User Reviews

As a break from their better-known horror fare, Hammer made a series of rousing historical adventures in the early 1960s and this is one of their more original efforts, a story that depicts smuggling in the 18th century in a Kent coastal village. With assured direction propelling it along nicely and a pretty wonderful cast of actors, this is an enjoyable film complete with two-fisted action, adventure and even a few horror elements along the way. I found that this yarn had an effective a script as Hammer's horror outings and just as much atmosphere; plenty of chills and thrills are wrung out of the marshy backdrop in scenes not dissimilar from Hammer's own HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.

One of the most engaging things about the production is that there are no 'good' or 'bad' characters: instead, people are painted in shades of grey, with viewers allowed to make up their own minds. For instance, is Peter Cushing's kindly pastor really such a good guy? Even after all of the (effective) twists have played out, there's little that makes him evil or a stock villain like his Frankenstein. On the other hand, Patrick Allen is the supposed good guy, the King's revenue man, and yet I'm sure most viewers will hope that the smugglers get one over on him rather than allow him to gain the upper hand! There are plot elements here galore, and some of the most effective involve a mysterious moving scarecrow that acts as a signalman to the smugglers. There's also some Treasure Island-type piracy thrown in with the inclusion of the hulking Milton Reid in one of his biggest roles as a mulatto who's had his tongue cut out.

Female viewers get a genteel romance between two very pretty partners (the remarkably uplifting Yvonne Romain and the rugged Oliver Reed at his most dashing). The horror elements involve men on horseback dressed as skeletons, not too dissimilar from Halloween costumes, but it's a testament to the director and crew's skill that even these scenes possess their own eerie charm. Plus we get Michael Ripper in his biggest, most developed supporting role yet. I didn't get excited about this in the same way I did about something like TERROR OF THE TONGS, but I did enjoy watching the eventful story play out in Hammer's own unique and colourful style.

"Night Creatures" is in many ways an interesting Hammer entry, because it's unlike most of their other movies. There is no real monster in the movie, with the title referring to a man-made thing instead. It's also interesting due to the fact that there is only one real character in the movie who is sympathetic (the pub woman, who is a secondary character), with the primary characters either being ruthless pirates and smugglers, or agents of the king who are pretty ruthless in their own right as well. Despite the fact that there really isn't any up front character to care about, the movie remains entertaining. Naturally, actor Peter Cushing gives the movie a lot of spark. And the rest of the movie certainly isn't dull, and it does get you wondering how exactly things will be wrapped up in the end, despite the Production Code still being in effect when the movie was made. If you sit down to watch the movie knowing beforehand that it's a quite different Hammer movie than usual, you should find a good deal to enjoy about it.

The Crown, suspecting smuggling and tax evasion, sends Captain Collier to investigate the inhabitants of a seaside village. What he finds is a small community where things just don't seem right. The locals, even the Reverend, seem to be hiding something. But the only thing the Captain's investigation turns up for sure is a roving band of horrific marsh creatures. Are these horse-riding, living-dead things for real or are they just a ploy on the part of the smugglers to keep prying eyes at bay?

What Works:

• Peter Cushing, of Course. I've said it before and I'll say it again – I don't care how bad, boring, or pointless the material, Peter Cushing always seems to rise above what he's presented with and gives a fantastic performance. If you ignore the haircut (just joking), Cushing's work in Night Creatures is among his best.

• The Rest of the Cast. And the good acting in Night Creatures goes well beyond Cushing. The rest of the cast is just as good. Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, Patrick Allen, and the incredibly beautiful Yvonne Romain are all excellent.

• The Marsh Creatures. The first time the marsh creatures are shown, it's quite a sight. Although not as creepy as the dead horsemen from The Blind Dead series, they're very comparable. Add to that the scarecrow with the moving eyes and you've got a really nice horror moment.

What Doesn't Work:

• Not Enough of the Marsh Creatures. The marsh creatures are the real highlight of the movie for me. But, with only two brief appearances, there is not enough of them. More marsh creatures might have made this a real winner.

• Too Predictable. The big twist ending was, at least for me, telegraphed from a mile away. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that the relationships between the characters are far too easy to predict. There's no subtlety as to what is coming next. The supposed surprise at the end of Night Creatures (which wasn't much of a surprise) really hurt a lot of what came before.

While I may never look at Night Creatures as the best thing Hammer ever did, it's entertaining enough. Ultimately, had the movie provided more in the way of surprises, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it much more. As it is, it's a terrific opportunity to watch two of my favorite actors, Peter Cushing and Oliver Reed, at their best.

"Subterfuge" director Peter Graham Scott's period piece "Night Creatures" (aka "Captain Clegg") qualifies as a rare Hammer film that is neither about supernatural demons nor larger-than-life monsters. Basically, "Night Creatures" concerns British smugglers at war with the Royal Navy. This suspenseful, atmospheric epic came out a year before the Walt Disney picture "Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow" with Patrick McGoohan. Indeed, the uncredited source of John Elder's screenplay with Barbara S. Harper's supplemental dialogue is Russell Thorndike's novel "Dr. Syn." The two films cover roughly the same subject matter, but "Night Passage" director James Neilson's Disney version with McGoohan ranks as the better of the two. Hammer avoided a copyright infringement law suit with Disney by changing the protagonist's name from Dr. Syn to Reverend Blyss. Nevertheless, Hammer serves up an interesting version of its own that ranks as far more realistic. The ending is not as rosy as "Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow" and morality plays an important part in the unhappy conclusion.

"Night Creatures" unfolds with a prologue set in the year 1776 aboard a sailing ship in the tropics. A stocky mulatto seaman (Milton Reid of "The Spy Who Loved Me") is punished for "willfully and maliciously" attacking the wife of the ship's captain, Captain Clegg, and he is sentenced to have both ears slit and his tongue cut out. Furthermore, the Mulatto is abandoned on the nearest uninhabited shore and left tied to a cross with neither food and water and left to die. Mind you, Scott doesn't provide a reversal shot during the sentencing scene so we never know what Captain Clegg looks like, but the Mulatto remembers him as he pleads for mercy. The scene shifts to a church back in England in the year 1792. A narrator provides the following exposition: "The Romney Marshes,--flat and desolate,--was the land of a proud and independent people. Their shores faced the shores of France--and many was the shipload of wine and brandy smuggled across the sea in defiance of the King's revenue men." The narrator pauses and continues, "Many legends have come from this corner of England--but none so widely believed or widely feared,--as the legend of the Marsh Phantoms--who rode the land on dark, misty nights--and struck fear into the hearts of all who crossed their paths . . ."

The Royal Navy dispatches Captain Howard Collier (Patrick Allen of "The Wild Geese") to search for French wine that has been smuggled into England without a tax levied on it. Indeed, somebody is violating the trade embargo against Revolutionary France and Collier and his able-bodied seamen march into a remote British town and turn it upside down. Dr. Blyss (Peter Cushing of "Horror of Dracula") is the village vicar of Dymchurch, a tiny English coastal village, and he welcomes Collier and his men with open arms. Meantime, the people in the village who earn extra income from smuggling set about hiding what is left of what they have. They have created ingenious passageways between various buildings where they have stashed away the untaxed alcohol. The British couldn't have arrived at a worse time because Blyss and company have a rendezvous. Collier, who has been pursuing Clegg on the high seas for years, has brought the Mulatto with him. Collier rescued the mute and plans to use him as a blood hound to sniff out untaxed stores of wine. Blyss and the villagers have their hands full trying to distract Captain Collier. At one point, a frightened villager (Jack MacGowran of "The Exorcist") distracts them while Blyss and company sell their contraband liquor. Eventually, the suspicious Collier threatens to kill the frightened villager if he doesn't take them to the smugglers. Reluctantly, the frightened villagers complies, but Blyss' men have staked out scarecrows as sentinels. Actually, some of the smugglers masquerade as scarecrows to provide an early warning system for their comrades. Meantime, one of the conspirators, an innkeeper Mr. Rash (Martin Benson of "Goldfinger") cracks up and stabs a sailor to death after Blyss has warned him repeatedly not to resort to violence.

Night Creatures a.k.a. Captain Clegg- this little known Hammer period piece outing about alcohol smugglers vs. the law needs a larger audience- the plot is interesting and sometimes you don't know who is suppose to be the good guy or who the bad guys are - after all, the soldiers are trying to enforce the law of the land- but life's complexity intervenes, the issue is not so black and white.

The characterizations here are memorable. Peter Cushing effectively plays a pirate who transformed himself into a humanitarian town pastor; we see scenes where he effortlessly switches his personalty from mild mannered to cut throat seriousness as the occasion requires. Oliver Reed does a good job in his supporting role, and no one can forget the curvaceous (38-22-36 ) Yvonne Romain. You also feel some slight sorrow for the travails of Captain Collier in his dogged pursuit of the smugglers. There is a quasi horror element that is very effective- one would be wise to not go out onto the Romney Marsh! 7 stars.

The great Peter Cushing has one of his most memorable non-horror films as Dr. Blyss, the beloved creature of a small English town where the notorious Captain Clegg was buried years ago after allegedly being hung. The unseen Clegg is first shown condemning the brutal Milton Reid to have his ears cut off and tongue removed and placed on a cross on a deserted island to die in agony. Betrayal was the name of Reid's game, but somehow he survives and ends up in this town accompanied by members of the British Navy on a strange mission. It's pretty obvious what the night creatures looking psychedelic in skeleton attire are, but they do make a nice frame galloping across the marshes and looking quite spooky. That's the one element of horror in the film which also combines piracy, gothic mystery and romance with the star-crossed lovers of the beautiful Yvonne Romain and the dashing Oliver Reed, aided in their quest to be together by the very complex Cushing.

A nice performance by Patrick Allen as the navy captain helps build this up to its mystery being exposed. I was able to figure out what was going on from the start practically, but it was very intriguing to watch everything unfold. The beautiful Hammer color photography is a nice piece of artwork, and the musical score is spectacular. I've seen rhe 1937 version of the "Dr. Syn" story starring George Arliss, and I'm curious to see the Disney version of that same tale released the same year as the Hammer film. Something tells me it will be quite different, not as gruesome in its presentation of certain details in the story, which makes this version a must to see compared to the other two.

One of the most fascinating characters in fiction has always been the Reverend/Dr. Christopher Syn aka. Captain Clegg aka. the Scarecrow; a character who is alternatively hero, villain, and pitiable victim. He's also one of the first character's to fit the archetype of masked hero, making him an interesting precursor to Pulp heroes like the Shadow and later Super Heroes like Batman. Several films have have been made featuring the character, all surprisingly good. Strangely, despite translating well; the character and his film adaptations remain obscure.

Too bad. This film not only remains the best of the three Dr. Syn adaptations, but one of Hammer's finest moments. Possibly a reason for the film's obscurity is that it was marketed as a horror film under the ridiculous name 'Night Creatures' with a rather Blah! premise: Skeleton Horsemen. A shame, the film is a complicated film which works as a mystery, romance, thriller, comedy and historical drama. It may not be a horror film, but don't let that spoil it for you, because it has all the atmosphere and elements that made Hammer the legend it is that could never be booted(although Amicus came damn close!)even if they don't involve real ghosts and goblins.

The film begins firing on all cylinders to an unforgettable opening sequence where a pirate(Big Milton Reid)known as the Mullatto is decreed guilty of raping the wife of ruthless pirate captain Nathaniel Clegg. His tongue is cut out and he is marooned; grunting like an otter.

DAMN!!! Now that's how you begin a thriller! Flash forward to 1792 where a man is mysteriously murdered by a gang of smugglers wearing luminescent skeleton costumes in Romney Marsh, England; it's genuinely scary, with a real Halloween mood. I know I said this wasn't a horror film, but I also said it wouldn't disappoint(Hammer)horror fans either!

The basic plot involves the conflict between the smugglers and King George's Revenue Men and Press Gangs. Reverend Blyss(Peter Cushing as the Dr. Syn character); leader of the smugglers is a stern, but kindly man, and he will stop at nothing to protect his town from the invaders led by Captain Collier(Patrick Allan). All of this leads to conflict inside and out, particularly for star crossed lover's Sir Harry(Oliver Reed)& Imogene(Yvonne Romaine)whose relationship is already pressured by the typical 'Rich boy, poor girl' scenario, Imogenes's lecherous, abusive step dad Mr. Rash is no help either, neither is Harry's duties as Blyss's sidekick, but at least Blyss is kind, almost fatherly to both of them. Things don't look so hot for Rev. Blyss when a certain tongueless member of Collier's crew(found on a desert island..,.hmm...) starts getting violent whenever he sees him...hmmm....and Blyss seems awfully protective of Imogene, who IS a shade darker than everyone else...

What makes the Smugglers vs. Navy plot work is that even though the smugglers are the heroes; the plot isn't in black and white. Collier is a ruthless, nasty man with torture methods almost as bad as Captain Clegg's, but he's also a man of honor, courage and seems to have respect for his adversaries. He IS just doing his job and never seems to gloat over his victories, he's also somewhat dense and ends up the butt of hat jokes by Blyss. But his men are no better than the pirates we see at the beginning, and the abuse they heap on the Mullatto is hard to watch. Sure, he's a rapist and killer, but they don't know that or care and simply tease him for their own amusement. The smugglers, like I said, are the heroes, but they are not glamorous figures. They are simply impoverished, mostly good-natured folk doing whatever they can to make ends meet. But they aren't entirely pitiable either, their methods of smuggling and disguise smack entirely of the KKK. They also systematically murder anyone they see as a traitor, and some, like Rash, are pure evil. Yet, you can't help but want to see the main characters in Blyss's group come out on top. Even the vile Mullatto has a few moments of pathos.

...And the plot thickens when Rash discovers a secret of Imogene's, and the Mullatto get's loose, too....

The greatest strength of the film is that we come to care about the characters, even the villains. And the acting helps the viewer immensely. Peter Cushing is fantastic as Blyss/Clegg. Humorous, sweet, fatherly, but also stern and mysterious. Cushing is so good that he can even portray lying so well that if we didn't know he was lying, we might believe it. Reed is fantastic as Harry; even though you know Ollie would be downing that smuggled wine in real life within minutes. Yvonne Romaine makes for an effective ingénue, but can also defend herself, her search for identity is very convincingly played. Patrick Allen makes Collier a likable character when he could've been a cardboard villain. Milton Reid is terrifying as the Mullatto, but also funny and sad. Michael Ripper also shines as Mipps, the comedy relief church sexton. The cinematography is Oscar-worthy, and the mood is both creepy and adventuresome.

Hunt this one down, you won't regret it. Even if you have to buy it from Marsh smugglers.~