UK, USA, 1966
86m (Germany), 90m (USA), 91m
35mm, Technicolor
mono, English
A British/American horror film directed by John Gilling. It was made back to back with another Hammer film, The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and released on a double bill with Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966).
Plot Summary
The small Cornish village of Clagmoor Heath is afflicted with “The Black Death”, a mystery condition that leaves locals dead and disfigured by poisoning. Harry Spaulding, the brother of a recent victim of the plague, comes to the village with his wife Valerie and meets the sinister Dr Franklyn and his beautiful daughter Anna who, thanks to a Malayan curse, periodically transforms into a venomous humanoid reptile…
Credits
Crew
Directed by: John Gilling
© MVMLXVI [1966] Hammer Film Productions Limited
A Seven Arts-Hammer film production. Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Produced by: Anthony Nelson Keys
Screenplay by: John Elder [real name: Anthony Hinds]
Director of Photography: Arthur Grant
Supervising Editor: James Needs
Editor: Roy Hyde
Music Composed by: Don Banks
Sound Recordist: William Bulkley
Wardrobe: Rosemary Burrows
Make-Up: Roy Ashton
Hair Stylist: Frieda Steiger
Special Effects: Bowie Films Ltd
Production Designer: Bernard Robinson
Produced at Bray Studios, England
Cast
Noel Willman (Dr Franklyn)
Ray Barrett (Harry)
Jennifer Daniel (Valerie)
Jacqueline Pearce (Anna)
Michael Ripper (Tom Bailey)
John Laurie (Mad Peter)
Charles Lloyd Pack (vicar)
Marne Maitland (Malay)
David Baron (Charles Spalding)
Harold Goldblatt (solicitor)
George Woodbridge (Old Garnsey)
Cast Gallery
Alternative Titles
La Femme reptile – France
Kobieta-waz – Poland
La morte arriva strisciando – Italy
Reptilen – Sweden
Das Schwarze Reptil – Germany
References
Periodicals
- Castle of Frankenstein no.24 p.54
- The Daily Cinema no.9181 (18 February 1966) p.6 – review
- The Dark Side no.221 (2021) pp.24-29 – illustrated article (Snakes alive! by Allan Bryce)
- Dark Terrors no.5 (November/December 1992) pp.24-30 – illustrated article (The Reptile by Fred Humphreys and Mike Murphy)
- Dark Terrors no.15 (February 1998) p.43 – video review (US video: The Reptile)
- Fangoria no.168 (November 1997) p.33 – illustrated video review (The video eye of Dr. Cyclops)
- Kine Weekly no.3047 (24 February 1966) p.14 – review
- Monthly Film Bulletin vol.33 no.387 (April 1966) p.56 – credits, synopsis, review
- Shivers no.28 (April 1996) pp.56-61 – illustrated article (by Jonathan Rigby)
- Sight & Sound vol.4 no.3 (March 1994) p.62 – video review
- Video Watchdog no.42 pp.29-30 – review
Books
- English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby pp.15, 104, 116, 155-56, 156, 173, 182, 245, 252, 280
- Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company by Howard Maxford pp.678-682 – illustrated credits, synopsis, review
- The Hammer Story by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes pp.102-103 – illustrated article, review
- Horrorshows: The A-Z of Horror in Film, TV, Radio and Theatre by Gene Wright p.222-223 – illustrated credits, review
- Reference Guide to Fantastic Films by Walt Lee p.397 – credits
- Sixties Shockers by Mark Clark and Bryan Senn pp.342-343
- Uneasy Dreams: The Golden Age of British Horror Films, 1956-1976 by Gary A. Smith p.184
Other sources
- British National Film Catalogue vol.4 (1966) p.80 – credits
