Cast and Crew:  Jimmy Sangster (Writer); Andrew Keir

What It’s About:  Treacherous pirate captain Robeles (Christopher Lee) sails up the Thames after the defeat of the Spanish Armada until he finds an ignorant village and convinces their Quisling leaders that the Spanish won the battle. He then forces the inhabitants to fix his ship until their scrappy working class, led by Harry (John Cairney), a blacksmith who lost the use of one of his arms on a Spanish galleon as a prisoner-of-war, kick his ass. 

Why Watch it Today?:  The Spanish Armada was defeated on this date in 1588.  The Devil Ship Pirates uses that event as the backdrop of its action-but also as a quite clever excuse to shoot a pirate movie cheaply by setting it largely on land, and in England to boot!  Also, where else are you going to see Hammer Studios Michael Ripper depart from  usual roles as English and German bar and innkeepers by playing a pirate named Pepe!?!?

Other Choices:  The Sea Hawk