The Reptile Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Reptile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson February 1, 2021

The Reptile (1966) was an attempt by Hammer Films to expand its assembly line of creature features, which were comprised mostly of mummies, vampires, werewolves, and zombies. The London studio introduced a female squamata (the largest order of reptilia) in the form of a half-human, half snake. As TCM's Jeff Stafford has noted, Hammer had been trending in the direction of "she-creatures" with such films as The Brides of Dracula (1960) and The Gorgon (1964). The Reptile was filmed right after The Plague of the Zombies and used some of the same sets on the Bray lot. Veteran director John Gilling took full advantage of these as he did the Oakland Court, which the crew used for the film's Franklyn manor.

The Reptile begins with a wanderer (David Baron) who finds his way first through a cottage at Larkrise and then a nearby manor house. The man ascends a staircase and goes through a corridor before he's warned by a man with a cane not to go any further. A terrible accident occurs and Harry George Spalding (Ray Barrett) learns the next day that it was his brother who plummeted the stairs. He and his wife, Valerie (Jennifer Daniel), are moving into the same cottage but it's cramped with furniture that hasn't been arranged. A perplexed Harry visits the Cornish village pub for an explanation but none of the locals want to fraternize with a stranger. Barkeeper Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper) warns Harry of a "Black Death" sweeping the country as does Mad Peter (John Laurie), the village eccentric. Harry and Valerie receive oddly timed unsolicited visits from Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman). He's an elegantly dressed gentleman who has peculiar quirks to go with a pessimistic demeanor. Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), the doctor's Anglo-Indian daughter, also enters the cottage without an invite but makes Valerie more homey with flowers. Always watching is lurker Malay, the Franklyns' servant. What is he really up to?

The Reptile is quite different from other Hammer productions I've seen and while its relative originality is a plus, it tips its cap too early in the first reel about who the villains will be. The plot is a slow-burn and I felt that it needed more action throughout its elongated second act. There's a backstory about a snake cult in Bornea that's lacking in exposition and explication. Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel are average as the two leads. Michael Ripper and John Laurie give the film the added spice that it needs.

The Reptile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's release of The Reptile comes on a single BD-50. The picture is presented in two aspect ratios – 1.66:1 (located in "Bonus" on the menu) and 1.85:1. My colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov covered the 1.66:1 transfer on Studio Canal's 2012 UK "Special Edition." Scream uses the same restoration that was performed by Pinewood Studios in the early 2010s. The DeLuxe color looks resplendent during daytime interior and exterior scenes (see Screenshot #s 2 and 3). Jacqueline Pearce's wine gown and shawl look ravishing (see frame grab #s 9, 13, & 19). Some filtering has been applied, though, particularly when we compare nighttime outdoor shots. First assistant director William P. Cartlidge observes in an interview on this disc that the exteriors don't look as authentic as he remembers them. It's doubtful that he was consulted when Pinewood undertook the restoration about a decade earlier. Technical restoration manager Jon Mann remarks on a recycled featurette that he had to do some guesswork when he and his technicians did new color grading. The opening shots display scattered grain that suffer from poor contrast (see #15 and #12 from a later scene). A shot of the Malay watching in the rear (with some light in the frame) shows some scrub work was done after the coarse-looking shots at the start of the film. Scream has encoded the 1.85:1 version with a mean video bitrate of 32000 kbps, while the 1.66:1 receives 24000 kbps. Both use the MPEG-4 AVC codec. My video score is 3.75.

Screenshots 1-15 = 1.85:1 Version
Screenshots 16-20 = 1.66:1 Version

Scream provides twelve chapters for the 91-minute feature.

The Reptile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied an English DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono (1576 kbps, 24-bit) as the lone sound track for the 1.85:1. The 1.66:1 receives only a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono mix. By comparison, Studio Canal delivered an LPCM Dual Mono mix (1536 kbps, 16-bit). Dialogue is clean and understandable. There's a faint hiss on the DTS-HD MA but it isn't at all distracting. Composer Don Banks inventively incorporates the glissando and what sounds like a zither or harp. This contrasts nicely with an oriental theme. The Reptile also features one of the first uses of the sitar in a film. The diegetic performance sounds excellent.

The optional English SDH are accurate and complete.

The Reptile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Scream Factory licensed nearly all the extras from the Blu-rays available in Australia, Germany, and the UK. It dropped the Studio Canal restoration comparison. The audio commentary with Dr. Rolf Giesen and Volker Kronz on the DE Anolis Entertainment BD/DVD combo, which is delivered in German (sans subtitles), was a home market exclusive. Also on the discs is a video commentary with the same two, who speak in English this time. Scream didn't port over either but recorded a recent commentary and also filmed a new interview.

• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Haberman, Constantine Nasr, and Ted Newsom (on the 1.85:1 version) - a commentary by three Hammer savants that works well for the most part. Haberman and Nasr have the most to say about The Reptile's production history and its filmmakers. Newsom is by far the most opinionated of the trio. He tends to editorialize a bit too much and doesn't always have his content points in order. It would have been better if he had his remarks scripted. For instance, he says "watchacallit" when he can't find the right word. Haberman and Nasr are more on cue. They compare The Reptitle's opening scenes to a narrative strategy Hitchcock famously employed in Psycho. Another valuable section in the track is their discussion of differences between the script and final film version. They acknowledge that more research is needed into different drafts of the screenplay. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Interview with First Assistant Director William P. Cartlidge (21:39, 1080p) - Cartlidge looks backs to the beginning of his movie career when he worked in the stills department. He also explains how nepotism was his entry card into the industry and how his association with Michael Carreras, a partner in Hammer, came about courtesy of his father. Additionally, Cartlidge recounts working with John Gilling and describes the movie's sets. In English, not subtitled.

• The Serpent's Tale: The Making of The Reptile (22:45, 1080p) - this is the same mini-doc that was included on the three European BDs of The Reptile. We hear from Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn, actor/writer Mark Gatiss, author Jonathan Rigby, Hammer film music expert David Huckvale, author Wayne Kinsey, and art director Don Mingaye. Lastly Jon Mann, technical restoration manager at Pinewood Studios, delivers a few insights on his thought process of restoring The Reptile.

• The World of Hammer: "Wicked Women" (24:52, upscaled to 1080p) - this is the same TV episode from 1990 that appeared on the Studio Canal "Special Edition" of The Reptile. Narrated in English (by Oliver Reed), not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailers (5:30, 1080p) - two UK theatrical trailers created to promote the double bill of Rasputin: The Mad Monk and The Reptile, which included free beards for patrons! The sound has been restored but colors haven't been corrected.

• TV Spots (1:26, upscaled to 1080i) - two restored spots, each presented in black and white, for the double feature of Rasputin: The Mad Monk and The Reptile.

• Still Gallery (3:47, 1080i) - a slide show consisting of forty-three still images. The first thirty-four present black-and-white photos from Fox's press kit, including snapshots from the shoot and behind-the-scenes. The last nine stills are in color.

• Poster and Lobby Card Gallery (4:50, 1080i) - another slide show comprising of sixty-three images. They're a mixture of theatrical poster sheets, lobby cards, and promotional ad pieces. They derive from US and international marketing campaign materials.

The Reptile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Reptile is a pretty good Hammer outing that offers some replay value. It reminds me of the Universal monster movies, notably The Mummy (1932), The Wolf Man (1941), and especially She-Wolf of London (1946). I'm glad that Scream Factory has given it a North American debut on Blu-ray. It only played in the US as part of double- and triple-features at the drive-ins and small theaters in the late Sixties. The transfer that Scream Factory has pulled from is somewhat inconsistent, as are the grain levels. Supplements mostly duplicate what's on the other BDs, with a very good group commentary and interview with an AD as the two latest additions. RECOMMENDED for the Hammer crowd.