The Reptile
Encyclopedia
The Reptile is a 1966
horror film
made by Hammer Film Productions
. It was directed by John Gilling
, and starred Noel Willman
, Jacqueline Pearce
, Ray Barrett
, Jennifer Daniel
and Michael Ripper
.
, where several locals are dying from what is called the "Black Death" in the middle of the night. Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett
) inherits his late brother’s cottage and he arrives with his new bride, Valerie (Jennifer Daniel
) . The inhabitants of the village keep clear of the newly arrived couple, and only the publican, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper
), befriends them. Bailey explains that the hostility exhibited by the townspeople is the result of many mysterious deaths in the community.
The sinister Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman
), the owner of the nearby Well House, is the only resident in the vicinity of the cottage, and he lives with his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce
). The Doctor treats his daughter with cruel contempt, and she is attended by a silent Malay servant (Marne Maitland
).
Hoping to learn something of the deaths, Harry invites the local eccentric, Mad Peter (John Laurie
), home for dinner. After warning them that their lives are in danger, Mad Peter quickly departs only to return later that evening foaming at the mouth, with his face blackened and swollen. He dies within a few minutes. The Spaldings attempt to alert Dr. Franklyn, but Franklyn arrogantly states that Peter's death is not his concern.
Tom Bailey, in an attempt to help Harry clear up the mystery, illegally unearths Mad Peter’s corpse and discovers a strange neck wound like a snake bite. Harry and Tom dig up the coffin of Harry's dead brother, Charles, and find that corpse also has those same strange marks. Realizing that they are threatened by something far worse than they had ever imagined, Harry is quick to answer an urgent message from the Well House. There he is bitten by a mysterious reptilian creature, but still he manages to return to his home and recover from the bite.
Meanwhile at the eerie abode, Valerie witnesses Dr. Franklyn’s attempt to kill his own cursed daughter. She also witnesses a fierce struggle between the doctor and the deranged Malay servant. During the battle, a lantern is overturned and Dr. Franklyn is bitten by the venomous fangs of his Reptilian daughter. The doctor dies and the final scene features the Reptile and the Well House crumbling in flames with Harry and Valerie fleeing for their lives.
, and used many of the same sets, including exterior shots in the grounds of Oakley Court
(seen burning in the final frames). Also, it was well-known that actress Jacqualine Pearce, as documented in several books on Hammer's history, disliked wearing the Reptile make-up (she suffers from claustrophobia). After this she vowed never to wear "creature" make-up in her future acting projects.
A novelization
of the film was written by John Burke
as part of his 1967 book The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus.
1966 in film
The year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
made by Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
. It was directed by John Gilling
John Gilling
John Gilling was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was chiefly known for his horror films, especially for Hammer Films, for whom he directed Shadow of the Cat , The Plague of the Zombies , The Reptile and The Mummy's Shroud, among others...
, and starred Noel Willman
Noel Willman
Noel Willman was a Irish actor and theatre director of English descent..His films included Androcles and the Lion , The Man Who Knew Too Much , Across the Bridge , Carve Her Name with Pride , The Kiss of the Vampire , Doctor Zhivago , The Reptile...
, Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce is a British actress.-Career:Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles....
, Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
, Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel is a Welsh actress. Among her film and TV appearances are the Hammer horror films The Kiss of the Vampire and The Reptile .She was married to actor Dinsdale Landen from 1959 until his death in 2003....
and Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
.
Plot synopsis
The film takes place at the turn of the century in the fictional village of Clagmoor Heath in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, where several locals are dying from what is called the "Black Death" in the middle of the night. Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett
Ray Barrett
Raymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
) inherits his late brother’s cottage and he arrives with his new bride, Valerie (Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel
Jennifer Daniel is a Welsh actress. Among her film and TV appearances are the Hammer horror films The Kiss of the Vampire and The Reptile .She was married to actor Dinsdale Landen from 1959 until his death in 2003....
) . The inhabitants of the village keep clear of the newly arrived couple, and only the publican, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper
Michael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
), befriends them. Bailey explains that the hostility exhibited by the townspeople is the result of many mysterious deaths in the community.
The sinister Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman
Noel Willman
Noel Willman was a Irish actor and theatre director of English descent..His films included Androcles and the Lion , The Man Who Knew Too Much , Across the Bridge , Carve Her Name with Pride , The Kiss of the Vampire , Doctor Zhivago , The Reptile...
), the owner of the nearby Well House, is the only resident in the vicinity of the cottage, and he lives with his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce is a British actress.-Career:Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles....
). The Doctor treats his daughter with cruel contempt, and she is attended by a silent Malay servant (Marne Maitland
Marne Maitland
James Marne Maitland was an Anglo-Indian character actor in British films and television programmes.He made his film debut in Cairo Road , and went onto be type cast as villains from the Far East, particularly for Hammer Film Productions...
).
Hoping to learn something of the deaths, Harry invites the local eccentric, Mad Peter (John Laurie
John Laurie
John Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
), home for dinner. After warning them that their lives are in danger, Mad Peter quickly departs only to return later that evening foaming at the mouth, with his face blackened and swollen. He dies within a few minutes. The Spaldings attempt to alert Dr. Franklyn, but Franklyn arrogantly states that Peter's death is not his concern.
Tom Bailey, in an attempt to help Harry clear up the mystery, illegally unearths Mad Peter’s corpse and discovers a strange neck wound like a snake bite. Harry and Tom dig up the coffin of Harry's dead brother, Charles, and find that corpse also has those same strange marks. Realizing that they are threatened by something far worse than they had ever imagined, Harry is quick to answer an urgent message from the Well House. There he is bitten by a mysterious reptilian creature, but still he manages to return to his home and recover from the bite.
Meanwhile at the eerie abode, Valerie witnesses Dr. Franklyn’s attempt to kill his own cursed daughter. She also witnesses a fierce struggle between the doctor and the deranged Malay servant. During the battle, a lantern is overturned and Dr. Franklyn is bitten by the venomous fangs of his Reptilian daughter. The doctor dies and the final scene features the Reptile and the Well House crumbling in flames with Harry and Valerie fleeing for their lives.
Cast
- Noel WillmanNoel WillmanNoel Willman was a Irish actor and theatre director of English descent..His films included Androcles and the Lion , The Man Who Knew Too Much , Across the Bridge , Carve Her Name with Pride , The Kiss of the Vampire , Doctor Zhivago , The Reptile...
- Dr. Franklyn - Ray BarrettRay BarrettRaymond Charles "Ray" Barrett was an Australian actor. He was one of the more popular leading men on British television in the 1960s, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters . Back in Australia he was a leading man in many TV series over the years.-Biography:Barrett was...
- Harry George Spalding - Jennifer DanielJennifer DanielJennifer Daniel is a Welsh actress. Among her film and TV appearances are the Hammer horror films The Kiss of the Vampire and The Reptile .She was married to actor Dinsdale Landen from 1959 until his death in 2003....
- Valerie Spalding - Jacqueline PearceJacqueline PearceJacqueline Pearce is a British actress.-Career:Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles....
- Anna Franklyn - Michael RipperMichael RipperMichael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
- Tom Bailey - John LaurieJohn LaurieJohn Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
- Mad Peter - Marne MaitlandMarne MaitlandJames Marne Maitland was an Anglo-Indian character actor in British films and television programmes.He made his film debut in Cairo Road , and went onto be type cast as villains from the Far East, particularly for Hammer Film Productions...
- The Malay - David Baron - Charles Edward Spalding
- Charles Lloyd PackCharles Lloyd PackCharles Lloyd-Pack was a British film, television and stage actor.He was born in London, England. He was seen in several horror movies produced by the Hammer Studios including Dracula, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Reptile and Quatermass 2, the film version of...
- The Vicar - Harold Goldblatt - The Solicitor
- George WoodbridgeGeorge Woodbridge (actor)George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
- Old Garnsey
Production
The production was filmed back to back with The Plague of the ZombiesThe Plague of the Zombies
The Plague of the Zombies Hammer Horror film directed by John Gilling. It stars André Morell, John Carson, Jacqueline Pearce, Brook Williams and Michael Ripper...
, and used many of the same sets, including exterior shots in the grounds of Oakley Court
Oakley Court
Oakley Court is a Victorian Gothic country house set in overlooking the River Thames at Water Oakley in the civil parish of Bray in the English county of Berkshire. It was built in 1859 and is currently a luxury hotel. It has been often used as a film location.-History:The Court was built in 1859...
(seen burning in the final frames). Also, it was well-known that actress Jacqualine Pearce, as documented in several books on Hammer's history, disliked wearing the Reptile make-up (she suffers from claustrophobia). After this she vowed never to wear "creature" make-up in her future acting projects.
A novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of the film was written by John Burke
John Burke (author)
John Burke was an English writer of novels and short stories.He had written under the names J. F...
as part of his 1967 book The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus.