Reptile, The

UK • 1966 • 91m •

• Directed by: John Gilling. • Starring: Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Ray Barrett, Jacqueline Pearce, Michael Ripper, John Laurie, Marne Maitland, David Baron, Charles Lloyd Pack, Harold Goldblatt, George Woodbridge, Jim O'Brady, Ernie Rice. • Music by: Don Banks.

When his brother Charles Spalding mysteriously dies, Harry Spalding and his wife Valerie decide to move to the inherited cottage in a small village in the country. They are coldly received by the locals, with the exception of the bartender and owner of a pub Tom Bailey, who welcome them. His weird neighbor Dr. Franklyn, who lives with his beautiful daughter Anna, tries to persuade them to sell the house and leave the place, but the couple decides to stay. Harry and Valerie find that the locals are being killed by some snake and they feel threatened. When Anna asks for help and they trespass Dr. Franklyn's house, they find the horrible truth hidden in the place.

Trailers:

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Trailer #1

2:06

Trailer #2

0:30

Review:

I like Hammer productions, because of the lavish colors, crisp European countrysides and clipped British accents. What irks me sometimes are the rather abrupt endings.. in fact, many endings do not wrap up the plots satisfactorily. Coming to The Reptile, the above statements ring true. And here, there are too many plot holes to be ignored. The brother of the dead Mr Spalding comes to stay in his inherited cottage. Why? How and why did he wrap up his establishment and come to the village? What was to be his proposed source of livelihood in the village? Why were the villagers against the poor fellow, when his brother, the dead Spalding had himself died tragically? Why was the cottage smashed up before his arrival? Who did the smashing? Why was Dr Franklin so taciturn with others, while being a wimp with the sneering Malay (Marne Maitland)? What was the Malay doing anyhow in the doctor's household? Providing victims to the Reptile? Who was being actually punished? Dr Franklin, or the poor villagers, who were being conked off one by one? Why didn't Dr Franklin report the sneering Malay to the police (I hope the dude had his immigration papers in order), or simply ask the daughter to sink her fangs into him, once and for all?

Hey.. more holes.... why did Dr Franklin lock Valerie Spalding in the house towards the end? His erratic actions prove that he was no innocent bystander.. he was as guilty as anybody else. And how did Anna enter the Spalding cottage, which was locked? To what purpose? She died mighty sudden of the English cold, just because a window was open. Heck.. no reptile dies that fast. Else our homes and gardens would be full of dead lizards and geckos in winter. The cold slows down reptiles.. makes them sluggish. They just don't die as if a gust of cold wind was a bottle of cyanide.

I know its unfair to sit in judgment over a film that was produced about half-a-century ago. But this one has just too many holes.. like a lump of cheese. Appears to be a slapdash job - with a weak plot, a silly reptile costume and crazy characters, whose craziness could not be explained. I guess Anna Franklyn (Jacqueline Pearce) was the only redeeming feature of the movie. She looked sultry, sexy and attractive. She also looked suitably vulnerable.

This was a no-winner from the House of Hammer.

Review by pcsarkar from the Internet Movie Database.