A Patrulha Fantasma

One of Hammer's finest films yet unseen for years. It has not been broadcast on British television since 1981 when it was under its American title, Night Creatures. But it's a wonderful little movie. Peter Cushing is on fine form as is the ever-reliable Patrick Allen and Oliver Reed gives a nice performance as an innocent young man (as if!) The irreplaceable Michael Ripper gets a bigger role here than in most of his films and shines too with a nice line in sarcasm. The story is fun and the location filming is very pleasant (actually Denham in Bucks and not Dymchurch at all!) but the thing that lifts this movie to classic status is the electrifying scenes of the Marsh Phantoms, a brilliant realisation of real fear. Remarkably considering that the viewer is aware from the start that they are villagers dressed up, their appearance is incredibly convincing! The opening sequence of scrolling scene setting and narration with a faint glimpse of a skeletal figure on horseback weaving through the background is only a hint of the awesome scenes that follow. After that the film settles down to good historical adventure, lively and funny and only occasionally marred by slapstick, as in the fight in the church. A neglected gem from a more simplistic age.

What if Heaven was a place where you've got a stack of old movies starring, or made by, all your favorites - that you've never seen? Like maybe another couple Scott-Boetticher Westerns, a second George Lazenby Bond movie - or a Peter Cushing Hammer picture you somehow missed while here on Earth. Well, that last little slice of Heaven materialized here in Raleigh, North Carolina, over the weekend. I finally got around to checking out Night Creatures (1962, UK title Captain Clegg).

There's an interesting bit of history to this one. Hammer Films planned to remake Dr. Syn (1937), which starred George Arliss as the mysterious smuggler Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn - based on the novels by Russell Thorndike.

But it turned out that Disney also had their eye on Dr. Syn, for their Wonderful World Of Disney TV show, and had acquired the rights to the novels themselves - versus Hammer's remake rights to the old movie. Disney's eventual three-part TV program starred Patrick McGoohan and William Sylvester. (In the mid-70s, it was re-cut and played US theaters as Dr. Syn, Alias The Scarecrow. I thought it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen.)

Anyway, back to Hammer. To avoid any legal hassle from the Disney people, Hammer changed the character's name to Captain Clegg and made a few other modifications. There's still a scarecrow, there's still plenty of brandy to be smuggled and taxes to be avoided. But we now get the creepy Marsh Phantoms. Stills of the Phantoms that turned up in my monster movie books and magazines had me wanting to see this movie to a ridiculous degree.

Somehow, it took me more than 40 years to catch up with Night Creatures. But it was worth the wait.

Turns out, it's not really a horror movie at all. Instead, it's a dark, moody pirate/adventure story. Hammer was pretty good at pirate movies. Their The Pirates Of Blood River, from the same year as Night Creatures and with some of the same cast, is a hoot - and they'd follow it with The Devil-Ship Pirates in 1964. Both star Christopher Lee.

I'm not gonna spoil things by giving you a synopsis. It's too good a movie for me to screw it up for you.

Night Creatures is Peter Cushing's movie all the way, in spite of some strong work from Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper (who's got a bigger part than usual) and the lovely Yvonne Romain. Cushing gets to do plenty of action stuff, which he's always very good at. It's shame he's known these days primarily for standing around and being mean in Star Wars (1977). Cushing is so versatile, and he really gets to show his range in this one, going back and forth from ruthless pirate to compassionate preacher numerous times over the course of the picture's 82 minutes. Over the last year or so, I've developed a real love of Cushing. He's a joy to watch.

Patrick Allen is appropriately hateful as the government man sent to track down the band of smugglers and clashing with the Marsh Phantoms along the way. The Phantoms' scenes deliver the goods I'd been waiting decades for - though I'd love to have seen what Jack Asher, Hammer's other DP, would've done with those scenes on the moors. His stylized color effects always knock me out.

There isn't a single thing in this movie that isn't cool.

Peter Graham Scott directs Yvonne Romain.

I finally came across Night Creatures in the Hammer Horror 8-Film Collection Blu-Ray set from Universal. It looks great, as do all the other pictures. I saw Hammer's Phantom Of The Opera (1962) on film repeatedly as a kid, and the spot-on transfer looks exactly as I remember it. Night Creatures gets my highest recommendation. It's become a new favorite around my house.

"Captain Clegg" is definitely not the best Hammer movie ever (that is in my opinion "Dracula"(1958) which is one of the best horror movies ever by the way) but it still generates some fine acting and a pleasing 80 minutes of non pretentious fun.

This is not a genuine horror movie,it is more a costume drama with some horror elements but it never becomes scary of gruesome.The best part of the movie is the acting by Hammer legend Peter Cushing.He carries the movie with his usual skills,it is a shame that he was never recognized as a first class actor which he is in my view.Only George Lucas gave him a big time role in the original "Star Wars"(1977).The other actors also do their best.There is a wonderful performance from Patrick Allen and even Oliver Reed is not annoying.

Overall,I can't say that is a classic but it is enjoyable in ways that is difficult to explain.It probably is the strength of Peter Cushing that helps a lot. 6/10

i first saw this movie at a special screening at a hammer convention several years ago in London. until that morning i'd never even heard of it.

after watching it, in all it's Technicolor glory (they just don't make films like that anymore)i can't understand why it hasn't been screened in so long. funny, dramatic and a damn good story, classic cinema in it's finest. the wonderfully gifted and ever so slightly chilling peter cushing joins forces with a young and rather dashing oliver Reid to protect a girl, a treasure, a secret past and a pretty lucrative smuggling gig.

Captain Clegg (AKA: Night Creatures) is a Hammer-Major production in Eastman Color, it's directed by Peter Graham Scott with a screenplay written by John Elder. It stars Peter Cushing, Yvonne Romain, Patrick Allen, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper and David Lodge. Music is by Don Banks and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

"The Romney Marshes-Flat And Desolate-Was The Land Of A Proud And-Independent People. Their Shores Faced The Shores Of France-And Many Was The Shipload Of Wine And Brandy Smuggled Across The Sea In Defiance Of The King's Revenue Men. Many Legends Have Come From This Corner Of England-But None So Widely Believed Or Widely Feared-As The Legend Of The Marsh Phantoms-Who Rode The Land On Dark Misty Nights And Struck Fear Into The Hearts Of All Who Crossed Their Paths."

Hammer's film is actually a remake of a little known 1937 film called Doctor Syn that starred George Arliss as the title character and featured Margaret Lockwood in support. For their take on the Captain Clegg/Marsh Phantoms story, Hammer craft a colourful Gothic like mystery/thriller that contains horror elements. It's certainly not overtly horror, something that has undoubtedly threw some horror seekers venturing into the film for the first time. This may explain why to a large extent it remains a largely unknown Hammer picture, which doesn't as yet have a DVD release in the country of its birth! The story is a very good one with smugglers, murders, romantic passions, ghostly apparitions and duplicitous characters. All given an excellent period production design by Bernard Robinson for the interiors, while the exteriors are nicely filmed out of the village of Denham in South Buckinghamshire.

Pigeon Pie, Creepy Scarecrow and the Romney Marsh Phantoms.

Of course none of the period flavourings and narrative intrigue would mean much if the acting wasn't up to scratch. Which on reflection is another reason why this is something of a criminally under seen Hammer picture. For not only does it have Cushing turning in one of his best performances (blending dandy fop with a crafty undercurrent), it also has a cast around him that are fully committed and effective in their roles. Which nicely includes Hammer stalwart Michael Ripper (as Mipps the undertaker) getting a more meatier role than usual. Patrick Allen (Dial M for Murder) is imposing as the officious Captain Collier, Martin Benson (The King and I) is suitably shifty as Rash and David Lodge (The Cockleshell Heroes) adds the muscle presence as Bosun. Standing out is Olly Reed as Harry, wonderfully dominating his scenes, he does a neat line in brooding, while Romain (The Curse of the Werewolf) is the classic Hammer wench type, pretty with a heaving bosom, she induces lusty lustations in Harry and Rash.

There's some plot holes that the alert will not miss, and the big reveal is pretty much sign posted to us at the mid-point. But this is a little cracker that Hammer fans, Cushing fans and fans of period mysteries should definitely seek out. 8/10