Hey gang. Just watched THE REPTILE for the first time with my girlfriend and I gotta say, it creeped the heck outta me.
Back story: when I was about 10, I borrowed a book on vampires from the local library. On one of the pages was a picture of Jaquline Peirce in full Reptile makeup and, as a ten year old it really frightened me. Fast forward 10 years and my girlfriend presents me with the 21 disc Hammer box set (she really is an angel). Having never seen THE REPTILE, though I had always wanted to, we popped it in last night and what a film it was.
Having sat through and been unimpressed by the stuff people usually refer to as "the scariest film in the world" (THE EXORCIST, TEXAS CHAIN SAW et al) I was really impressed at how damn creepy THE REPTILE is. Not wetting your pants scary, but weird and creepy and everything a good horror film should be.
The whole shedding her skin thing bugged me out something rotten, and then later when her hand curls round the door and she enters, hissing. Wow.
I'd always read that the makeup was subpar, but I disagree. Whilst in stills it looks a little hokey, it works in the film. Fast cuts and low lighting help, of course, but I found it legitamatley creepy.
Also nice was seeing Michael Ripper in a semi-starring role - and the guy from "Dad's Army" too! Also, I was never impressed by Jaqueline Peirce in PLAUGE OF THE ZOMBIES, but she's rather pretty in this one. When she's not in the Reptile makeup, of course.
I understand that there were several test makeups prior to the final one - anyone got any pics?
All in all, a darn fine film.
Back story: when I was about 10, I borrowed a book on vampires from the local library. On one of the pages was a picture of Jaquline Peirce in full Reptile makeup and, as a ten year old it really frightened me. Fast forward 10 years and my girlfriend presents me with the 21 disc Hammer box set (she really is an angel). Having never seen THE REPTILE, though I had always wanted to, we popped it in last night and what a film it was.
Having sat through and been unimpressed by the stuff people usually refer to as "the scariest film in the world" (THE EXORCIST, TEXAS CHAIN SAW et al) I was really impressed at how damn creepy THE REPTILE is. Not wetting your pants scary, but weird and creepy and everything a good horror film should be.
The whole shedding her skin thing bugged me out something rotten, and then later when her hand curls round the door and she enters, hissing. Wow.
I'd always read that the makeup was subpar, but I disagree. Whilst in stills it looks a little hokey, it works in the film. Fast cuts and low lighting help, of course, but I found it legitamatley creepy.
Also nice was seeing Michael Ripper in a semi-starring role - and the guy from "Dad's Army" too! Also, I was never impressed by Jaqueline Peirce in PLAUGE OF THE ZOMBIES, but she's rather pretty in this one. When she's not in the Reptile makeup, of course.
I understand that there were several test makeups prior to the final one - anyone got any pics?
All in all, a darn fine film.
