(Warning: Possible Spoilers)
Making my way through the Universal Hammer set, I was going to save this one for last as it didn't sound very promising. Boy, was I suprised! Night Creatures is the kind of rousing, old-time swashbuckler I thought went out with Erroll Flynn. I think it's based on the Dr. Syn stories of Russell Thorndyke, which I vaguely remember from the Disney show, but for some reason, he's called Dr. Bliss in this version. It has a strong resemblence to Treasure Island and Kidnapped--there's even a young boy at the inn who's a dead ringer for Bobby Driscoll. On top of that it's got a barrelload of classic "Hammerisms": busty wenches, rowdy taverns, grave robbings, the same staircases and cellars I've seen in countless Dracula movies. The 'marsh phantom' effects are startlingly good--I wonder how they did it in '60?
I'm loving this Hammer set, and so far Night Creatures is one of the best.
Making my way through the Universal Hammer set, I was going to save this one for last as it didn't sound very promising. Boy, was I suprised! Night Creatures is the kind of rousing, old-time swashbuckler I thought went out with Erroll Flynn. I think it's based on the Dr. Syn stories of Russell Thorndyke, which I vaguely remember from the Disney show, but for some reason, he's called Dr. Bliss in this version. It has a strong resemblence to Treasure Island and Kidnapped--there's even a young boy at the inn who's a dead ringer for Bobby Driscoll. On top of that it's got a barrelload of classic "Hammerisms": busty wenches, rowdy taverns, grave robbings, the same staircases and cellars I've seen in countless Dracula movies. The 'marsh phantom' effects are startlingly good--I wonder how they did it in '60?
I'm loving this Hammer set, and so far Night Creatures is one of the best.
