Night Creatures (1962)

In 18th-century England, the Royal Crown sends Royal Navy Captain Collier and his crew to investigate reports of illegal smuggling and bootlegging in a coastal town where locals believe in Marsh Phantoms.

Director:

Peter Graham Scott

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (screenplay) (as John Elder), Barbara S. Harper (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Peter Cushing, Yvonne Romain, Patrick Allen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Cushing	...	Rev. Dr. Blyss
Yvonne Romain	...	Imogene - serving wench
Patrick Allen	...	Captain Collier
Oliver Reed	...	Harry Cobtree
Michael Ripper	...	Jeremiah Mipps (coffinmaker)
Martin Benson	...	Mr. Rash (innkeeper)
David Lodge	...	Navy Bosun
Derek Francis	...	Squire Anthony Cobtree
Daphne Anderson	...	Mrs. Rash
Milton Reid	...	Mulatto
Jack MacGowran	...	Frightened Man
Peter Halliday	...	1st Sailor Jack Pott
Terry Scully	...	2nd Sailor Dick Tate
Sydney Bromley	...	Old Tom Ketch
Rupert Osborne	...	Gerry (as Rupert Osborn)

Storyline

In this engaging costume melodrama of skulduggery on the low seas set back in the 18th-century, the Royal Crown suspects a bit of smuggling is going on in this locale, and they send Captain Collier and his crew to check it out. As the Captain gets into his investigation, mysterious swamp phantoms cloud up the real issue which seems plain enough to see. Captain Collier suspects that the odd village vicar might be hiding something, and what better way to do that than by fortuitous ghosts to scare away the curious, or by posing as someone he is not?

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Plot Keywords:

18th century | year 1792 | smuggling | marsh | horse riding | 

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Taglines:

What is the blood freezing secret of the night creatures?

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Genres:

Adventure | Horror

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night Creatures

Filming Locations:

All Saints Church, Oakley Green Road, Bray, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films, Major Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was based on Russell Thorndike's "Doctor Syn - A Tale of Romney Marsh," but Dr. Syn's name was changed to Blyss to avoid legal problems with Walt Disney, who claimed exclusive rights to Thorndike's stories.

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Goofs

The tavern scenes feature a modern violin.

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Quotes

Imogene - serving wench: Well if youv,e all done staring.
1st Sailor Jack Pott: If it,s all the same to you miss i,d like a few minutes more.

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Connections

Remake of Doctor Syn (1937)

User Reviews

Lost Hammer treasure

I'd be lying if I said that Night Creatures is one of Hammer's finest hours, but even with lesser material; the studio manages to inject lots of fun into the proceeds, and the stellar cast shines throughout. This is actually something of a departure from the studio's usual horror fare, and it actually reminds me more of Fritz Lang's Moonfleet than the rest of the studio's output. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. My favourite aspect of Hammer's work is that you can always expect lots of imagination and films that are different from the norm, and so this film delivers on that front. The story follows the fortunes of a society of smugglers, lead by the upstanding citizen and reverend, Dr Blyss and kept in fear by the sinister threat of the phantoms that roam the surrounding marshes. The king decides to dispatch a troop of his best men to investigate the allegations of smuggling, and while there they find that local superstitions of 'marsh phantoms' may actually be true. This isn't the only thing they discover, and as the story moves on; we find that not everything in this society is what it seems.

The main downfall for this film is the plotting. When it gets going, it's actually quite exciting; but the film can be dull during it's downtime and this brings the positive elements down with it. The fact that there isn't a great deal of horror doesn't help it either, especially since it's billed as horror along with most of the rest of Hammer's oeuvre. There's some good imagery on display, however, and the phantoms themselves represent the best of it. They really have to be seen to be believed. In today's age of special effects, it makes you wonder how Hammer ever thought they could get away with it - but not only have they done just that, they've made it work to the film's advantage! The effects are extremely silly, but they fit so well with the rest of the film that I wouldn't have it any other way. The cast is excellent, with Hammer icon Peter Cushing delivering an excellent camp performance, and Oliver Reed not far behind him in terms of the billing. Hammer stalwart Michael Ripper ensures that we know it's a Hammer film, and on the whole; despite not being one of the studio's masterpieces, this flawed film is well worth seeing for the Hammer fan. And now that there's a shiny new DVD out...nobody has an excuse not to!