Thursday, March 5, 2020

The Reptile (1966)

Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett) and his wife Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) inherit the lonely Cornish cottage of his recently deceased brother Charles (David Baron). Charles died of the same mysterious affliction, and in the same horrific manner, that is plaguing the village. Though no one wants to talk about it...

Dr Franklyn (Noel Willman) is also very mysterious and rather unhelpful (though maybe because people think he is a medical doctor when he is actually a doctor of philosophy so can't help with their bad backs). He also has a strange relationship with his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), her mood also changes especially when the mysterious Malay servant (Marne Maitland) is around. Harry is eager to find out what is going on in the village and what (or whom) killed his brother but is it something beyond the realms of normal understanding? Finally Tom (Michael Ripper) the landlord helps him... er dig up some graves.

A creepy Hammer Horror and wonderfully dark it is too. We don't see the "monster" until the final act, before that suspense and suggestion is used and used perfectly too.