Le fascinant capitaine Clegg

This is one spooky film, yet there are no horror or supernatural elements per se, even though it feels like there are. Probably my favorite film from my childhood along with Disney's "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh". It was years later before I discovered that they had the same source material and they were released the same year. Disney sued Hammer over rights to the character of Dr. Syn, so Hammer changed the main characters name to Dr. Blyss, and the Scarecrow became a supporting character instead of the lead.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who called this a confusing mess, as the storyline is pretty basic and quite clear cut. The movie is filled with such atmosphere that you can practically get a cough from the constant fog. The highlight of the film is the Marsh Phantoms, a group of smugglers who dress up as skeleton and ride skeleton horses. It is a very eerie sight to see.

Special mention should be made of the incredibly beautiful Yvonne Romaine. She only made a handful of films yet she may possibly be the most beautiful woman who ever appeared on screen.

I have heard that the reason this film is not available is that Universal (I think) has the rights to it and refuses to do anything with it. Sad for all of us.

"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.

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.

Of course being a Hammer fan I am completely biased. How anyone can not fall in love with Hammer films is beyond me (unless of course they watched the wretched 'Dracula AD 1972.' That however is a different review...). The colorized films are gorgeous to look at and 'Captain Clegg,' or 'Night Creatures' as it as also known is no different. Starkly contrasted visual sets make this film a joy to watch.

And then there is Peter Cushing. Cushing is always a joy to watch in any role, but I can't help but feel he must have enjoyed 'Captain Clegg' greatly. No vampires. No Frankensteins. No slime creatures. No creeping flesh. Peter Cushing acts in about as mainstream of a role as there was. Clearly he is enjoying himself and that only helps to make it a better film for the rest of us.

I won't get into plot details other than to say the film is about a group of late 18th Century smugglers in a village trying to outwit a patrol of the King's Revenue collectors. The film is far too short and you'll find yourself crying out for more. It runs at an extremely quick pace from open to close.

Something else remarkable in this film are the vivid characterizations. Hammer often skimps on those and proceeds directly to the monster. This is not the case here. You get to sink your teeth into several of the characters as this is very much as ensemble piece. Oliver Reed is strong, Cushing is magnificent, Michael Ripper is very good, and even Yvonne Romain is given some material to work with. Speaking of her, she turns in a very good performance. There is a fine balance of sweetness and menace she lives in. There are characters who love and seek to protect her and there are other characters with lustier, earthier goals. One particular scene has her working in the tavern serving drinks surrounded by rowdy, lecherous and leering sailors. Her character wants to be anywhere else -- it is hard to miss. She creates such empathy that its a shame as an actress her career wasn't longer. I think this film demonstrates that she great when given the chance to shine.

The most pleasant surprise is the philosophical depth that the film offers. It is in many ways is a meditation on life, on our past and how we may or may not be able to escape from it. The film asks if we are defined not only by what we do, but if the deeds we do can be erased or if we're to wear them forever like chains.

This is a special film which, until recently, was virtually impossible to see. Newly released on DVD, it can finally get the attention it deserves. WATCH THIS FILM. Treat yourself. You won't be disappointed.