Review of Quatermass and the Pit (1967) by Doug H — 07 Feb 2013

From Hammer, and after making The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and Quatermass 2 (1957), this was an attempt to revive the franchise for the 1960's, adapting the serial of the same name that was broadcast in 1958 and doing it in colour, this time under the direction of Roy Ward Baker (The Vampire Lovers (1970), Scars of Dracula (1970) and Dr.

Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), this is a dark and effective sci-fi horror. While working on an extension of the London Underground at Hobbs End station, workers dig up skeletal fossils, Palaeontologist Dr Matthew Roney (James Donald) deducts that they're that of an apeman 5 million years ago.

But, they find a metal shaft, which they believe to be an unexploded bomb, but when the military are called in, led by Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) to investigate, they find it's a spacecraft. Professor Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Keir) is called to investigate, and discovers that's it's an alien craft, but it gives off a telekinetic force to anyone who disrupts it, which leads to devastating results in the local area.

It's a very good film, with some good imagination with it's sci-fi, and some good scares along the way. The effects are a bit laughable, but that's what you would expect from a Hammer film, they add a likeable charm to the film, and this was made when Hammer were at the top of their powers.