Writer: Nigel Kneale (Screenplay)
Starring: James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover, Duncan Lamont, Bryan Marshall
Plot: A mysterious artifact is unearthed in London, and famous scientist Bernard Quatermass is called into to divine its origins and explain its strange effects on people.
Tagline – Force more powerful than 1,000 H-Bombs unleashed to devastate Earth! World in panic! Cities in flames!
Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Tension Filled Sci-Fi Horror
Story: Quatermass and the Pit starts when a construction team in London discovery dead bodies, which leads to Dr Roney (Donald), Professor Quatermass (Keir) and Colonel Breen (Glover) all being bought in to investigate the mysterious discovery, each with their own field of expertise for the unknown object.
Once inside there are only more questions to be asked and the strange effects happening to the people investigating adds to the mystery.
Thoughts on Quatermass and the Pit
Characters – Dr Mathew Roney is one of the team that is set to investigate the discovery, he takes and scientific approach to everything working with the historian to put the pieces together. Professor Bernard Quatermass brings the historical point of view to the table, wanting to study the discovery and using previous historical discoveries to help figure out the truth. Colonel Breen brings the military point of view often looking to use the quick answer over the smart answer. Barbara Judd is a reporter that is trying to put together a story for the public who believe this is an unexploded bomb.
Performances – The performances from the whole cast is great throughout, we believe the scientific figures, the military ones and the reporter looking for a story. the four main stars of the film know how to make the most of their scenes where their character needs to be the larger focus.
Story – The story follows an object being discovered in London while digger to make the underground larger, we follow how the investigation to learn what this could be from different perspectives which shows how this would be handled in real life. We do have twists which comes from the discoveries going on, but for the most part this keeps things simple, with an air of mystery about what could be happening around the object.
Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi – The horror surrounding this movie comes from what could come from the object, it could bring horrific consequences, this plays into the mystery as we are left with the mystery behind what could be behind it. The sci-fi side of the film comes from the explanation to what could be behind the object and the potential of space being involved.
Settings – The film is set in London and the underground, this is always a tight compact location which will add to suspense and horror in anything.
Special Effects – This film was released in the 1960s, the special effects for the time were great, while we might look down on them now, it showed us just what was capable for the time.
Scene of the Movie – The final act which we are built up to nicely.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The fact they just look like grasshoppers and no one says this.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best hammer horror mystery sci-fi horror films out there, it keeps you guessing before letting everything out in the final act instead of giving away too much too early.
Overall: Must watch Hammer Horror
Rating