[7]

This Hammer production is, in the best way possible, like a live-action episode of Scooby-Doo, complete with pirates, marsh phantoms, scarecrows, and secret identities. The charismatic cast is headlined by Peter Cushing as the dubious town vicar and Patrick Allen as a British captain sent to investigate an alleged smuggling ring. The mystery is as transparent as anything the Scooby gang ever encountered, but Night Creatures (aka Captain Clegg) has an endearing tone similar to Disney’s live-action features in the ’60s and ’70s, which I find quite charming in a spooky costume drama. With Oliver Reed and Michael Ripper.