THE MOVIES OF MY LIFE PROJECT PHASE ONE: The Reptile (1966)

As a Monster Kid who grew up in the late 60‘s and 70‘s, I became a big fan of Hammer Films.  Christopher Lee is my Dracula, and Peter Cushing my Dr. Frankenstein (one of the reasons I love the Hammer Frankenstein movies is that the Not-So-Good Doctor is the monster, and his creations just products of his monstrousness...and I can’t think of anyone who could have been so genteel and yet so horrific in the role than Cushing).  My knowledge of the Hammer canon is pretty vast, especially after I re-acquainted myself with the studio’s output in the 90‘s.

And yet there are still gaps in my knowledge of this Golden Age of British Horror Cinema.  Some of these films, for some reason, never got played on WPIX or WWOR in the afternoons or on the weekends.  This movie is one of them, which is weird given how iconic the titular creature’s make-up design is.  I literally knew the face of this creature for decades before seeing the film itself--which I did this Saturday.

The Reptile is unique in its lack of Hammer Horror star power--the closest we have to a recognizable face in this film is Michael Ripper, playing the closest thing this film has to a Van Helsing.  It’s rather interesting that in this film, rescue comes not from an academic but two blue collar guys (one a soldier, one a retired sailor) who had to see the world because their jobs demanded it, whereas the villain is an academic whose own hubris brings on the danger.  And even though the set-up is the classic haunted house scenario (our heroes, played by Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniels, inherit said house from a brother who Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances), said house is rather modest.  This is a relatively low-key film and it’s reflected in the set design and the general nature of the Cornish village setting.

I suppose here is where I should mention the other real draw for me in choosing it for the 1966 Poll...namely the presence of Jacqueline Pearce as the titular reptile (This is a 52 year old movie; fuck spoilers).  Pearce is lovely and has a wonderful softness that college-aged me wouldn’t believe her capable of when he was crushing on her as Servalan in Blake’s 7, but she’s just not in the film enough.   She doesn’t show up until the film is almost half over, is basically bossed around by her father, plays the sitar and....that’s it.  She’s more a plot point than a character, and once she’s in the admittedly impressive make-up, she’s just a monster running around biting people...because?  Hell, the backstory is so sketchy (why is Marne Maitland’s Malay doing hanging around anyway?) that you’re not sure what is going on.  Then there’s also the unintentionally silly moment where the monstered-up Pearce starts complaining in perfect English that it’s too cold....

Now that I’ve seen this, it’s easy to see why this film ended up as a ‘B’ feature to Rasputin, The Mad Monk and is so little seen.  While it looks nice and has some good atmosphere, nothing really reaches out to separate it from the rest of the Hammer Pack.  In spite of an iconic piece of make-up, this is an Average-to-Slightly-Below-Average entry from the studio.

I think I would encourage you to watch the film if you’re interested in that era stretching from the 60‘s to the mid-70‘s where British studios were cranking out some of the best horror in the world (I know what I just said, and I’m willing to fight to defend that opinion).  However, you’re not missing much if you don’t.

Since 1966 ended in a tie, there’s one more film for me to cover, then it’s on to the third year of my existence.  That horrific first misstep aside, this journey hasn’t been that painful....