Night Creatures

 

Though I am generally not a huge fan of horror movies, there is something about Hammer Films that I really dig.  The studio produced a huge slew of horror films in the 1950s and 1960s, many starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.  Many of the films were not great, but they had a goofy gothic charm that I really enjoyed.  I've seen a lot of movies by the studio over the years.   And after watching The Curse of the Werewolf, I had to ask myself whether it would be wise to stop.  Was I now scraping the bottom of the barrel?  Had I already seen all the good movies and was now just torturing myself with the dreck?  

And then I came across Night Creatures, otherwise known as Captain Clegg, which is an odd little film.  It's really a movie that shouldn't work.  And truth be told, it kind of doesn't.  But also, truth be told, I kinda don't care.  Night Creatures is silly fun, and I enjoyed myself! 

In a small village along the coast of England, Captain Collier (Patrick Allen, Dial M for Murder) of the Royal Navy arrives to investigate reports of illegal smuggling and piracy.  He suspects that an infamous pirate named Captain Clegg is responsible.  But Clegg has been dead for years, and the local villagers are too worried about the haunted marshes to be thinking about bootlegging.  You see, there are these phantoms deep in the marshes, glowing skeletons that ride out of the darkness, literally frightening people to death with their sheer presence.  Captain Collier thinks this is all a ridiculous distraction, but it will only be a matter of time before his investigation crosses paths with...the Night Creatures!!  

In the town, we have an assortment of odd characters, including the gentle Reverend Blyss (Peter Cushing, Horror of Dracula), his ward Imogene (Yvonne Romain, The Curse of the Werewolf), coffin maker Jeremiah Mipps (Michael Ripper, The Reptile), innkeeper Mister Rash (Martin Benson, Goldfinger) and Harry Cobtree (Oliver Reed, Gladiator), the son of the local government official.  These characters all take turns "helping" Captain Collier when actually frustrating his efforts.  

I guess this is a SPOILER, but not really since the movie reveals certain facts very early on.  The entire town is in on this bootlegging operation, which is led by the Reverend Blyss.  Their challenge is to somehow try and keep to their schedule while Captain Collier is sniffing around.  

Of course, it would make more sense if the criminals would just stop their activities for a day or two until Collier leaves.  And once you think about that, you start realizing that the most of the plot just breaks down under even a little bit of scrutiny. "Well, how did that happen?" "Why did he do that?" "How is that possible?"   Even the secret of the Night Creatures is a huge disappointment and a fun idea that never lives up to its potential.  On paper, this is probably not a particularly good movie.  

So why did I like it?  I enjoyed the Gothic Hammer atmosphere which is well utilized here.  I thought the concept of an entire town of bootleggers was interesting, and there are some genuinely fun and creative flourishes in their plotting.  But most of all, Night Creatures brings in Hammer's most reliable weapon: the always watchable Peter Cushing, who just elevates everything he is in.  Whether he is in kindly reverend mode or ruthless pirate leader mode, Cushing is just on a different level than the rest of the cast.  

So do I recommend Night Creatures?   Yes, I would.  But take that recommendation with a grain of salt.  It's definitely one of the lesser Hammer Films.  If Hammer isn't your thing, then I would avoid it.  This isn't the movie that will change your mind!  But personally, I really enjoyed it.  

MVP:

My love for Peter Cushing is no secret.  I've liked him since I was a little kid and I realized he was the one guy in the original Star Wars who could boss Darth Vader around.  He elevates Night Creatures, especially when he is allowed to dump his gentle reverend cover and go into ruthless pirate captain mode.  The film is constantly in danger of being overwhelmed by its plot contrivances, and then Peter Cushing shows up and all is forgotten and forgiven.  If that is not an MVP performance, I don't know what is.  

BEST LINE:

Captain Collier: Did you sleep last night? 

Reverend Blyss: Why, exceptionally well.  And you?  Oh no, you were out looking for the phantoms, weren't you?  Of course!  Don't tell me you've only just returned.

Captain Collier: Yes.

Reverend Blyss: Dear me, you must have walked a long way.  Did you have any luck?

Captain Collier: Yes and no.

Reverend Blyss: That's comprehensive, anyway.  

TRIVIA: 

I have two fun bits of trivia here.  As I mentioned, the original title of this movie was Captain Clegg, and in most of the world, that is what most people call the film.  However, in the United States, the film was called Night Creatures.  What happened behind the scenes was this: Hammer had planned on producing an adaptation of the classic horror story I Am Legend.  They were going to call the film Night Creatures.  But the British censors warned the studio that they would never allow the film to be made, so those plans had to be abandoned.  The problem is that Hammer already promised a film called Night Creatures to the U.S. distributors.   So they hastily changed the title of this film and the rest is history. 

I have to be honest.  That bit of trivia also makes me a bit sad.  Can you imagine a Hammer version of I Am Legend with Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee in the lead?  That would have been amazing.  

The second bit of trivia is about the small town where the film was made, Denham.  The red brick house where Reverend Blyss lives was actually the home of legendary producer Alexander Korda (The Third Man) and his wife Merle Oberon (Wuthering Heights).  The house was later owned by Sir John Mills (the father in Swiss Family Robinson).  Years later, Mills' daughter, Hayley Mills from The Parent Trap restored the local windmill, which can also be seen in the film.  

The Curse of the Werewolf

 

When I finished watching The Curse of the Werewolf, my first thoughts were, "Woof!  What a bad movie."  That line just kept popping into my head - and honestly, I didn't even think about it being a pun until a few minutes later.  I promptly rolled my eyes and thought, well, I can't start a review that way.  People will hate me.  And yet, here I am.  

The Curse of the Werewolf?  Woof!  What a bad movie!  

I know there is a lot of love out there for this movie, but I just felt it was a bore and tedious to get through.  I understand that Hammer Films are not striving for Oscars, but there is a Gothic charm to a lot of them, and a lot of creative and exciting reimagining of iconic horror creatures like vampires, mummies and even Frankenstein's monster.  So I'll give The Curse of the Werewolf some props for taking some chances, but the film is full of creative misstep after creative misstep.  It's just bad.  

One fateful day, a poor beggar (Richard Wordworth, Revenge of Frankenstein) visits a local lord's house during his wedding day.  After the local lord (Anthony Dawsen, Dr. No) abuses him for quite some time to entertain the wedding guests, the beggar is imprisoned in the castle dungeons.  There, he is forgotten by almost everyone.  Years pass.  And only the poor, mute servant girl who serves him his food shows him any kindness.  More years pass.  The servant girl grows up into a beautiful young woman played by Yvonne Romain (Night Creatures), and the villainous lord takes notice.  When she refuses his advances, she is also thrown into the dungeon.  The beggar, now mad and feral, inexplicably rapes her and then promptly - and without explanation - dies.  The servant girl escapes the castle and soon gives birth to little Leon - a poor baby whose circumstances of conception were so horrible that he is forever tainted by the... CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF.  

I know that local censors of the day would rant and rave about the shocking sadism in the Hammer Films.  These movies, with their emphasis on blood and eroticism, were shocking for the late 1950s and early 1960s, but I really think these complaints were the silly and overblown grumblings of stodgy old critics.  But with The Curse of the Werewolf, they probably had a point.  The first half of the movie is really full of distasteful and, yes, sadistic material.  They just pushed it a bit too far.  

If this sadism had a point, if it led to anything interesting in the second half, I suppose the film could be forgiven.  But it never does.  Leon (played as an adult by Oliver Reed from Gladiator) struggles with his curse as his adoptive father Alfredo (Clifford Evans, Kiss of the Vampire) tries to help him. And the movie just bounces from one stupid plot point after plot.

Here's one example.  When he is a boy, Leon turns into a werewolf and attacks some local goat herds.  The night watchman shoots at what he thinks is a wolf, and though we don't see Leon get hit, there is some blood on the ground.  Cut to the next scene with Alfredo removing the bullet, not knowing Leon had snuck out (or transformed into a werewolf), and asking in a way that I think is way too casual, hey, do you happen to know how you got shot while you were sleeping last night?  Leon doesn't remember...and that's the end of that.  

Woof!  This movie stinks.  

In fairness, it's not a complete disaster.  The werewolf make-up is pretty good.  I know in some production stills you can find online, it looks a bit dodgy, but in action the makeup is definitely effective, especially when matched by Oliver Reed's committed, snarly performance.  And in general, Oliver Reed and Clifford Evans are both great actors and are always engaging, even when the film is not.  They do the best they can with the material.   I'm just shocked by how bad this material is.  This was made by Hammer's best director, Terence Fisher, who had successfully rebooted the other iconic horror characters for the studio.  So I'm not sure what happened here.  You have a disturbing and sadistic first half and a pretty routine and boring second half.  Save yourself from the curse, and skip this movie!  

MVP: 

I will probably have to go with Clifford Evans.  Oliver Reed is good in the role, but I do feel like they missed an opportunity with his character.  A good boy, stoically trying to suppress his urges, does not play to Reed's strengths.  Though he gives a good performance, Reed is best when you let him dial it up all the way to eleven (which he does get to do in wolf form).  Whereas Evans does a very good job of reigning everything in.  He's a calm and collected doctor who adopts Leon after his mother dies, and once he learns about the curse, he does a great job of telegraphing the horror without going over the top.  He brings more of a weary resolve to the role and is focused on what he should do to save his son, as opposed to overplaying the terror of it all.  Now that I am writing this, I guess that makes Leon's character work.   It makes sense that this man was raised by Alfredo.  They are both kind people not given to huge displays of emotion.   So I suppose from a script and direction standpoint, that works. But it still doesn't play to Reed's strengths, while Evans fits the role perfectly.  Anyways, that's a ramble.  Clifford Evans gets my MVP!    

BEST LINE:

Shepherd 1: I lost three goats last night!

Shepherd 2: I lost two.

Night Watchman: I can't help it if things won't die when I shoot them. 

TRIVIA: 

I have two bits of trivia for you.  First of all, in the original script, the beggar was actually a werewolf, which is even more awful but at least explains why Leon is also a werewolf.  But that was too much for the censors.  They drew the line and the scene had to be rewritten.  

On a more fun note, Oliver Reed liked to drive home in full makeup, just to freak out other commuters on the road!