Review: The Reptile

After a family member dies mysteriously, Ray Barrett inherits the man’s Cornish cottage. He soon learns several locals have seemingly fallen to fatal snake bites. The fearful locals seem to think a local doctor of theology (Noel Willman) is somehow involved, with it possibly having something to do with research he was conducting in Borneo. Jacqueline Pearce plays Willman’s pretty daughter, while John Laurie is the town drunk named Mad Peter.

 

Oddball, moody 1966 Hammer film from director John Gilling (“The Gorgon”, “The Flesh and the Fiends”) with some obvious “Dracula” elements thrown in. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is really rather interesting here, as is the title creature. It’s just that some of the plot is rather familiar to the “Dracula” films, almost overly familiar. In fact, the way the monster attacks is the same too, with two fangs in the neck. So it’s a shame screenwriter Anthony Hinds (“The Curse of Frankenstein”, “Rasputin – the Mad Monk”, “Captain Clegg”) didn’t vary things up a tad more. There’s also the slight issue of racism to contend with. There’s little doubt that the menacing threat on show here is Asian in origin. So that does sour the taste somewhat.

 

Still, there’s a lot to like here. It’s in mood and atmosphere that this one truly shines. There’s a quiet, tense and superstitious air permeating the film. And yet it’s not your typical foggy, Gothic atmosphere from Hammer here. Instead it’s more about a peculiar mood, with silent and superstitious townsfolk and the dreaded ‘black death’. Meanwhile, the makeup on the title creature may have dated, but it’s still creepy as hell in design. The music score by Don Banks (“Captain Clegg”, “Rasputin – The Mad Monk”) is excellent, too. There’s also several fine performances, including a scene-stealing John Laurie as Mad Peter. It’s an excellent cameo from the long-serving character actor whose career stretches as far back as the silent period in films like “Juno & The Paycock” (Alfred Hitchcock’s worst film in many people’s opinion – including mine), all the way up to 1979. A very posh-sounding Ray Barrett offers up strong work, but the best performance aside from Laurie’s comes from an actor named Noel Willman. He’s the closest this film has to a Christopher Lee-type, though he reminded me more of Ernst Thesiger from “The Bride of Frankenstein”. Look out for Hammer mascot Michael Ripper and his borderline Amish beard perfectly typecast as a serious, but well-intended innkeeper. It’s one of his bigger roles in a Hammer film and he delivers.

 

A vampire film without a vampire. Typically gorgeous-looking Hammer film with an interesting, if occasionally familiar story. This one scores well on atmosphere, cinematography, and music. A damn solid outing, I think it’s far better than the film that Gilling shot on the same locations back-to-back, “The Plague of the Zombies”.

 

Rating: B-