It’s this year’s second visit to the Hammer House of Franklin-Stein! Chris and Cindy discuss the 1962 Hammer Films classic Captain Clegg (UK title) aka Night Creatures (US title)! Peter Cushing stars as the vicar of a small English village where smuggling is afoot, and Marsh Phantoms roam the countryside! Also starring Hammer favorites Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper and Yvonne Romaine!
Then it’s off to the comic crypt to examine “Scourge of the Skeletal Riders” from Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #37 (Jan/Feb. 1972) by Bob Haney, George Tuska and Nick Cardy. The Titans get embroiled in the civil war in Ranistan while looking for their captured friend. Along the way they encounter mysterious riders who may just be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!
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Clip credits:
Captain Clegg aka Night Creatures (1962) directed by Peter Graham Scott, music by Don Sharp
Theme from Teen Titans (2003) by Puffy Ami Yumi
“Creeps for Cushing” by Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures
“The House of Franklinstein” by Terry O’Malley, of Stop Calling Me Frank https://www.facebook.com/rockSCMF
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I watched the trailer for this movie on Youtube before listening to the episode. When the trailer was over, I thought, “I don’t have a goddamn clue what this movie is about.” Your recap was even more surprising than if I knew nothing going in.
Great episode as always!
Heh, yeah I think Hammer was trying to play coy and sell this more as a straight supernatural horror, when there’s no actual supernatural doings in the film. But it’s a great flick nonetheless!
Well, here’s another movie I’m going to have to see at some point – I never knew there was a Hammer version of Dr. Syn (although I really need to rewatch the Disney version as well, since I last saw it when my age was measured in single digits).
By the way, I found it interesting that you said you associate the day-for-night technique with the Hammer films. Personally, I always associate it with American (esp. Western and action) films of a certain vintage – in fact, in many European countries, starting with France (but including Croatia, where I now live), the technique is in fact referred to as “American night.” Anyway, I always found it amusing when it’s supposed to be the middle of the night, but the characters are throwing shadows and squinting (that’s some harsh moonlight, apparently).
That Titans book seems kind of odd – based on your review, I definitely agree that it would have probably worked better as a non-superhero story. Otherwise, though, I love the groovy slug-bus the Titans have. Wolfman and Perez should have retained that for the New Teen Titans – maybe just upgraded it to an RV or something.
I rewatched Dr. Syn AFTER we recorded this episode, because I didn’t want to cross the streams. Cindy and I have been invited onto another podcast to discuss Dr. Syn with one of our friends in the coming year, so keep an ear out for that!
Interesting on the “American Night” thing. I guess I just watch a lot of Hammer films, and most westerns I have taken in don’t seem to take place at night! So I guess I can’t give Hammer too much guff for this. Just an old trope.
If the New Teen Titans had a van or RV, I think Dick and Kory would have put a sign on it: “If this van’s a rockin’, don’t come a-knockin”! 😉
Hey, thanks for covering NIGHT CREATURES! I’ve never seen it, but you guys made it sound pretty good and that poster is *awesome*.
Re: Teen Titans–Mego should have produced that Peace van as a vehicle for their ill-fated Titans line of dolls–er, figures.
I think you’ll like it. It’s got a great cast that all seem to be having a great time making it!
Yeah, I’m surprised frugal Mego didn’t repurpose the Action Jackson/Dinah Mite/Bat Lab/Jokermobile van for the Titans! Good call!
“Night Creatures” was a fun surprise in the boxset I bought for Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Werewolf! The other Hammer movie I remember is “Pirates of Blood River,” with Lee as the captain this time, in eyepatch and French accent. I recommend it. In that story the pirates have the upper hand over the civilians they encounter (away from their ships, again and of course).
BTW “possum: the other yellow meat”? Do you guys get WLW in Cincinnati way down there?
Ha! You caught me ripping off Gary Burbank! We’re only about an hour from Cincinnati, so yes, we used to listen to Gary Burbank and his comedy bits. “Possum: The Other Yellow Meat” has stuck with me for 30 years!
The Hammer pirate films are next on my list to watch.. although I know they keep the ships off screen due to budgetary reasons for the most part. That would be a great transition to get me through post-Halloween depression (which is real!).
Is this the first film you’ve done with no true supernatural element? I think I’d be disappointed if I went to see this on the strength of the trailer; it’s not that I don’t enjoy a rousing pirate adventure, it’s just that when I want a spooky film, I want a proper spooky film. I remember seeing Dr Syn as a school end-of-term treat as a kid, I didn’t know there was another version.
That trailer is fun, though – the fella wanting to ravage poor Imogene looks like Rowan Atkinson’s Mr Bean.
Jack McGowran, I remember from Dance of the Vampires, the ending freaked me out as a kid.
I’ve a lot of affection for that Teen Titans issue, it was one of the first – if not the first – TT I read. I didn’t know enough back then to know that Wonder Girll wasn’t using her powers to her full potential, I suppose they were deliberately trying not to have her outshine Groovy Diana Prince.
Hmmm… yes, this may be our first NON-supernatural film. I think Captain Clegg/Night Creatures still has enough horror trappings to not disappoint, but the trailer was defintiely trying to upsell the horror angle. Mr. Rash DOES look like Mr. Bean!
I haven’t seen Dance of the Vampires/Fearless Vampire Killers in ages. I need to give that another watch.
I love the original Teen Titans series, warts and all. It’s just good fun comics, and sometimes, it even made you think a bit!
Very fun episode. I always enjoy your discussions even when I haven’t seen the movie or read the comic.
On the Teen Titans story, when you mentioned how Wonder Girl didn’t use her powers, it made me think of Super Friends, especially the early seasons, when Wonder Woman’s powers seemed limited or were never well defined. Like in the first episode of season one, she falls in a dam and is rescued by Batman. (That scene always stays with me because I vaguely remember watching it when it originally aired.). But of course, the lack of powers in this issue sounds like it’s probably a Haney thing? Anyway, it was a very interesting story and still timely, unfortunately, as you noted.
Looking forward to the October episodes!
Yes, on the Super Friends they did seem to downplay Wonder Woman’s strength in particular. And despite some opening credit sequences, I don’t think SF Wonder Woman could “glide on air currents” either. They upped her mental powers a bit, though, or at least emphasized her controlling her lasso and plane telepathically. Weird.
It is odd that Haney would forget Donna’s powers, since he essentially created this version of her, and had her flying around in classics like “The TT’s Swingin’ Christmas Carol”.
Thanks for listening, and yes, I think folks will dig our October episodes!
I wonder whether Bob Haney got so used to having Donna not use her powers during the TTs’ ‘we killed a saint, we must NEVER use our powers again’ period that he forgot she had ‘em?
That’s a good a theory as any, Martin! And of course Haney inherited the “no powers” business when he got the title back after Kanigher and Skeates wrote it for a while.