Rating: 
Summary: beatiful minor hammer has compensations
Review: so it doesn't have lee, cushing or morrel. But, it has beautiful photography, skillful direction, fine characterisation and classy supporting actors inhabiting those charasters, John Laurie and Michael Ripper put in some of their best work on film. It also has a very good score, sorry, composers name excapes me at the moment but its very subtle compared to the usual james Bernards rising chords (don't get me wrong though, i like them too). Make up for once is excellent, good comparing with that in the gorgon which is not so good. The victims die in convincing and fairly horrible fashion, and even the creature itself is better than usual for hammer. A quiet classic for hammer fans and fans of movies that achieve alot on a small budget and little time
Rating:
Summary: Curse of the Deadly Reptile Hickey
Review: The Reptile (1966) is directed by John Gilling, who was also responsible for much better known film, The Plague of the Zombies (1966), released in the same year. One thing I've noticed about his style of direction is that the pacing is methodical and steady, drawing out the story, focusing on building up to a climatic finish. That is certainly the case with The Reptile.
The film takes place in a small English village and starts out with a brutal attack that leads to a grisly and violent death of a local man. The man's brother, Harry George Spaulding (Ray Barrett) arrives with his new wife, Valerie, played by Jennifer Daniel, to take possession of his brother's cottage. As they arrive to the small town, they notice an underlying sense of dread permeating the air. The townspeople are wary of strangers, partly due to the number of recent deaths attributed to 'heart failure' for lack of a proper autopsy. As the young couple moves into the small cottage despite the warnings of a number of local individuals, strange noises are heard, and another death occurs literally at their front door. The Spaulding's meet their affluent neighbor, Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman) and his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce). They soon discover the death of Harry's brother is somehow linked to the Franklyns.
While watching this film, I had an idea of what happening and who the killer was, but I didn't know the circumstances behind why the murders were taking place. This information is revealed much later, near the end of the film, in a rather clunky chunk of exposition. I was expecting a much larger conspiracy, something to do with a cult or a little known sect, so I was a little surprised and a little let down when the truth was finally revealed. It just seemed to me the way the plot played out that this was where it was headed. Some viewers may consider the pacing to be slow, and it was, but I thought it more deliberate, allowing for us to really get involved with the characters, and I did appreciate it. There were some minor holes in the story along the way, but they did little to quash my enjoyment of the movie. The sets, locations, costumes, all worked really well, creating a sense of the time period and atmosphere common to many earlier Hammer releases. The actors all performed well, really bringing their characters to life. I would have liked to learned more of the Franklyn's mysterious Indian butler, played by Marne Maitland, who turned out to be much more than a mere servant, as he was a critical character but had little development. His connections to the Franklyn's was merely touched on, but never truly illuminated. Roy Ashton's makeup for the snake creature is quite good, and is shown fairly well on the cover of the DVD. The effect of the snakebite on the various victims was very hideous, involving a darkening of the skin by the bite and foaming at the mouth. The townspeople, unaware or too scared to look into it further, called the effects the 'black death' for lack of a better diagnosis.
Anchor Bay does a wonderful job releasing this lesser known Hammer movie, providing an excellent print and a number of special features. Included are theatrical trailer and TV spots, a featurette on Hammer films called `Vamps' narrated by Oliver Reed, and a nice mini card reproducing a movie poster for the film along with Rasputin - The Mad Monk (1966) which led me to believe maybe these two films were released as a double feature. Not a bad Hammer film, certainly better that some of the other films they released at the end of the 60's and into the 70's as their productions became cheaper and quality suffered.
Cookieman108
Rating:
Summary: Curse of the Deadly Reptile Hickey
Review: The Reptile (1966) is directed by John Gilling, who was also responsible for much better known film, The Plague of the Zombies (1966), released in the same year. One thing I've noticed about his style of direction is that the pacing is methodical and steady, drawing out the story, focusing on building up to a climatic finish. That is certainly the case with The Reptile.The film takes place in a small English village and starts out with a brutal attack that leads to a grisly and violent death of a local man. The man's brother, Harry George Spaulding (Ray Barrett) arrives with his new wife, Valerie, played by Jennifer Daniel, to take possession of his brother's cottage. As they arrive to the small town, they notice an underlying sense of dread permeating the air. The townspeople are wary of strangers, partly due to the number of recent deaths attributed to 'heart failure' for lack of a proper autopsy. As the young couple moves into the small cottage despite the warnings of a number of local individuals, strange noises are heard, and another death occurs literally at their front door. The Spaulding's meet their affluent neighbor, Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman) and his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce). They soon discover the death of Harry's brother is somehow linked to the Franklyns. While watching this film, I had an idea of what happening and who the killer was, but I didn't know the circumstances behind why the murders were taking place. This information is revealed much later, near the end of the film, in a rather clunky chunk of exposition. I was expecting a much larger conspiracy, something to do with a cult or a little known sect, so I was a little surprised and a little let down when the truth was finally revealed. It just seemed to me the way the plot played out that this was where it was headed. Some viewers may consider the pacing to be slow, and it was, but I thought it more deliberate, allowing for us to really get involved with the characters, and I did appreciate it. There were some minor holes in the story along the way, but they did little to quash my enjoyment of the movie. The sets, locations, costumes, all worked really well, creating a sense of the time period and atmosphere common to many earlier Hammer releases. The actors all performed well, really bringing their characters to life. I would have liked to learned more of the Franklyn's mysterious Indian butler, played by Marne Maitland, who turned out to be much more than a mere servant, as he was a critical character but had little development. His connections to the Franklyn's was merely touched on, but never truly illuminated. Roy Ashton's makeup for the snake creature is quite good, and is shown fairly well on the cover of the DVD. The effect of the snakebite on the various victims was very hideous, involving a darkening of the skin by the bite and foaming at the mouth. The townspeople, unaware or too scared to look into it further, called the effects the 'black death' for lack of a better diagnosis. Anchor Bay does a wonderful job releasing this lesser known Hammer movie, providing an excellent print and a number of special features. Included are theatrical trailer and TV spots, a featurette on Hammer films called 'Vamps' narrated by Oliver Reed, and a nice mini card reproducing a movie poster for the film along with Rasputin - The Mad Monk (1966) which led me to believe maybe these two films were released as a double feature. Not a bad Hammer film, certainly better that some of the other films they released at the end of the 60's and into the 70's as their productions became cheaper and quality suffered. Cookieman108
Rating: 
Summary: SSSSSSSSSS....
Review: Very good Hammer horror film about a wealthy man who keeps his beautiful daughter locked away from other people. He also has a sinister Indian servant who seems to have a strange hold over him as well. A young couple rents a cottage near the estate and discover the countryside is plagued with weird murders that leave the victims disfigured and foaming at the mouth. It turns out the girl is under a bizarre Indian curse incurred by the father on a visit to India that causes her to turn into a hideous reptile creature. The cellar of the estate has been converted into a "natural habitat" environment replete with steaming sulphur springs so that the snake-woman can writhe and shed her skin. The servant is there to keep the curse active. Very creepy outing with Jacqueline Pierce memorable as the unfortunate snake-girl. Good cast also includes Jennifer Daniel ("Kiss of the Vampire") as the wife-half of the neighboring couple who attempts to befriend Pierce. Most watchable and a good companion piece to "Plague of the Zombies" for collectors.
Rating:
Summary: Eve, The Serpent, and The Punishment...what, no Apple!
Review: Warning!!! Thematic Spoilers Ahead The similarities in plot point and theme to Hammer's "The Gorgon" make "The Reptile" less effective than it would have been if I hadn't have seen the other film first. Actually, "The Reptile" is the better of the two films with better acting, a more clever plot, better plot development, a more shocking monster/Monster's First Scene, and it's rather humorous retelling of the Adam and Eve tale. In this version, it is a Professor of Old Religions and Cults rather than Eve who goes out in search of Knowledge and encounters a secret Snake Cult. He digs too deeply into their mysteries and the Cult takes out their vengeance in a particularly nasty way. In this retelling, his penance is exacted from the daughter. She becomes half-snake, half-human, shedding her skin yearly and using her fangs and venom regularly and without provocation anytime the cult deems her in need of a journey to the depths of her demonic and lesser half. And when the brother and sister-in-law of a recent victim decide to move into a cottage nearby the Professor's home, his daughter, in her better form, kindly decides to invite them to their last supper just when it is time for her to slither out her role as belly-crawler and redeemer of her father's sins. The depiction of her penance and eventual death without the usual resurrecting sequel continually fills me with thrills and chills of horror and delight, doing for me in ten minutes what "The Passion" does to Believers in two hours. I only have one complaint...the DVD is too expensive for an old 60s film. At almost 30 dollars, it is ten dollars more than most all other DVDs available, almost as if it's reserved for the viewing pleasure of only a special, privileged few. Sort of like porno, yet it's not even incredibly gory or indecent, just an interesting and rare portrayal of an old, important, yet truth-filled theme. Overall, I love it, it's a fave and a royal hoot of a good time. Buy it on sale or on special so you won't be disappointed. It's low production values are why I gave it 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Eve, The Serpent, and The Punishment...what, no Apple!
Review: Warning!!! Thematic Spoilers Ahead The similarities in plot point and theme to Hammer's "The Gorgon" make "The Reptile" less effective than it would have been if I hadn't have seen the other film first. Actually, "The Reptile" is the better of the two films with better acting, a more clever plot, better plot development, a more shocking monster/Monster's First Scene, and it's rather humorous retelling of the Adam and Eve tale. In this version, it is a Professor of Old Religions and Cults rather than Eve who goes out in search of Knowledge and encounters a secret Snake Cult. He digs too deeply into their mysteries and the Cult takes out their vengeance in a particularly nasty way. In this retelling, his penance is exacted from the daughter. She becomes half-snake, half-human, shedding her skin yearly and using her fangs and venom regularly and without provocation anytime the cult deems her in need of a journey to the depths of her demonic and lesser half. And when the brother and sister-in-law of a recent victim decide to move into a cottage nearby the Professor's home, his daughter, in her better form, kindly decides to invite them to their last supper just when it is time for her to slither out her role as belly-crawler and redeemer of her father's sins. The depiction of her penance and eventual death without the usual resurrecting sequel continually fills me with thrills and chills of horror and delight, doing for me in ten minutes what "The Passion" does to Believers in two hours. I only have one complaint...the DVD is too expensive for an old 60s film. At almost 30 dollars, it is ten dollars more than most all other DVDs available, almost as if it's reserved for the viewing pleasure of only a special, privileged few. Sort of like porno, yet it's not even incredibly gory or indecent, just an interesting and rare portrayal of an old, important, yet truth-filled theme. Overall, I love it, it's a fave and a royal hoot of a good time. Buy it on sale or on special so you won't be disappointed. It's low production values are why I gave it 4 stars.
Rating:
Summary: the empire strikes back
Review: well you see, we brits spent quite some time stomping around the word establishing our empire then rather grudgingly giving it back and causing much mischief as we did so. and here's a nasty little curse - a plague if you will - that makes its way from one of our outposts of empire and plays out its vengeful infections in the aristocratic heartland. have a look at my review of "plague of the zombies" entitled 'the class struggle as seen by hammer studios' and remember that both pictures were made back-to-back. oh, and by the way - i actually worked with jacqueline pearce once - she's a tremendously nice woman - very timid and deferential but very powerful at the same time - a rather brilliant combination.
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