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 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.