In the 18th century, a Navy captain (Patrick Allen, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth) and his sailors investigate the rampaging “marsh phantoms” terrorizing a coastal town, but their search is hindered by Reverend Dr. Blyss (horror legend Peter Cushing) and a horrifying curse. Directed by Peter Graham Scott, this chiller also stars Oliver Reed (The Curse Of The Werewolf), Yvonne Romain (Circus Of Horrors) and Hammer Films regular Michael Ripper (Quatermass And The Pit).
For thoughts on Night Creatures, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/2W5u38ileqo?t=247]
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray from Scream Factory rescues Night Creatures from a dated master with a mostly pleasing new 2K scan of the interpositive in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The presentation is pretty solid throughout with only the occasional mark against it. This transfer maintains the natural, thick film grain of the presentation and only runs slightly on the soft side in a handful of shots, most likely due to limitations of the original source material. The “Marsh Phantom” scenes look the most ragged, almost assuredly due to how they were filmed. Colors appear stable with some of the environments popping off the screen, and instances of print damage have been cleaned up immensely with only the occasional specks and marks visible. Overall clarity and detail is pretty great with natural skin tones and subtle facial features that are easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels are admirable in their depth with only a few of the darker moments lacking some detail. There is a bit of banding in some scenes, especially the climactic church confrontation. This new presentation from Scream Factory is a strong effort for a Hammer effort that often gets overlooked.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures this story effortlessly. The activity taking place in the church or out on the marsh provides some excellent ambient details. The memorable score from Don Banks comes through beautifully without trodding over the other more subtle elements. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off. Dialogue sounds perfectly clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information. The fights, crashes and other sounds of confrontation are given the appropriate weight within the mix. This is a well-done, balanced mix that more than does the trick.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Bruce Hallenbeck provides a new, deeply informative commentary track in which he discusses the careers of the talent involved, where this fits into the Hammer Films catalog, the troubles the popped up during development and production, the locations in the film, the special effects, the “Halloween” aspects of the picture, the direction of the picture and more. This is a great track to listen to if you want to appreciate the film even more.
- Pulp Friction – The Cinematic Captain Clegg: An excellent new 22-minute exploration by Author/Film Historian Kim Newman in which he delves into the literary inspiration for the film, the tangled legal web of the movie rights, the careers of the creatives involved and how they connect to similar projects, the history of the title, the unmade Hammer film that he most wishes had materialized, the idea of a potential franchise, the aesthetic of the film, the film’s legacy and more.
- The Hamme Must Fall – Peter Cushing’s Changing Directions: A new 28-minute interview with Author/Film Historian Jonathan Rigby in which he details the career of Peter Cushing, where he was at the time of making Night Creatures, the fears he had of being typecast, the genre tightrope walking of the film, the roles he took following this project, the difference in his roles on television and film, his work on stage, his comedic range and more.
- Making Of Captain Clegg: A 32-minute featurette hosted by Author Wayne Kinsey and narrated by John Caron which details the landscape in which Night Creatures was developed, the complicated adaptation history, other versions of the Doctor Syn features, the casting of the film, the rundown of the production, the film’s theatrical release and more. This piece covers a lot of the information relayed in some of the other supplements, but there is a nice cohesiveness here that is aided by vintage pictures and promotional material.
- The Mossman Legacy – George Mossman’s Carriage Collection: A seven-minute featurette which takes a closer look at the career of George Mossman, his passion for the preservation of horse-drawn carriages, and their use in Hammer Films productions.
- Brian With Bowie: An eight-minute interview with special effects assistant Brian Johnson in which shares his memories of his mentor Les Bowie, how he became involved in the production, Bowie’s transitioning from the war to working in special effects, and much more that is quite fascinating.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
- Still Gallery: A collection of images from the film is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Night Creatures is a bit of a departure for fans who mostly rely on Hammer for their focus on horror, but even those people will find some creepy elements to appreciate in this one. Peter Cushing once again makes quite an impression as this sly man of God who is up to more than he lets on at first. As a swashbuckling mystery, this film provides a compelling enough narrative and some showdowns that will quicken your pulse. It is not the strongest film from the Hammer catalog, but it is a fun watch all the same. Scream Factory has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a wonderful array of special features. Fans who have been waiting for this one to be treated with care should be thrilled by what this company has delivered. Recommended
Night Creatures (Collector’s Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
