Captain Collier: “A scarecrow that bled. . . Why did you flinch when I touched your arm??
Dr. Blyss: “It wasn’t my arm, Captain. You trod on my foot.”
Leaning heavily into advertising their latest picture as a horror film, Hammer promptly used its trailers and advertising posters to highlight those spooky aspects, going so far as to name it Night Creatures (1962) for the United States market, while in England, they went with the more accurate title of Captain Clegg – focusing on the swashbuckling action adventure elements that revolve around pirates, smugglers, and the Royal Navy.
Directed by Peter Graham Scott and set in the eighteenth century, the story follows the supposed death of the infamous titular pirate Captain Clegg in 1776, who has been hanged to death by the Royal Navy for his long list of crimes. . . but not before Clegg maroons one of his men (Milton Reid) and cuts out his tongue for assaulting his beloved wife.
Flash forward to 1792, and the Navy, led by Captain Collier (Patrick Allen), have been sent to investigate the town of Dymchurch, which sits upon the edge of the long rumoured haunted Romney Marsh. The community, like most at this time, is centered around the church and its influential parson in charge of the congregation, Dr. Blyss (Peter Cushing – The Brides of Dracula; Horror Express).
A place filled with many a secret, within the mysterious community are the wealthy Squire, Anthony Cobtree (Derek Francis), and his son Harry (Oliver Reed – Burnt Offerings; Paranoiac), the dangerous when drunk barkeeper Mr. Rash (Martin Benson). . . who is the unfit caretaker for Imogene (Yvonne Romain) – who has never known who her parents were, and the busy coffin maker Jeremiah Mipps (Michael Ripper).
As the nosey Navy Captain attempts to get to the bottom of the rumoured smuggling of alcohol that supposedly flows through the village, could these whispers that have reached the Royal Navy actually be true? Also, is there anything that can be made of these long talked about haunted marshes on the outskirts of town? And what about that supposedly long dead Captain Clegg that is claimed to have been buried in the Dymchurch church cemetery?
Outside of two specific scenes (one early on and another sequence later in the narrative) that lean into the horror tales being told in the town, much more of this movie focuses on the Navy trying to trace the smugglers in a town that on the surface seems helpful, but is much less so in reality. More so encompassing elements of swashbuckling adventure and clever pirating, a tête-à-tête between the Navy and the townsfolk may be closer than it initially appears. It is also worth noting that Harry and Imogene are in the midst of a secret courtship (though her caretaker might just have something to say about that).
An original Captain Clegg British Quad poster that plays into the limited horror elements of the movie
Loosely based upon Russell Thorndike’s novels following the Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn, Night Creatures (or if you prefer, Captain Clegg) is a playful foray into a multi-genre feature that joyously mixes some pirate action, swashbuckling adventure, marshy and scarecrow horror, some mystery and thrills, as well as touches of romance. Though there are certainly a few flaws in the movie, perhaps the most jarring being the poor day-for-night effects – making many of the night time scenes feel like they are shot during the bright sunlight, while other moments feel like they were partially shot at night, partially in the light of day. . . there is no denying that the positives outweigh the negatives here. So, don’t bury this eccentric Hammer film, for it’s certainly worth its unexpected surprises.