Despite the silly looking picture of the creature shown here on IMDb, "The Reptile" is a pretty good horror film. It is very creepy and the atmosphere of the film is excellent--it has a wonderful sense of foreboding. However, despite my enjoying the film, the monster, such as it is, isn't all that scary and is a bit silly...quite silly.

The film begins with a man being attacked by something, but the viewer isn't sure by what. The man writhes, foams at the mouth and his skin blackens all very quickly as he dies. Apparently this is one of several such deaths that have occurred in this small and rather unwelcoming village in Cornwall, England.

When the brother of the man killed at the beginning of the film comes to the village to assume ownership of his brother's tiny estate, he finds the town to be very unfriendly. No one, other than the owner of the pub, will talk with him and one neighbor in particular (Dr. Franklyn) is particularly nasty. You know something is terrible is happening there, but like the brother, getting to the heart of all this is difficult.

As far as WHAT is happening goes, considering the title and photo on IMDb, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that there is some sort of deadly reptile-human hybrid that is doing the killing. The idea of this is reminiscent of the silly 1950s film, "The Alligator People" and it is a bit silly--though for a Hammer film, the costume they use isn't that bad. And that, combined with the great atmosphere, make this a film worth seeing--particularly if you are a fan of Hammer.

The craggy cliffs at seaside in the Cornwall section of England seem to lend themselves to stories of mystery and adventure. So much good literature seems to be set there, ditto films. This one from Hammer films is no classic, but reasonably frightening.

The brother of Ray Barrett who lived in a small Cornish village is struck down with a mysterious maladies which go in the books as heart attacks. The place is so small it has no regular doctor so the regional coroner just takes it verbatim.

Barrett and wife Jennifer Daniel come to stay at the late brother's house and they're not greeted with open arms by the villagers. Least of all Noel Willman who is a doctor, but not of medicine, theology rather. Willman has a frisky young daughter played by Jacqueline Pearce and a man of the east played by Marne Maitland, a mysterious fellow known only as the Malay.

Think of a reptilian version of a werewolf picture and you've got what's going on in The Reptile. The plot and script are a bit fuzzy, but the usual Hammer fright fest is present here.

And without either Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee.

By all rights, Hammer's quartet of cheapie pictures (DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK, PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES and this) deserved little, if any success. However the four films present some of the best of the Hammer output, four rich little horror films which blend the subtle chills with some gory shocks - and are all films which remarkably disguise their low budgets with a classy sheen. Only RASPUTIN is an average film while the other three are among my Hammer favourites. THE REPTILE is a smashing film from beginning to end, a perfect little film in every way. The structure is good (there is a deliberate slow pace, in order to build the tension) and the music is the typical Gothic dread we have come to expect from the famous studio, but it is perhaps the story which remains the most interesting aspect, a spin on the werewolf legend with a reptile monster taking the place of the wolf.

The reptile could easily have been an object of ridicule (like the cardboard creations in THE MUTATIONS),but thanks to Roy Ashton's famous make up, it remains the most inventive creature in the whole Hammer horror cycle. The fangs and bug eyes may not be the most realistic things ever portrayed, but they're original and cleverly done, and perhaps the work of a genius. Once again, Hammer have come up with a fine ensemble cast who perform their roles perfectly, capturing every side of their characters. There's Jennifer Daniel as the ubiquitous blonde female victim, and Jacqueline Pearce as the lovely but quite deadly Anna, cursed to become a snake woman. Her looks are memorable whether she's in snake form or not.

Ray Barrett stars as the rugged hero, appearing somewhat like a Welsh version of Rod Taylor, while Noel Willman plays his role perfectly as the stern, coldly aloof, unlikable doctor (come to think of it, Christopher Lee would have been great too),torn between protecting his daughter and his own interests. He too is an imposing screen presence, almost up there with the Cushings and Lees of the period. The supporting players are perhaps the most memorable. Michael Ripper gives solid support as a pub landlord (what else? Expect the usual dialogue such as, "they don't like strangers round here!") who offers assistance whenever he can, and his is a heartfelt performance of a genuinely kind, friendly character. John Laurie plays another eccentric person, and his cries of "corrupt and evil, corrupt and evil" are certainly similar to "we're all doomed"! With a burning mansion at the end, plenty of heroism, shocks, grave digging, memorable make up, and solid acting, THE REPTILE remains one of my Hammer favourites. It just has that polished feel to it, with gruesome activities taking place in a quite rural village, that I love. You won't be disappointed.