Night Creatures
by Shrub 11/02/05
While not an immortal Hammer classic along the lines of Horror of Dracula, Night Creatures (a.k.a. “Captain Clegg”) is still of a quality you would expect from Hammer studios and main man Peter Cushing. We start out with a ship at sea in 1776 with a scene of a man on board being condemned to have his ears slit, tongue cut out and then left upon a deserted island under a sign warning any of those who may betray Captain Clegg. Cut to 1792 and we see Clegg’s tombstone in a church yard which indicates that he was a pirate and hanged. We also get our first glimpse of the night creatures (which are known as the Marsh Phantoms to the local townsfolk) who, mounted upon ghostly horses, torment a man to his death.
Inside the church, the reverend (Cushing) is preaching a sermon when the king’s soldiers arrive investigating a booze smuggling ring. The soldiers ransack the local inn searching for a stash, and they are led by a mute man who, when last seen, was left for dead. With the soldiers beginning to put the pieces together, the dark secrets of the town become exposed. They may crack the case but to do so, they will have to deal with the Marsh Phantoms first.
