Quatermass And The Pit [1967]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
We have met the enemy, and it is us: when a Martian spacecraft with a terrifying link to the origins of humanity is unearthed beneath a London tube station, only the esteemed Professor Bernard Quatermass can save London's suddenly murderous population from itself. One of the most intelligently paranoid science fiction films ever produced, this pessimistic masterpiece functions as a dark flip-side to the relatively optimistic alien-induced evolution theory presented in the later 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nigel Kneale's brilliant script (which posits a surprisingly plausible, otherworldly rationale for the existence of the supernatural) was later appropriated by acknowledged fan John Carpenter for his underrated Prince of Darkness. A must-see for horror and science fiction aficionados. This film is also known as Five Million Years to Earth. --Andrew Wright

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Synopsis
Workmen unearth prehistoric skulls while carrying out excavations on the London Underground. Very soon a strange and malevolent force is unleashed.

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Customer reviews

review by: s.vernon date: 2007-08-06 rating:
MORE SCI-FI THAN HORROR
Quatermass and the Pit (a.k.a. Five Million Years To Earth) is one of the best science fiction movies to come out of Britain. I think the only better film in the genre is Quatermass 2 (a.k.a. Enemy From Space), which Quatermass and the Pit is a sequel of (of sorts).

To the uninitiated, the Quatermass saga centers on Professor Bernard Quatermass, a gruff but brilliant scientist in the employ of the British Government who is always working toward putting mankind in space. All the movies are based on Nigel Kneales brilliant television series. Quatermass (a.k.a. The Creeping Unknown) was the first movie in the series, concerning a failed attempt at launching a rocket into space. Quatermass 2 featured Quatermass's moon project and the ends to which it had been perverted by an alien race. In both films, Quatermass was portrayed by Brian Donlevy, who was fairly well intoxicated through most of the shooting, but still was able to act with the necessary brusqueness and overacting. It fit well with his interpretation of the character, but wasn't necessarily a good version of the television Quatermass.

Andrew Keir takes over as Quatermass in this movie, and is a bit more subdued than his predesessor, which seems to make this Professor a bit more intelligent and rational. James Donald is excellent, as always, as Professor Roney, the inadvertant hero of the film. Barbara Shelley is excellent as always.

The other movies in the series were about us trying to get into space, but this film is about something in space coming here...at least coming here a long time ago. Quatermass and the Pit offers a rather novel approach to natural and unnatural selection...Martians seeded our world with more intelligent proto-men who were actually our ancestors.

The special effects in this movie are very good...some are quite creepy in fact. The giant glowing image of the Martian hovering above London haunted my dreams for many a night when I was a child.

This is a movie for those who like the classic works of science fiction by Bradbury, Clarke or Asimov...no frills, good story, good characterizations and nice effects. There is really nothing NOT to recommend about Quatermass and the Pit...just watch it and enjoy!

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review by: date: 2005-07-15 rating:
Great Hammer Sci-Fi
Quatermass and the Pit is one of the finest of Hammer's vast and largely very fine oeuvre. Strangely, however, when you hear people speak of Hammer horror, this film rarely gets a mention, and that's a great injustice as it easily ranks up there with the best of them. The plot follows a group of construction workers that discover a plot of skeletons while extending London's subway station. This immediately attracts the attention of local scientists Mathew Roney and Barbara Judd, and later the man of the title; Dr Quatermass, who end up facing opposition from both the army and the press while trying to investigate the find. Where did the skeletons come from? How did they get there? And what's the meaning behind that bomb in the tunnel? All these questions and more are answered in Quatermass and the Pit.

As you might expect, the film is very camp. The effects are truly ridiculous and very easy to laugh at; but they add to the fun and charm of the movie. The reason why Hammer Horror films succeed is that, despite being unpleasant at times, it's obvious that they were made with a lot of heart, and the good nature that went into making them always shines through. Unlike many horror (or Sci-Fi) films, however, this one actually bothers to pose some interesting questions and really gets you thinking. The normal idea behind alien based Sci-Fi is completely turned on it's head, and it makes for both an enjoyable and interesting, not to mention original movie. It's quite ingenious, in fact; much more so than many recent 'thought-provoking' movies. There is also quite a lot of the trademark British humour in the film, which is always nice to see. It's obvious that the film is meant to be tongue in cheek anyway, but it's always nice to have a few moments of laughter in there. Quatermass and the Pit is directed by Hammer Horror supremo Roy Ward Baker. When people think of Hammer directors, it's often Terrence Fisher that comes out on top; but Baker is by far my favourite. He's delivered the lovely Asylum, the ingenious Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, not to mention The Vampire Lovers; and now this. And that's only the ones that I've seen!

Overall, this is an incredible movie. It's generous mix of horror, Sci-Fi and fantasy is truly refreshing and it makes for an interesting and enjoyable ride. I loved every minute of this film, and it easily ranks as one of the best Hammer Horror's that I've seen. Make sure you don't skip this one.

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review by: mynameissally date: 2005-05-25 rating:
Sophisticated sci-fi horror
It seems a contradiction in terms to label a Hammer horror film "sophisticated", but this one is definitely a cut above the rest. This horror takes a scientific approach to an intermittently on-going haunting event at the site of an underground railway excavation. A rocket scientist, the Professor Quatermass of the title, and a military man, Colonel Breen, who is poised to usurp control of Quatermass's rocket group, are sidetracked from their struggle for control of the group, by an intriguing find in the underground excavation. Things take a decidedly spooky turn when soldiers are brought in to dig out the supposed 'bomb'. Quatermass teams up with the archaeologist, Dr Roney, who is retrieving 5 million year old fossil bones from the site. Roney and Quatermass are also united in their dislike of Breen, the bumptious blimp who gets their backs up when he writes off every bizarre occurrence as some WWII Nazi propaganda plot. Dr Roney's assistant, Barbara, takes the initiative and starts investigating old records of the area and finds the 'hauntings' have been going on for a long time. These people are scientists though, and just because something inexplicable seems to be happening, their instincts do not lead them to look for supernatural causes. They begin to wonder if ghosts could just be phenomena that were badly observed and wrongly explained. The rocket expert's interests focus on space and the archaeologist's interests focus on our ancient ancestors. When the two get their heads together, their conclusions are astonishing.

This is the best of Hammer's adaptations of the three Quatermass BBC series, in my opinion. Andrew Keir makes a fine Professor Quatermass and the other actors are also very good. The atmosphere of fear and tension creeps up steadily. The music is excellent: it's not obtrusive, it doesn't drown out the dialogue, it's completely absent a lot of the time but when it is there, it's appropriate, sinister and adds wonderfully to the atmosphere of threat and danger. I've always taken the opportunity to watch this film when it's been shown on television. It terrified me when I was young and now I can still get hooked into the spirit of fear. I'm pleased with the DVD even though it offers no extras at all - not even subtitles. It's good just to be able to watch it whenever I like.

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review by: dave_bissett date: 2005-02-05 rating:
Defintely One Of Hammer's Best Sci-Fi Films
This third QUATERMASS film from Hammer Films is regarded by many to be the one of the best flicks Hammer has ever done and they are right.

QUATERMASS & THE PIT (1967) is an intelligent and at times, frightening film about an evil force being unleashed onto the people of London after an Martian spaceship is found in an London Underground excavation.

The acting is good, the music as well and the editing is tight. Even the special effects aren't bad, considering this was made in the late-1960's and we didn't had CGI in those days. There are a few unconvincing SPFX shots, but it isn't a harsh complaint.

A must buy for fans of science fiction and fantasy.


review by: porkycat date: 2005-01-07 rating:
Small budget, big ideas, great film
I fell in love with this film the first time I saw it on TV many years ago. It's very typical Nigel Kneale territory, with events in the distant past having a big impact on the present and possibly future, and providing an explanation for so many of those things we don't understand about ouselves and the world we live in. There's ghosts, necromancy, religion, alien invasions, PK and genetic engineering all rolled in without it seeming to be completely barmy. Eat your heart out XFiles.

The special effects aren't exactly stellar, but if you make allowances for the money available, and when the film was made, they are actually pretty good.

I love it so much because everyone who had a hand in its making took it seriously. The cast don't ham it up, the director does an impressive job, and Kneals script and story are superb. Keir makes an excellent Quatermass, (easily the best of those who've played him in my opinion) and his supporting cast all work like it was going to be the most important film of that decade. Just watch the byplay between the army guys excavating the 'bomb' and the archaeologists or between Quatermass and the civil servants.

For those who care about such things, Blake puts in a brief appearance...

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Video . Video . Categories . Classic Films . Horror & Suspense . 1960s
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Video . Video . Categories . Horror & Suspense . Hammer Horror
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Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 15
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