The Reptile

The Reptile
by John Gilling

The Reptile
List Price: $29.98
Our Price: $29.90
You Save: $0.08 (0%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $14.80 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Jacqueline Pearce, Jennifer Daniel, Michael Ripper, Noel Willman, Ray Barrett
Director: John Gilling
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-11-02
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay

Movie Reviews of The Reptile

Movie Review: Avoid any Cornish village populated by residents who are all in denial
Summary: 5 Stars

Others have written excellent plot summaries of The Reptile, so I will go right to what I like so much about it:
1. The cast is outstanding. Michael Ripper, who is in almost all Hammer films and hardly ever plays someone of any intellect, is featured more in The Reptile. This role is actually a change of pace for him and it's good to see him getting to do more.
2. The Reptile is a companion piece to Plague of the Zombies--same director, screenwriter, sets, and some of the same cast. It had to have been made around the same time as Plague.
3. Anyone who likes Plague of the Zombies (which I consider to be a masterpiece) should like The Reptile. I think The Reptile is just as well made as Plague--certainly just as atmospheric and suspenseful.

I sometimes get annoyed with the limitations of Hammer films--repeated use of same sets, formula plotting, never actually filming at night, and whatnot. But when I try to name examples of similarly themed and plotted stories which have been filmed more expertly, I realize there aren't any!
The strengths of Hammer outweigh the weaknesses.

The Reptile is evidently still in print on a double feature version with The Lost Continent. Since I have chosen not to review The Lost Continent (which is hokey but enjoyable and somewhat imaginative) I'm reviewing the out of print single edition of Reptile.

I highly recommend The Reptile to Hammer devotees and also think it is well enough done to convert others.

Summary of The Reptile

John Gilling shot this supernatural thriller after wrapping Plague of the Zombies, using that film's locale and even some of the same sets. Noel Willman stars as the mysterious Dr. Franklyn, a reclusive nobleman with a beautiful daughter (Jacqueline Pearce) he keeps hidden away--and for good reason. His daughter carries a curse, the result of his forays into forbidden knowledge in the Far East, and transforms into an uncontrollable, snakelike creature who preys upon the local villagers. Gilling's spooky, mist-enshrouded countryside and foreboding interior atmosphere is undercut somewhat by Pearce's unconvincing makeup, but her freakish appearance is still startling and the gruesome corpses she leaves in her wake are genuinely unsettling. The film has been remastered from the original 35mm negatives in the Hammer vaults and letterboxed to its original aspect ratio. --Sean Axmaker

Art House & International DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in General Zombie's Movies Watched in 06/07 (Minus '06 repeats)
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition) ImageGladiator (Widescreen Edition)
Paramount; Release date: 2003-08-19; DVD
Best price: $9.72
Price in other shops: $19.99
TCM Archives - The Lon Chaney Collection (The Ace of Hearts / Laugh, Clown, Laugh / The Unknown) ImageTCM Archives - The Lon Chaney Collection (The Ace of Hearts / Laugh, Clown, Laugh / The Unknown)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2003-10-28; DVD
Best price: $29.53
Price in other shops: $39.98
Sleepaway Camp ImageSleepaway Camp
Release date: 2000-08-08; DVD
Best price: $4.10
Price in other shops: $9.98
The Duellists ImageThe Duellists
Paramount; Release date: 2002-12-03; DVD
Best price: $8.17
Price in other shops: $14.98
Dust Devil - The Final Cut ImageDust Devil - The Final Cut
Ryko Distribution; Release date: 2006-09-26; DVD
Best price: $11.51
Price in other shops: $19.95
Behind the Mask - The Rise of Leslie Vernon ImageBehind the Mask - The Rise of Leslie Vernon
STARZ HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2007-06-26; DVD
Best price: $5.82
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Enforcer ImageThe Enforcer
Release date: 2001-11-20; DVD
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $14.98
Kingdom of Heaven (2-Disc Widescreen Edition) ImageKingdom of Heaven (2-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Release date: 2005-10-11; DVD
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops: $19.98
The Abandoned ImageThe Abandoned
Lions Gate; Release date: 2007-06-19; DVD
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Outlaw Josey Wales ImageThe Outlaw Josey Wales
Release date: 2001-11-20; DVD
Best price: $7.11
Price in other shops: $12.98
Similar DVD Movies
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein) ImageHammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Universal; Release date: 2005-09-06; DVD
Best price: $19.45
Price in other shops: $29.98
Reptilicus ImageReptilicus
Release date: 2001-08-28; DVD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Alligator People ImageThe Alligator People
Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $4.06
Price in other shops: $9.98
The Horror of Frankenstein ImageThe Horror of Frankenstein
Release date: 2001-08-07; DVD
Best price: $13.51
Price in other shops: $24.97
The Curse of Frankenstein ImageThe Curse of Frankenstein
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2002-10-01; DVD
Best price: $5.37
Price in other shops: $12.98
The Skull ImageThe Skull
Release date: 2008-06-03; DVD
Best price: $6.67
Price in other shops: $14.95
Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (2-disc) (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / Scream of Fear / The Gorgon) ImageIcons of Horror: Hammer Films (2-disc) (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / Scream of Fear / The Gorgon)
Sony; Release date: 2008-10-14; DVD
Best price: $16.11
Price in other shops: $24.96
The Mummy ImageThe Mummy
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2001-10-09; DVD
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops: $9.98
The Mummy's Shroud ImageThe Mummy's Shroud
Release date: 2000-07-25; DVD
Best price: $38.59
The Plague of the Zombies ImageThe Plague of the Zombies
Release date: 1999-11-02; DVD
Best price: $29.99
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners