Night Creatures

Skulduggery in the Romney Marsh of the 1790s is the theme of this good-looking if cheesy curio from Hammer Studios. Horror stalwart Peter Cushing is typically sinister as a seemingly harmless vicar whose double life as the head of a smuggling ring is jeopardised when naval nemesis Patrick Allen and vengeful mute Milton Reid arrive in his village. Though based on the classic adventure, Dr Syn, significant changes had to be made (not least to the title) to avoid clashing with the Disney adaptation released in the same year, which featured Patrick McGoohan as masked smuggler the Scarecrow. A young Oliver Reed cuts a dash as a preening local squire but no number of busty wenches, loutish sailors and marauding Marsh Phantoms can alter the sad fact this is sub-par Hammer.