absorbing from beginning to end.

Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel inherit a small cottage in Cornwall. Barrett's brother died under mysterious circumstances, and the new couple soon see that people are not very friendly in the country. John Gilling made this the same time he directed Plague of the Zombies. And although that would be the superior of the two films, The Reptile is nonetheless another Hammer horror picture that captures a moody atmosphere filled with distrust and secrets, a talented acting troupe(particularly with regard to the character actors like John Laurie and Michael Ripper), an effective, thought-provoking(though highly implausible) script, good, solid direction, and some of the most credible settings and costumes about. Noel Willman plays a doctor of theology with a daughter that somehow have been involved with a cult of snake people or worshipers or something like that. He has a manservant who treats him as an inferior, played rather deftly by Marne Maitland. The film opens with one of those great Hammer openings as Barret's brother(Played by none other than Harold Pinter) - note in hand - comes running into this palatial English house - only to be attacked with what looks like a human snake. OK, the make-up isn't much to talk about, and if the movie wasn't called The Reptile and snakes were not mentioned - I might have thought it was a human mole too. But special effects or their lack of aside, Gilling does a fine job bringing this material to the screen and creating tense scenes as we see this couple slowly find out the truth. The biggest joy for me to behold was the presence of Michael Ripper again giving one of his solid, earthy performances as an inn keeper who decides to buck the village trend and cooperate with the new couple by telling them what he knows. Ripper has a much bigger role than many of his Hammer films allowed, and I thought he did a superb job creating a caring, frightened man trying to make a go of things in the country. In fact all of the performers give nice, solid performances. I heartily recommend The Reptile if you are a fan of Hammer and its horror film formula. This one keeps the formula in tact and works - really despite an absurd story that Gilling and company manage to pull off in spite of itself.