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Reptilicus is the mutual title of two about a giant, prehistoric reptile. A pair of Danish-American co-productions produced by Cinemagic and Saga Studio, the Danish-language Reptilicus was directed by Poul Bang and released by Saga in Denmark in 1961, while the English-language Reptilicus was directed and co-written by Sidney Pink and released by American International Pictures in the United States in 1962. They have frequently been incorrectly described as two release-versions of the same film.
Professor Otto Martens, who is in charge of the aquarium, dubs the reptilian species "Reptilicus" (upon a reporter's suggestion) and compares its regeneration abilities to that of other animals like and .
Once fully regenerated from the tail section, Reptilicus goes on an unstoppable rampage from the Danish countryside to the panic-stricken streets of Copenhagen (including one of its famous landmarks, Langebro Bridge). The monster is finally rendered unconscious by a sedative developed by ingenious scientists and shot into its mouth from a bazooka fired by Brigadier General Grayson.
However, the film is left open-ended. A final shot shows one of Reptilicus' legs, which had been blown off earlier by the Danish Navy's depth charges, beginning to move on its own, raising the possibility that it is starting to regenerate into a new Reptilicus.
The only difference in the cast of the two films is UNESCO representative Connie Miller, played by Danish actress Bodil Miller in Bang's Danish-language film and, because the latter could not speak English, by German actress Marla Behrens in Pink's English-language film. Filming took place in several locations in Denmark, including Sjælland (especially Copenhagen) and Jylland.
The Danish-language film directed by Poul Bang was completed swiftly and released in Denmark on February 25, 1961.
Following delivery of his negative to American International Pictures, Pink's film was deemed virtually unreleasable and had to be extensively reworked by the film's Danish-American screenwriter, Ib Melchior. This included altering footage to show Reptilicus vomiting acid saliva; the Danish actors' voices (speaking English with Danish accents) were dubbed over by mainly American actors (and in several cases by Melchior himself).
Pink was angry at the changes and wound up in a legal dispute with AIP. After Pink and others viewed Melchior's new version, however, the lawsuit was dropped and it is this version that was finally released in the United States in 1962.
Sidney Pink's English-language Reptilicus was released on VHS in 1994 by Orion Home Video, and on DVD on April 1, 2003, by MGM Home Entertainment under the Midnite Movies banner. In June 2015, it was released in the Blu-ray format by Scream Factory as a double feature with the 1977 film Tentacles. In July 2024, it was released as 4K Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, with Poul Bang's Danish-language Reptilicus included among several bonus-features in this three-disc set.
Film critic Glenn Erickson described the monster as "a wiggly marionette that moved like something from Kukla, Fran and Ollie," that the film's "dubbing was terrible and the optical effects so distractingly bad that I couldn't help but roll my eyes," that the film includes "a jaw-droppingly dreadful musical number, in which bumbling aquarium janitor Mikkelsen / Petersen (Dirch Passer) romps in a park with a bunch of barely-interested kids, singing a horrible song about a loveable monster," and that the film "comes in dead last in the list of movies where giant monsters attack cities." Describing the film as a "hilarious sci-fi mess," critic Hans Wollstein further noted in AllMovie that it "contains filmdom's perhaps least convincing monster and some of the worst performances imaginable," that "Ottosen's wooden performance is second only to that of Bodil Miller, a former Universal starlet who appears here for no apparent reason," and "a low point of the film is pop star Birthe Wilke's rendition of a ditty, 'Tivoli Nights', to a visibly dazed audience."
Writing in DVD Talk about Scream Factory's Blu-ray release, Kurt Dahlke reported that " Reptilicus seems aimed squarely at the monster kids in the audience," that no viewers "will concern themselves with the plot," and that "Special Effects are not this movie's strong point, but they are its selling point," with a monster that "often slithers about slowly, like an arthritic hand-puppet." Reviewing the same release, Matt Brunson from Creative Loafing also gave the film a negative review: "The effects used to create Reptilicus (a puppet, basically) are no worse than those seen in many of the era's films (it still beats the oversized bird in The Giant Claw, for starters), but the effects employed when the creature does something like munch on humans or shoot acidic green slime from its mouth manage to travel beyond atrocious. ... Awkward dubbing of foreign actors, special effects that look like they cost a buck fifty, laughably earnest dialogue, wince-inducing comic relief from a dim-witted character — if ever a movie was made that deserved to be showcased on the cult series Mystery Science Theater 3000 it's this one".
In 1961, Charlton Comics produced a comic book based on the film. Reptilicus lasted two issues. After the license had lapsed, Charlton modified the creature's look and renamed it Reptisaurus. The series was renamed Reptisaurus the Terrible and would continue from issue #3 before being cancelled with issue #8 in 1962. This was followed by a one-shot called Reptisaurus Special Edition in 1963. Reptisaurus also made a cameo in the 12th issue of another Charlton giant monster comic, Gorgo.
In 2012, Scary Monsters Magazine reprinted the Reptisaurus the Terrible series as a black and white collection called Scarysaurus the Scary.
In 2020, PS Artbooks published the two issues of Reptilicus as a bonus in the first two volumes of their Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle trade paperback series.
On April 25, 2010, Reptilicus was performed as an experimental stage play at Skuespilhusets Portscene in central Copenhagen, a co-production between Eventministeriet and CPH PIX. Titled Reptilicus Live, this adaptation was directed by Line Paulsen with all roles performed by Troels Thorsen, Johannes Lilleøre, Martin Greis, Jeanette Lindbæk Larsen and Signe Egholm Olsen, plus an uncredited puppeteer portraying the monster by moving a Shadow play. Theatre critic Jens Østergaard wrote in KultuNaut, April 26, 2010: "Not since Turbotown in Turbinehallerne has the audience cheered and laughed so enthusiastically at one of the Royal Theatre's stages. Reptilicus is wacky and brilliant entertainment, performed with great love for the old Danish monster movie." Stage director's Reptilicus-webpage at www.linepaulsen.com
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