The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

In the countryside of London, a rocket crashes on a farm and Professor Bernard Quatermass and Scotland Yard Inspector Lomax arrive in the spot. The rocket was launched by Prof. Quatermass ... See full summary »

Director:

Val Guest

Writers:

Richard H. Landau (screenplay) (as Richard Landau), Val Guest (screenplay)

Stars:

Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner, Margia Dean

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brian Donlevy	...	Prof. Bernard Quatermass
Jack Warner	...	Insp. Lomax
Margia Dean	...	Mrs. Judith Carroon
Thora Hird	...	Rosemary 'Rosie' Elizabeth Wrigley
Gordon Jackson	...	BBC TV producer
David King-Wood	...	Dr. Gordon Briscoe
Harold Lang	...	Christie
Lionel Jeffries	...	Blake
Sam Kydd	...	Police sergeant questioning Rosie
Richard Wordsworth	...	Victor Carroon

Storyline

In the countryside of London, a rocket crashes on a farm and Professor Bernard Quatermass and Scotland Yard Inspector Lomax arrive in the spot. The rocket was launched by Prof. Quatermass with the astronauts Victor Carroon, Greene and Reichebheim; however only Carroon is found very sick in the cabin. He is transported to a private clinic to stay under observation despite the protests of his wife Mrs. Judith Carroon. She bribes a nurse to bring Carroon to her and she finds that he is transforming into a monster. Carroon escapes killing people and animals during his metamorphosis while the Scotland Yard is hunting him down and Dr. Quatermass discovers that his process is an alien invasion.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic | rocket | alien | astronaut | alien invasion | 

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Taglines:

Nothing Can Destroy It!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Creeping Unknown

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£45,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exclusive Films, Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anthony Hinds handed the TV scripts of the story to Val Guest as the latter was about to fly to Tangier for a holiday. Implored by his wife to read them (having caught none of the 1953 BBC broadcasts), an impressed Guest felt that the story would benefit from a cinema vérité shooting style, to lend a documentary air and so strengthen credibility.

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Goofs

At the crash site, in the engine compartment of the VW micro bus , there is radio equipment instead of an engine.

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Quotes

Insp. Lomax: Nobody ever wins a cold war.

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Connections

Followed by The Quatermass Experiment (2005)

User Reviews

Dashingly good sci-fi film with a strong stench of horror

Well written and terminally fascinating British sci-fi thriller from director Val Guest and writer Nigel Neale. It is a film of big ideas and planet-sized concepts that stares up into the unknown with a combination of wonderment and dread.

Originally a highly popular TV series, it spawned two excellent sequels and decades of creative Hollywood pilfering.

Brian Donlevy is wonderful as Quatermass, a scientist with the bullying manner of a military drill Sargent and a fierce, pragmatic streak. After a rocket that he sent into space crashes back to Earth, Quatermass and unofficial partner-in-crime Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) uncover a bizarre alien conspiracy in which a surviving astronauts's body has been "borrowed" by extraterrestrials keen on relocating.

Director Guest gives the drama a no-nonsense, almost documentary feel. The special effects are perfectly acceptable for the period and the brooding sense of mid-century paranoia is well conveyed.

The hero is the script, though. The dialogue is fresh and colourful and writers Guest and Neale always keep the scientific jargon interesting. All the characters are believable and the performances are top notch.

Despite the fact that James Bernard's solid score is a little overbearing at times, this is a dashingly good science fiction film with a strong stench of horror.