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” )