Pirates and Ghouls
I’m kicking off another marathon “Netflix Diary” adventure, wherein I review everything that comes to me via Netflix — good for forcing me to review outside my comfort zone and diversify the contents of Teleport City. Although our first film, A Hammer Studios pirate film with guys dressed up in skeleton suits, hardly finds us in uncharted waters…
NIGHT CREATURES (aka CAPTAIN CLEGG)
Things start off piratey enough, with the mutilation and stranding of a crew member for attacking the wife of the captain, a mysterious and ruthless pirate by the name of Clegg. Leaving the dastardly crewman to his fate sans food, water, ears, or tongue, the film then skips ahead a number of years to the remote British town of Dymchurch, which is being visited by no-nonsense British Navy captain Collier who suspects the small hamlet of being an offloading center for liquor smugglers. But Dymchurch hardly seems to be a den of smugglers and rapscallions, populated as it is by jolly coffin makers, upstanding squires, upstanding squire’s sons, and the benign local parson, Blyss. Collier, however, is an experienced hand at flushing out smugglers, so he’s hardly taken in by innocent looks alone.
Mogambo is not pleased, but he is mildly satisfied »
Comments
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: March 24, 2008, 7:21 am
Does that mean you’re going to get to the Sci-fi original “Skeleton Man” pretty soon?
Comment from KeithA
Time: March 24, 2008, 10:33 am
I’m pleased that “Guys Dressed as Skeletons” has become a little mini-genre as well. And it gets better, since the next movie I’m reviewing is “Phantom of Soho” which features someone dressed as a skeleton!
Blake: I’ve seen it. But I think I’ll leave reviewing the Sci-Fi original movies to other, hardier individuals. I can watch ‘em all day, but think about them afterward?
Comment from Ed
Time: March 24, 2008, 11:33 am
Nice to see another Hammer review. Have you seen The Reptile? It’s a fairly decent, moody entry from the late sixties. Pretty decent monster makeup in it.
Comment from KeithA
Time: March 24, 2008, 2:11 pm
You know, I’ve never seen The Reptile. It’s been on the list, but the list is pretty long.
Comment from lyzard
Time: March 25, 2008, 3:55 pm
Oh, man, I LOVE The Reptile….and not just for the obvious, Lyzian reason, either. I’d call the makeup job more than just “decent”: it’s one of my favourites.
Comment from lyzard
Time: March 25, 2008, 3:58 pm
Also, may I just say that I love the character name compromise that saw our head smuggler turned from “Syn” to “Blyss”? Dr Syn is on here a lot in the wee hours of the morning, and we always end up watching it again.
Comment from Blake Matthews
Time: March 25, 2008, 6:15 pm
I always thought the death scenes in The Reptile were pretty scary. One of my favorite books about monster movies as a child featured the Reptile on the cover, but the film was never mentioned even once in the book itself.
Comment from Ed
Time: March 25, 2008, 11:51 pm
In looking over it again, I agree, Liz. Considering the film was made way before the big 80’s horror boom, the makeup is pretty terrific.
Comment from Loki
Time: March 24, 2008, 1:44 am
I love the fact that you have “Guys Dressed as Skeletons” as a category unto itself.