I dig Spy, Secret Agent and Detective flicks, it's just that simple! Beautiful women and locations, fancy weapons and the latest inventions, and needless to say, there's most likely going to be a cool soundtrack, and tonight's feature,
"Deadlier Than The Male", is no exception! The main score was created by a man who died way back in 1976, Malcolm Lockyer. Malcolm has some fine titles to his name, some we've done, some coming up in the future, like "Dr. Who And The Daleks," "Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians," "The Vengeance Of Fu Manchu," and "Island Of The Burning Damned!"
What's really interesting about the music is that one of the coolest main themes you're ever going to hear, was written by Scott Engel and John Franz, and sung by The Walker Brothers, and for some reason, it's clear as a bell in the credits, but oddly is not mentioned at all on IMDB. That's just weird!! Here's a picture of a 45 I sold on Ebay before I even realized that a young kinda rockabilly Scott Engel was indeed the same guy as Scott Walker after he packed up and left Ohio and headed over to the UK where he scored some big hits with that rich deep baritone, and songs like "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore!" At one point in the 60's, The Walker Brothers were actually more popular than The Beatles in Europe!
The always stunning Elke Sommer has the role of the badass Irma Eckman, a gal who is indeed, "Deadlier Than The Male!"
That stogie had what we used to call a load in it, but the loads we used to put in other peoples cigarettes only blew off the tip, unlike this one that shoots a bullet right through the back of your neck!! Irma looks quite smitten with herself!
I'm not really sure why Irma went to all the trouble except to fill her not so well hidden sadomasochistic desires, since she ends up blowing the whole plane to kingdom come anyway!
Sylva Koscina is the more than interesting Penelope, Irma Eckman's sidekick! Smart and beautiful, Sylvia was 5'10½" and 39-25-37, and studied Physics at Naples University before becoming an actress!
So much for racial profiling, these two are every airport security worker's dream come true!! Sorry ladies, we're going to have to pat you down!
After the two dolls harpoon this cat, they abscond with a tape off a good old fashioned tape recorder that is going to lead to some reel important information!
As The Coasters would so succinctly put it in their hit song "Searchin" it's time to bring in one of the big guns of the genre, Mr. Bulldog Drummond!
Sylva Koscina passed away back in 1994, but left a legacy of 119 appearances in mostly Italian films ranging from "Hercules Unchained" to "Lisa And The Devil!"
Besides all her obvious talents, Elke Sommer is also an accomplished artist, and you can actually buy her original art for a pittance at
This Place!
In the meantime, these two have been given another assignment by The Boss!
Pretty cute, huh?
That has got to be the biggest phone I have ever seen in my life!
The legendary Bulldog Drummond was played by Richard Johnson! Richard would reprise the role of Bulldog Drummond in 1969, in the impossible to find, "Good Girls Do!" Richard has worked steadily since 1950, was also in "The Haunting," and "Zombie" among others, and believe it or don't, he's filming a TV movie this year called "The Other Child!"
They make it seem like you're suddenly on some tropical island, but it's just a framed moving background in this stool pigeon's pad! Bulldog is able to obtain some pertinent information!
All you clothes designers take notice, open back, very sexy, or does she just have her blouse on backwards?
Bulldog Drummond is pretty laid back most of the time, but when it comes time to take care of business, he's all over it!!
I never was cool enough to have one of these kinds of pedestal phones with the dial on the bottom!
"Did somebody order a pizza?"
You Fool! I specifically said, "No Anchovies!"
It's really hard to capture good action shots in any movie, but here's a good example of how to deal with bad guys like Milton Reid as Chang! Milton has an unforgettable mug that you've seen in "Blood Of The Vampire," "Terror Of The Tongs," "Night Creatures," and "Dr. No." Just like all our favourite characters, Milton was also a professional wrassler! He started in 1952 as Jungle Boy, and as his career progressed, he became best known as The Mighty Chang! After his career fell apart, Milton went to India to act, and sometime in the late 80's, he mysteriously disappeared, and they still haven't figured out what happened to him!
If you want to live, never drive somebody to the edge, unless you plan on pushing them over! The Bulldog's about to snap!
Nigel Green had the role of the Big Bad Boss Carl Petersen! Nigel had a great career that ran the gamut from playing Hercules in "Jason And The Argonauts," to being Nayland Smith in "The Face of Fu Manchu!" Nigel also had good roles in "The Skull," "The Masque Of The Red Death," and Dean Martin's "The Wrecking Crew," before 'accidently' overdosing on sleeping pills in 1972 at the age of 47!
For the grand finale, Carl Petersen challenges Bulldog Drummond to a 'killer' game of chess in his specially prepared game room!
C H E C K M A T E! ! !
"Captain Clegg" was the original name of this film, but I've always only known it as "Night Creatures," which you have to admit, has a better ring to it!
The most unusual thing about this 1962 Hammer release is despite the way it looks, it's not a horror tale by any means at all! Good damn pirate movie, but not a horror film!
Captain Clegg has the title role, but for me, Milton Reid as The Mulatto is the real star, and this film would be pretty boring without his part! As much as it looks like a "Three Stooges" episode, it's really not very funny, because he's just had his tongue removed for raping the Captain's wife, which was not a very smart move!
Captain Clegg gives his Mulatto friend a free, all expenses paid trip to the Caribbean. 
Looks a lot like that Crystal Skull full of vodka staring at me from that shelf over yonder!
People would go to any lengths to get their booze back in the day!! These are the ghostly creatures that haunt Romney Marsh after dark! Kinda sounds like the possible future of Washington AC/DC!
"Night Creatures" is an elegant atmospheric flick that would appeal to anybody who likes a good-lookin' swashbucklin' adventure! The musical score is by Hammer workhorse Don (PANIC, NIGHTMARE, HYSTERIA) Banks in one of his earliest outings!
The former evil Captain Clegg has retired anonymously and come back as the good Reverend Doctor Blyss, the most respected preacher in the land! The role is filled by the all-time great, Peter (Dr. Who, Baron Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing) Cushing!!
Any movie with Oliver (These Are The Damned, Paranoiac, Girl-Getters) Reed in it is usually worth watching, and "Night Creatures" is no exception! It really looks like the two of them got skewered through the head like some kind of Sub-Genius Shish-Ka-Bobs!
Here's what I wrote about Milton Reid in a previous post, and it's still pertinent today, "Just like all our favourite characters, Milton was also a professional wrassler! He started in 1952 as Jungle Boy, and as his career progressed, he became best known as The Mighty Chang! After his career fell apart, Milton went to India to act, and sometime in the late 80's, he mysteriously disappeared, and they still haven't figured out what happened to him!" Milton was in some great films like "Dr. No," "Blood Of The Vampire," "Panic," "Berserk," and "Terror!"
This shot pretty much portrays the definition of ribald!
Just like peaches and herbs, things really heat up when olde friends are reunited once again! Looks like somebody's going to get hurt!
There is such an abundance of talent in "Night Creatures" that I have purposely left out pictures of Yvonne (Curse Of The Werewolf) Romain as Imogene the serving wench, and Patrick (The Body Stealers) Allen as Captain Collier, and decided to focus more on the ethereal elements contained therein!
Another brilliant workhorse that probably doesn't get near enough credit was Cinematographer Arthur Grant, who worked on Hammer films from "Terror Of The Tongs" in 1961 to "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" in 1971, with stops for at least 13 other Hammer classics in between!
Having a wrasslin' background makes Milton Reid a difficult opponent to pin, and so he comes back to challenge Captain Clegg for the final fall!
Michael (Girly, Moon Zero Two, X: The Unknown) Ripper as the coffinmaker Jeremiah Mipps has the last say! Freakin' KA-BLAM!! Now that's how they used to deal with stuff in the good olde days!!
When some lazy minded fool with nothing else to do tells you that they don't like old movies, grab a copy of "Night Creatures" and you just might be able to widen their narrow mind! Imagine that, Milton Reid didn't even get poster credits!
