Mum and dad were out leaving my brother 7 and me 5 at home at the time this film was on TV. We crept down from the bedroom to watch it and it was very scary for a 7 and 5 year old but we couldn’t help but watch it. I remember being scared witless and so was my brother. I will always remember this from my early childhood.
I remember being scared too but I can't recall any details except I found it particularly upsetting the fingerprints. Also Quatermass and the Pit.....I don't who let me watch that but it may have been a factor in how I turned out in life 😃🤩😃
I'm not of that era, but of all the classic sci-fi, to a sci-fi nerd like me (and countless others), the original Quatermas and the pit series is amongst the best, for story, pacing, suspense, script and is genuinely frigging scary.
Love these old British films. They had something that Hollywood B flicks just couldn't get, class. The acting is not over done. Even when it could, it's played perfectly. I've seen this one many times and I've got part 2 on the playlist for this evening. Cheers from Tennessee
@pragmaticskepticYou would prefer some modern masterpiece like "Transformers revenge of the fallen, risen, whatever, boom box voiced robot cliché doing the same old plot that would insult the intelligence of a lettuce juvenile garbage we have seen literally hundreds of times before"?
With an American lead actor of course - Brian Dunlevy. The accent grates in both of his Quatermass films, but the producers decided to go with a known American actor who could bring in the $$$. Out of place? Yes. Wrong culture and language? Yes. Sounds weird? Yes. But that's the movie biz, right? ;)
That was part of the deal that Hammer made to get financing in the early days. Had to have an American lead. That lasted up until the beginning of the Gothic cycle when they started breaking box office records with the team of Lee/Cushing/Fisher/Hinds/Sangster. I love Hammer films. They churned out some absolute gems in their heyday.
Saw this on television when I was a child. I am now 77, so you can see how old it is. Frightened the life out of me !!! Gave me a life long addiction to Horror films... The name Quatermass will always send a shiver down my spine. even if it is a little less horrifying today, than it was then. Nowadays, I am more horrified about those poor, wild animals in cages ...... Thank you for the upload, and my trip down memory lane.
@@648Roland DO I REMEMBER THE TINGLER ???!!! We went to see it in our local cinema. This lobster like , crustacious 'thing' (if I remember correctly) was portrayed crawling under cinema seats...Never been so scared, or able -(since then) to lift my legs so high! All ideas of 'snogging in the back row, was forgotten as we sweated profusely. Here's one for YOU. Do you remember the TV series..The Trollenberg Terror? 'Things' coming through the ventilation shafts on a snowy mountain? Those were the days ! John Carpenter? Hah !!!!
Lets not forget, there was the QUATERMASS : THE CREEPING UNKNOWN in 1985, which showed him trying to stop an unknown alien force sending laser beams to Earth,,abducting the World's children. At the end, when he suffers a,heart attack trying to activate the nuclear device to stop the beam,,& his granddaughter in the series gently kisses him, & helps him activate the bomb was very touching.
Jeffery Horton....Yep, in the early 50's, when this movie was made, we knew very little about the dangers, especially the unknown area of what radiation dangers there might be once we left the atmosphere. But this is what made these sci-fi movies made in the 1950's so interesting and open to our imaginations. Anything was possible. Oh, your first name is how my last name is spelled: Jeffery
There's a Twilight Zone episode about 3 men returning from space. One by one they vanish and all historical records change, as if they never existed. Finally the 3rd vanishes and the newspapers announce "Successful unmanned space experiment. As you said we had no idea what might happen.
It's not bad, but it does take a lot from this film. The scene where the rocket passes through a cosmic dust cloud is the eeriest. It is like what I imagine happened in this film. where an alien force penetrated the rocket to get at the astronauts inside. The cattle mutilations were a good touch too. Best of all was the appearance of Roger Delgado, who had first appeared in "Quatermass II." I think the casting of Donlevy as Prof. Quatermass was smart and contributed to the film's appeal in the US.
Monster POV -- nothing shown outright - just something hauling itself through the bushes and along the ground. Love it! Many thanks, Richard Landau, Val Guest and Hammer studios!
Excellent movie. Thank you for posting this. The astronaut, "Caroon" wandering through London, stumbling... in great pain, his extremely tall & thin scare-crow like form shown stark against industrial back grounds makes me think of the German expressionism films of the 20's and Frankenstein's monster. Very well done.
That's Richard Wordsworth. He's a direct descendant of the writer William Wordsworth. He was also excellent as the beggar in Hammers 'Curse of the Werewolf '. He had a pretty edgy/creepy scene with the gorgeous Yvonne Romain.
70 years on and these Quatermass films have stood the test of time. I remember being scared witless when they were first aired on the BBC. Today I see that their quality and longevity is based on rock-solid acting by seasoned actors. In many examples of this genre, the 'monster' or the 'being' is rather comical, inviting mockery, but in this and other Q films that's never the case. Because the acting is so brilliant. They are believable . There is music, but used judiciously and there are long sequences without a music track. I also really admire the way that the dialogue constantly overlaps, with one actor talking over another (the timing must have been damned hard to achieve), and this injects realism and pace into the action. Really, very well done.
Great film. The American cast members were in top form, the majority British cast was excellent. Great story, terrific plot twists. Stark and sober, and very scary. Suspense grows by the minute. British film making at its best. One of the best Sci fi films I've seen. Stands up with anything out of Hollywood at that time. Loved this movie. Thanks so much for posting this classic gem!
You could re-do this in a space ship, light years from home, and the ship picks up an unidentified life-form which starts eating all the crew and grows larger and larger. You could call it .. *ALIEN* !!
It was a long-tailed red-eyed giant purple people eater, that she wore for the first time today. It was a long-tailed red-eyed giant purple people eater, in the water she wanted to stay. That sounds like a catchy number. :)
@@simonmultiverse6349 Or the alien could fall to earth, near a small rural American town, and start 'absorbing' the local residents, growing larger and larger. Call it.... THE BLOB! Then there's the liquid creature, spawned by nuclear testing, that lives in the sewers of Tokyo, growing larger and larger with each human it dissolves. THE H-MAN!
Just brilliant. It only hints at the deeper plot of the original, but still manages to pull it off. It reminds me of "It Came From Outer Space" and "The Thing from Another World" only this film is set in London and its eerie back streets. The zoo scene is especially creepy and well shot. The effects are just perfect, the "thing" being just the sort of monster you might imagine crawling around in the shadows, quickening your pace. It certainly beats all those men in rubber suits going "grrr, grrrr..." The score by James Bernard really sets it off and builds the tension right up. There was a similar monster in the film "Die Monster Die" which appears also to have been created by Les Bowie and his team.
The astronaut, "Caroon" wandering through London, stumbling... in great pain, his extremely tall & thin scare-crow like form shown stark against industrial back grounds makes me think of the German expressionism films of the 20's and Frankenstein's monster. Very well done.
This film is also known as THE CREEPING UNKNOWN. Easily the most frightening of the Quatermass films. I saw it when I was about 9 or so on the infamous "Science Fiction Big Show" on Channel 5 in Nashville, TN in the early 1960's. It scared the absolute peediddling stark raving living daylights out of me back then, and fascinated me no end. Watching this movie was kind of like looking at a bad car wreck and not being able to look away. :-) Great stuff!
Thanks SO much for this movie. I live in Bracknell, and the old ambulance driving onto the field at the beginning was a treat to see. How the science was off! A rocket being able to get through the atmosphere without being burnt up, and still remain intact on impact impossible! I notice they actually consulted scientists for this. I remember watching the original BBC TV series called "Quatermass and the Pit". It was more scary than any of the subsequent movies. I wonder if a recording is still available of the original BBC series, just to see if was as scary as all that - but I still think the original was the scariest - Hobbs Lane, being possessed by the demons. Aahhh!
The 1967 theatrical film adaptation of "Quatermass and the Pit" (U.S. title "Five Million Years to Earth") with Andrew Keir and Barbara Shelley was also excellent.
... that is the comment that is written under each and every movie clip on youtube ... boring comment ... and no this is not one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made ...
@@thematey3592 ... I dont need pills to be grumpy ... its my nature ... it is true though ... people always write some bullshit in the comments under every video and there is always one idiot who finds even a total crap movie "the best movie ever made" ... thanks for the answer anyway ...
Some great old British character actors in this, all sadly passed away now, I particularly enjoyed Thora Hurd's gin soaked character, what a national treasure she was.
I like how at 1:12:58 Gordon Jackson calls Lime Grove to fill in transmission. Plus the BBC OB equipment, including CPS Emitron camera mounted on an Austin 7 chassis, in the the Abbey.
Yes, this was quite entertaining, and thought provoking to us kids of the day when it aired. Quatermass became a role model of my brother and self, for several years. 10⭐& 👍👍 for great family friendly entertainment.
Good to see Jack Warner as the Inspector - who made Dixon of Dock Green so famous on TV in later years, and Sam Kydd (as the desk sergeant) who probably played in most 1950s British films, and a delightful performance by Thora Hird as the drunk lady.
It's haunting performance from Richard Wordsworth enhanced by his skeletal face and physique. Incredibly powerful even today. Val Guest's direction gives it an almost newsreal/documentary reality making it truly terrifying. And it was made in 1955!! When I saw it as a lad on TV (late 60s) it scared the living daylights out of me. Once seen, never forgotten. A great start to Hammer's golden age.
Dave (4/15/2023) I've been watching scifi/horror movies for over 65 years (the first movie of any kind I remember seeing is "It Came from Beneath the Sea" with my Dad, also a fan, at a Midnite Monster Marathon at our local drive-in theater. It came out in 1955, so I was 4. I've been in love with the genre ever since. I had the good fortune of growing up in the broadcast area of Rochester and Buffalo N,Y. Channel 13 and channel 7 had great late monster movies every weekend. Channels 8 and 10 occasionally aired them as well. I barely remember seeing this Quatermass film, except for that memorable climax in Westminster Abbey. My aging brain confuses it with Marshall Thompson"s "First Man into Space" (1959). "Quatermass and the Pit" aka "Quatermass II (1957) was often aired, while at the movies they ran a more comp;lex Quatermass movie, "5 Million Years to Earth" (1967). About 40 years ago I had the good fortune to see a multi-episode presentation of "The Quatermass Conclusion", about aliens bent on des for now destroying humanity. Well, I've rambled on enough for now (another age thing!).
I vividly remember watching the original BBC TV series on a neighbour's 12" black and white TV as a 13 year old boy. It was riveting stuff back then and I couldn't wait to see the next episode the following week.
Richard Wordsworth’s performance as the afflicted astronaut really makes this movie. Very scary for its time, and still good today. The little girl was played by Jane Asher, who would eventually become Paul McCartney’s girlfriend.
Great stuff! You can see where Doctor Who got a lot of inspiration with episodes like The Ambassadors Of Death, The Ark In Space and The Seeds Of Doom from this one movie. A classic indeed!
My brother and I would stay up all night on Saturday night as kids to watch the old Horror movies and this was one of our favorite movies we grew up in the early 70s what great time to be a kid
What always made this film timeless for me was how it ends with Quatermass' stoic walk away reaction where he ignores everyone he encounters except for Morris. Which when Quatermass tells Morris "we're going to start again..." and walks away followed by the final scene where the rocket lifts off speaks powerfully to Quatermass' resolve. The aforementioned was and always will typify the excellent acting which made this movie work back then and why it still holds up today as a great scifi movie.
Nigel Kneale wrote a lot of the BBC's stuff. Always rather wordy, but none of it was wasted. This was an excellent adaption. Even though Brian Donlevy seems an odd choice for Quatermass, he does well in his role. Excellent performances all around. Always worth watching.
I remember the original on the BBC, the only TV at the time. It was made even more dramatic by the soundtrack from The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War.
That rocket hit the ground at god knows what speed, buried itself 5 metres in the ground, and not only was it undamaged, but so was the passenger! We could use that technology on the road. Must be made of impossiblium.
@@petertorvik8413 Unobtainium was a power source, whats wrong with you? Impossiblium is the structural material that has the properties of canceling changes of momentum. to
I love how crashed spaceships almost always ended up looking like Lawn Darts in these old movies. Back then, those were pretty much all the physics examples film studios had to work with due to the prohibitive cost of hiring an extremely rare and hard to find scientific consultant. Nowadays they're a dime a dozen, but back then, people in the field of science had much better things to do than that.
Many of the ships at that time were based on research and serious projections of space craft advanced by scientist and rocket engineers/pioneers like Werner Von Braun, Willy Ley, Dr. Heinz Haber, etc, much of which first depicted in DESTINATION MOON. Interesting to see that Space X ships look so very similar to the one in ROCKETSHIP X-M. We've come full circle. Looks like the ships won't be resembling anything from STAR TREK, STAR WARS or even 2001 for quite a while. More like, well, Space-X/ROCKETSHIP X-M. (Btw, the scientists mentioned WERE, in fact, paid as consultants on some of these films.)
The one example they did have was the V2 rocket. Single stage, cigar shapoed body, tail fins. It wasn't until later that the cylinder with an cone design was developed, providing an almost equivalent areodynamic profile for a great reduction in machining complexity.
@@RSEFX Remember those types of ships like from Star Trek, Star Wars, or even 2001, were space ships not intended to land on planets (with a few exceptions). Spacecraft that cross an atmosphere usually need to be rocket or plane shaped to reduce drag that kills thrust.
@@david2869 Yes indeed. Huge interplanetary/interstellar "space only" vessels, sort of "motherships" from which smaller landing-take-off craft can be launched to planetary surfaces. I probably will miss out on seeing that, unless something changes real fast!
Yes Yes.... Reading down all the commons and no -"Quatermass & the Pit".... that that was a scary and demonic references movie from 1967. I think the US release was titled - "5 Million Years to Earth". Seems it has the strictest copyrights vs any other. Only short snippets are on youtube. Great movie that is still scary vs young seeing it. Perhaps it is too much for youtube also.... The others probably are in Public Domain? The Best IMO mentioned is not for a reason.
Heard about this as a kid . Don't recall this on radio or tv where I live , (NZ ) at any time . This is a good introduction to the series . Thankyou for sharing . 👍💐🤔🙏
I worked with the late Richard Wordsworth years ago in Theatre. Descended from the Lake Poet Wordsworth and ran a language School at Rydal. . Hugely intelligent and witty. A very good actor. Turning into a giant cucumber was a bit of a waste of his greatly underrated talents.
I particularly like the bit where the monster threatens to keep growing and take over the world. People have gathered at the scene and a police loud speaker is saying, "Please remain calm. There is no danger. Please go home there is nothing to see." The best of the early sci films was The Thing from Another World" 1951 with a flying saucer crashed in the Arctic circle and frozen in the ice. Black and white, in many ways I think a superior film to the 1980s remake where the colour and technical capabilities created a vivid film. I was 13 in 1951 and every time I went out at night I remembered the admonition at the black and white film's end, "Watch the skies."
I remember those. Weren’t they fun? I never knew that what they were called. We used to call them the car’s “ears” because they moved up and down like a dog’s ears.
"Life drained out of him" same thing used in the film "Life Force" (1985) with the most beautiful woman ever to appear in sci-fi. Also "The Blob" from 1957.
At the time, Mathilda May was the most naked woman I had ever seen up to then. I was not expecting that at all. Then the rest of it came and I was not expecting THAT at all. That was the most unexpected movie of that year. I remember the electricity that went through the whole audience. Believe me, entertainment was had.
So it seem the writer Nigel Kneale did not care for Brian Donlevy in the title role. Donlevy was said to be a difficult person, drunk a lot at the end of his career. Of course Nigel also had a fear of hippies. He thought they were the end of society. I myself like the way Donlevy portrays Quatermass. His terse abrupt acting style suits the character of Quartermass and his single minded pursuit of the conquest of space.
There's something about the Donlevy playing of Quatermass that corresponds with the Peter Cushing portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein. Seeing the second rocket being launched at the end shows the same attitude of Cushing's doctor - a determination of pursuing a goal with little to no concern as to the harm or tragedy it causes to others.
@@rogermunyon6867 Well the inspiration from frankenstien can be seen with the astronaut/creature interaction with the child. Straight out of the frankenstien movie. But we can see this as an anti-imperialism film, where the need for Quatermass to conquer space no matter the danger implicit in his experiment, can be compare to the British expansion which bought with dangerous diseases previously unknown to the temperate climes of Westrn science. The astronaut previous seen as a full human being becomes the other, an other-worldly creature previously unknown to humanity. A reboot would cool, just to see if the themes are relevant to today.
Donlevy was a professional. Made nearly 90 films from 1924 to 1969. He acted the part as the Director (Val Guest) wanted him to. Kneale could write a good script, but doesn't seem to be very perceptive about how movies work....
@@_XR40_ I've always liked Donlevy, but he is a big change from Reginal Tate in the BBC serial. The characterisation is very different. Yes, Val Guest was very positive about Donlevy. I think it depends on which Quatermass actor we see first. Mine was Andrew Keir, with John Mills being the second. Donlevy's Quatermass was softened a little for the second Hammer film and I prefer that Donlevy performance, becuase it allows his performance to have wider range.
@@CaminoAir I think Quatermass has a certain amount in common with Doctor Who that way. I prefer Brian Donlevy the same way I prefer Jon Pertwee. Andrew Keir comes in second and John Mills last. However, this might be because, though I've always liked Mills as an actor, I didn't think much of the _story_ in his version...
These movies are in a class by themselves! i can remember searching the three channels we had hopeing to find a few of these gems playing on the weekend 😵💫😎🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I first saw it in 1958 at our local fleapit the Regal Cinema in Windsor and again on BBC2 in 1983 and finally again on BBC2 late in Winter 2014 which i recorded onto DVD which i still own,i did not mind then paying for a TV Licence as there were NO adverts on the beeb then but their content declined so much i just did not renew and ITV were no better either!
@@_XR40_ omg the pit was so good !! I watched it a couple of years ago on TH-cam, and I looked for it a month or so ago and couldn't find it, thanks for reminding me. I'm going to see if I can find it today!
They used to say at the start that "it is unsuitable for children and those of a nervous disposition" I was about 10, my dad asked "does it scare you" I replied "noo" I lied.
Infamous for a boy dying of fright during a showing as 'The Creeping Unknown" in America. As an eight year old I couldn't wait to see it for that reason. Richard Wordsworth's performance scared the crap out of me. I was disappointed to read recently that the boy died during the credits! So much for "dying of fright."
Mum and dad were out leaving my brother 7 and me 5 at home at the time this film was on TV. We crept down from the bedroom to watch it and it was very scary for a 7 and 5 year old but we couldn’t help but watch it. I remember being scared witless and so was my brother. I will always remember this from my early childhood.
I remember being scared too but I can't recall any details except I found it particularly upsetting the fingerprints. Also Quatermass and the Pit.....I don't who let me watch that but it may have been a factor in how I turned out in life 😃🤩😃
I was born in 1950 and not allowed to see Quatermass and the Pit (1958)
(I was a bit suspect to surprises)
I'm not of that era, but of all the classic sci-fi, to a sci-fi nerd like me (and countless others), the original Quatermas and the pit series is amongst the best, for story, pacing, suspense, script and is genuinely frigging scary.
Good job the welfare didnt know
My p aren't would us too, can't believe that it was normal.
Love these old British films. They had something that Hollywood B flicks just couldn't get, class. The acting is not over done. Even when it could, it's played perfectly. I've seen this one many times and I've got part 2 on the playlist for this evening. Cheers from Tennessee
Are you serious?
Try Devil Girl From Mars 1954.
What is part 2?
Lol
I know what you mean, i always loved these🎉
Seventy years on this is still one of the best science fiction films ever made in Britain.
That almost sounds like a complement .
A great double-feature with "The Day of the Triffids."
And it ends with crispy fried calamari for dinner.
The Day The Earth Caught Fire…
You are aware that the Muppets Christmas Carol was made in Britain ?
I was shocked by how great this movie is.
Great script, acting, music, really a great film I have never seen before.
Thank You for posting it! 👍
I'm not sure about great acting in the opening sequence with the terrible false laughing! 🤣
@pragmaticskeptic Sigh, you just don't get it, a shame really.
@pragmaticskeptic you're laughable 😢😊
@pragmaticskepticYou would prefer some modern masterpiece like "Transformers revenge of the fallen, risen, whatever, boom box voiced robot cliché doing the same old plot that would insult the intelligence of a lettuce juvenile garbage we have seen literally hundreds of times before"?
I’ve seen this so many times and I still don’t tire of watching it. Very underrated cast. Some of Britain’s finest character actors on screen here.
With an American lead actor of course - Brian Dunlevy. The accent grates in both of his Quatermass films, but the producers decided to go with a known American actor who could bring in the $$$. Out of place? Yes. Wrong culture and language? Yes. Sounds weird? Yes. But that's the movie biz, right? ;)
except Hattie Jacques isn't in it
Canadian actually wasnt he?
That was part of the deal that Hammer made to get financing in the early days. Had to have an American lead. That lasted up until the beginning of the Gothic cycle when they started breaking box office records with the team of Lee/Cushing/Fisher/Hinds/Sangster. I love Hammer films. They churned out some absolute gems in their heyday.
How on earth have I missed this movie all these years? Such a treat to find a new old movie. Thanks so much.
A pioneer British science fiction classic with an absolutely brilliant score by James Bernard.
Yes ➡ soundtrack
I say it's about time for tea isn't it?
Brilliant score? How?
Such a kick to share with viewers hearing the music!
@@daphnewilson7966 Quatermass 2 also has a brilliant score by Mr. Bernard.
Saw this on television when I was a child. I am now 77, so you can see how old it is.
Frightened the life out of me !!! Gave me a life long addiction to Horror films... The name Quatermass will always send a shiver down my spine. even if it is a little less horrifying today, than it was then.
Nowadays, I am more horrified about those poor, wild animals in cages ......
Thank you for the upload, and my trip down memory lane.
Do you remember The Tingler?
@@648Roland DO I REMEMBER THE TINGLER ???!!!
We went to see it in our local cinema. This lobster like , crustacious 'thing' (if I remember correctly) was portrayed crawling under cinema seats...Never been so scared, or able -(since then) to lift my legs so high!
All ideas of 'snogging in the back row, was forgotten as we sweated profusely.
Here's one for YOU. Do you remember the TV series..The Trollenberg Terror? 'Things' coming through the ventilation shafts on a snowy mountain?
Those were the days !
John Carpenter? Hah !!!!
The thing I always notice about these old films is the total lack of swearing.
@@babavee100 No. Don't think it was ever aired down here in Australia.
I've been looking to see this movie again since I first saw it in 1955, It was really scary stuff then.
All 3 Quatermass films could arguably be in the top 10 of many list of SF movies. They are all brilliant.
I love the one that ends with Quatermass and his assistant quietly smoking cigarettes over the end credits.
I think the 2nd is the best and nearly 20 years ahead of its time.
Lets not forget, there was the QUATERMASS : THE CREEPING UNKNOWN in 1985, which showed him trying to stop an unknown alien force sending laser beams to Earth,,abducting the World's children. At the end, when he suffers a,heart attack trying to activate the nuclear device to stop the beam,,& his granddaughter in the series gently kisses him, & helps him activate the bomb was very touching.
@@robynmarler1951 Late but i think it's "Quatermass and the pit"
Agreed. Throw in X the Unknown. Hammer Films sure got on a serious roll didn't they?
*Don't you JUST LUV these old English sci-fi movies?* 👽👽
I love old sci-fi movies. Always chuckle at the phrase " move along, nothing to see here".
Love films from this era. My favorite is "First Man Into Space". We literally had no idea what the dangers of going into space were back then.
Jeffery Horton....Yep, in the early 50's, when this movie was made, we knew very little about the dangers, especially the unknown area of what radiation dangers there might be once we left the atmosphere. But this is what made these sci-fi movies made in the 1950's so interesting and open to our imaginations. Anything was possible.
Oh, your first name is how my last name is spelled: Jeffery
@Pat Luxor how do we have voyager 1 and 2 and the deep space James whatevwr it's called
There's a Twilight Zone episode about 3 men returning from space. One by one they vanish and all historical records change, as if they never existed. Finally the 3rd vanishes and the newspapers announce "Successful unmanned space experiment.
As you said we had no idea what might happen.
It's not bad, but it does take a lot from this film. The scene where the rocket passes through a cosmic dust cloud is the eeriest. It is like what I imagine happened in this film. where an alien force penetrated the rocket to get at the astronauts inside. The cattle mutilations were a good touch too. Best of all was the appearance of Roger Delgado, who had first appeared in "Quatermass II." I think the casting of Donlevy as Prof. Quatermass was smart and contributed to the film's appeal in the US.
That was excellent! Thanks for mentioning it 👍
Monster POV -- nothing shown outright - just something hauling itself through the bushes and along the ground. Love it! Many thanks, Richard Landau, Val Guest and Hammer studios!
Excellent movie. Thank you for posting this. The astronaut, "Caroon" wandering through London, stumbling... in great pain, his extremely tall & thin scare-crow like form shown stark against industrial back grounds makes me think of the German expressionism films of the 20's and Frankenstein's monster. Very well done.
That's Richard Wordsworth. He's a direct descendant of the writer William Wordsworth. He was also excellent as the beggar in Hammers 'Curse of the Werewolf '. He had a pretty edgy/creepy scene with the gorgeous Yvonne Romain.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MOVIE THAT STARTS OFF WITH THE ACTION IN THE FIRST TEN SECONDS. IMPRESSIVE!
70 years on and these Quatermass films have stood the test of time. I remember being scared witless when they were first aired on the BBC. Today I see that their quality and longevity is based on rock-solid acting by seasoned actors. In many examples of this genre, the 'monster' or the 'being' is rather comical, inviting mockery, but in this and other Q films that's never the case. Because the acting is so brilliant. They are believable . There is music, but used judiciously and there are long sequences without a music track. I also really admire the way that the dialogue constantly overlaps, with one actor talking over another (the timing must have been damned hard to achieve), and this injects realism and pace into the action. Really, very well done.
Thank you. I've been waiting for this film for ages.
A classic
Great film. The American cast members were in top form, the majority British cast was excellent. Great story, terrific plot twists. Stark and sober, and very scary. Suspense grows by the minute. British film making at its best. One of the best Sci fi films I've seen. Stands up with anything out of Hollywood at that time. Loved this movie. Thanks so much for posting this classic gem!
Stands up pretty well, even today. Last time I saw this was in the '70s. It's as creepy today as it was then!
Today they would have news black outs, HASMAT teams, and security agencies all over the place.
You could re-do this in a space ship, light years from home, and the ship picks up an unidentified life-form which starts eating all the crew and grows larger and larger. You could call it .. *ALIEN* !!
It was a long-tailed red-eyed giant purple people eater, that she wore for the first time today.
It was a long-tailed red-eyed giant purple people eater, in the water she wanted to stay.
That sounds like a catchy number. :)
@@simonmultiverse6349 Or the alien could fall to earth, near a small rural American town, and start 'absorbing' the local residents, growing larger and larger. Call it.... THE BLOB!
Then there's the liquid creature, spawned by nuclear testing, that lives in the sewers of Tokyo, growing larger and larger with each human it dissolves. THE H-MAN!
Just brilliant. It only hints at the deeper plot of the original, but still manages to pull it off. It reminds me of "It Came From Outer Space" and "The Thing from Another World" only this film is set in London and its eerie back streets. The zoo scene is especially creepy and well shot. The effects are just perfect, the "thing" being just the sort of monster you might imagine crawling around in the shadows, quickening your pace. It certainly beats all those men in rubber suits going "grrr, grrrr..." The score by James Bernard really sets it off and builds the tension right up. There was a similar monster in the film "Die Monster Die" which appears also to have been created by Les Bowie and his team.
Similar monsters in various Dr. Who episodes.
The astronaut, "Caroon" wandering through London, stumbling... in great pain, his extremely tall & thin scare-crow like form shown stark against industrial back grounds makes me think of the German expressionism films of the 20's and Frankenstein's monster. Very well done.
This film is also known as THE CREEPING UNKNOWN. Easily the most frightening of the Quatermass films. I saw it when I was about 9 or so on the infamous "Science Fiction Big Show" on Channel 5 in Nashville, TN in the early 1960's. It scared the absolute peediddling stark raving living daylights out of me back then, and fascinated me no end. Watching this movie was kind of like looking at a bad car wreck and not being able to look away. :-) Great stuff!
The cinematography was excellent, it captures the drama. A remake of this would fail dismally.
Thanks SO much for this movie. I live in Bracknell, and the old ambulance driving onto the field at the beginning was a treat to see. How the science was off! A rocket being able to get through the atmosphere without being burnt up, and still remain intact on impact impossible! I notice they actually consulted scientists for this. I remember watching the original BBC TV series called "Quatermass and the Pit". It was more scary than any of the subsequent movies. I wonder if a recording is still available of the original BBC series, just to see if was as scary as all that - but I still think the original was the scariest - Hobbs Lane, being possessed by the demons. Aahhh!
The 1967 theatrical film adaptation of "Quatermass and the Pit" (U.S. title "Five Million Years to Earth") with Andrew Keir and Barbara Shelley was also excellent.
The 1979 Quatermass was my era. But I must agree, the pit was a lot more scary.
@@fraggit I saw QMP on the BBC as a young lad; it is as vid in my mind as the evening I first saw it. Very scary!
One of my absolute favourites. Thank you.
The absolute best Quatermass shows were the ones done for BBC television. Terrifying stuff.
I remember that, didn't John Mills play professor quatermass?
@@sambrooks7862 yes, he did.
@@sambrooks7862 1979
Actually, having seen both, I actually prefer the film version of Quatermass and the pit, because it is better paced
@@ewaf88 yes I think you're right, I was about 13 at the time, wasn't there a rhyme they used to chant about "ringstone round"?
One of the greatest SciFi shows ever made.
They'll never make another like it.
... that is the comment that is written under each and every movie clip on youtube ... boring comment ... and no this is not one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made ...
"Quatermass II" and Quatermass and the Pit" were better.
@@MrKatzinski I concur.
@@MrKatzinski did you take a grumpy pill on purpose today?
@@thematey3592 ... I dont need pills to be grumpy ... its my nature ... it is true though ... people always write some bullshit in the comments under every video and there is always one idiot who finds even a total crap movie "the best movie ever made" ... thanks for the answer anyway ...
Thank you! Great underrated classic
Could you possibly post the two Peter Cushing Doctor who movies???
I second that!
I love the old Sci-Fi films ❤ thanks for posting. This is a favourite
Absolutely amazing love all old sf movies from the UK
Some great old British character actors in this, all sadly passed away now, I particularly enjoyed Thora Hurd's gin soaked character, what a national treasure she was.
Hird not Hurd.
Jack Warner doing his "dixon of dock green" character dry sense of humor 😂
She was wonderful in "Last of the Summer Wine".
I like how at 1:12:58 Gordon Jackson calls Lime Grove to fill in transmission. Plus the BBC OB equipment, including CPS Emitron camera mounted on an Austin 7 chassis, in the the Abbey.
Yes, this was quite entertaining, and thought provoking to us kids of the day when it aired. Quatermass became a role model of my brother and self, for several years. 10⭐& 👍👍 for great family friendly entertainment.
Wow!! First time watching this. It's a real "edge of your seat" grabber! How did I miss it as a kid?! Thank you!!
Good to see Jack Warner as the Inspector - who made Dixon of Dock Green so famous on TV in later years, and Sam Kydd (as the desk sergeant) who probably played in most 1950s British films, and a delightful performance by Thora Hird as the drunk lady.
It's haunting performance from Richard Wordsworth enhanced by his skeletal face and physique. Incredibly powerful even today. Val Guest's direction gives it an almost newsreal/documentary reality making it truly terrifying. And it was made in 1955!! When I saw it as a lad on TV (late 60s) it scared the living daylights out of me. Once seen, never forgotten. A great start to Hammer's golden age.
I Love ALL the Quartermass stories, and the movies are excellent. Thank you for the Upload.
Dave (4/15/2023) I've been watching scifi/horror movies for over 65 years (the first movie of any kind I remember seeing is "It Came from Beneath the Sea" with my Dad, also a fan, at a Midnite Monster Marathon at our local drive-in theater. It came out in 1955, so I was 4. I've been in love with the genre ever since. I had the good fortune of growing up in the broadcast area of Rochester and Buffalo N,Y. Channel 13 and channel 7 had great late monster movies every weekend. Channels 8 and 10 occasionally aired them as well. I barely remember seeing this Quatermass film, except for that memorable climax in Westminster Abbey. My aging brain confuses it with Marshall Thompson"s "First Man into Space" (1959). "Quatermass and the Pit" aka "Quatermass II (1957) was often aired, while at the movies they ran a more comp;lex Quatermass movie, "5 Million Years to Earth" (1967). About 40 years ago I had the good fortune to see a multi-episode presentation of "The Quatermass Conclusion", about aliens bent on des for now destroying humanity. Well, I've rambled on enough for now (another age thing!).
‘Are you in pain? Is it something to do with your arm? Let me take a look.’ Absolute classic.
it still has a high creep-out factor after 70 years.
It gave me nightmares when I first saw it.
@@fredrickmarsiello4395 wait till you meet my wife
Thanks so much, a classic I've wanted to watch again.
I vividly remember watching the original BBC TV series on a neighbour's 12" black and white TV as a 13 year old boy. It was riveting stuff back then and I couldn't wait to see the next episode the following week.
Richard Wordsworth’s performance as the afflicted astronaut really makes this movie. Very scary for its time, and still good today. The little girl was played by Jane Asher, who would eventually become Paul McCartney’s girlfriend.
Well, she's achieved a bit more than that.
I was utterly charmed by her, too.
She's also in The Stone Tape, also by Nigel Kneale.
Peter's sister.
@@proto-geek248yes of Peter and Gordon "I Go to Pieces".
Brilliant stuff! It scared me witless as a nipper, loved seeing it again thanks for the download.
Ah, Quatermass. The original TV serials were excellent. Was Andre Morel quintessential Quatermass in the third serial? Rather!
HAHA
Great stuff! You can see where Doctor Who got a lot of inspiration with episodes like The Ambassadors Of Death, The Ark In Space and The Seeds Of Doom from this one movie. A classic indeed!
My brother and I would stay up all night on Saturday night as kids to watch the old Horror movies and this was one of our favorite movies we grew up in the early 70s what great time to be a kid
great cast and story
Brilliant video 😎
Would love Quatermass to return!
What always made this film timeless for me was how it ends with Quatermass' stoic walk away reaction where he ignores everyone he encounters except for Morris. Which when Quatermass tells Morris "we're going to start again..." and walks away followed by the final scene where the rocket lifts off speaks powerfully to Quatermass' resolve. The aforementioned was and always will typify the excellent acting which made this movie work back then and why it still holds up today as a great scifi movie.
kind of a scientific tower of babel. A lot of symbolism. loved the movie. Really liked how the relationships grew in this movie.
Nigel Kneale wrote a lot of the BBC's stuff. Always rather wordy, but none of it was wasted. This was an excellent adaption. Even though Brian Donlevy seems an odd choice for Quatermass, he does well in his role. Excellent performances all around. Always worth watching.
I remember the original on the BBC, the only TV at the time. It was made even more dramatic by the soundtrack from The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War.
👍👍👍👍
Thanks for sharing this classic!
Fantastic Film, love the characters & story line & like all the Quatermass Films
That rocket hit the ground at god knows what speed, buried itself 5 metres in the ground, and not only was it undamaged, but so was the passenger! We could use that technology on the road.
Must be made of impossiblium.
Please there is no impossibilium. Unobtainium.
@@petertorvik8413 Unobtainium was a power source, whats wrong with you? Impossiblium is the structural material that has the properties of canceling changes of momentum. to
@@williamwalker8107 proper science!
Speaking as a scientist myself, I can confirm there are four types of matter.
Ordinary Matter, Anti-matter, Dark-matter, and Doesn’t-matter.
@ThatRaggedyDoctor
And he had his hard hat on, he was safe as houses 😂
I love how crashed spaceships almost always ended up looking like Lawn Darts in these old movies. Back then, those were pretty much all the physics examples film studios had to work with due to the prohibitive cost of hiring an extremely rare and hard to find scientific consultant. Nowadays they're a dime a dozen, but back then, people in the field of science had much better things to do than that.
They had the examples of illustrations in the early sci Fi books....Buck Rodgers, HG Wells etc.
Many of the ships at that time were based on research and serious projections of space craft advanced by scientist and rocket engineers/pioneers like Werner Von Braun, Willy Ley, Dr. Heinz Haber, etc, much of which first depicted in DESTINATION MOON. Interesting to see that Space X ships look so very similar to the one in ROCKETSHIP X-M. We've come full circle. Looks like the ships won't be resembling anything from STAR TREK, STAR WARS or even 2001 for quite a while. More like, well, Space-X/ROCKETSHIP X-M. (Btw, the scientists mentioned WERE, in fact, paid as consultants on some of these films.)
The one example they did have was the V2 rocket. Single stage, cigar shapoed body, tail fins. It wasn't until later that the cylinder with an cone design was developed, providing an almost equivalent areodynamic profile for a great reduction in machining complexity.
@@RSEFX Remember those types of ships like from Star Trek, Star Wars, or even 2001, were space ships not intended to land on planets (with a few exceptions). Spacecraft that cross an atmosphere usually need to be rocket or plane shaped to reduce drag that kills thrust.
@@david2869 Yes indeed. Huge interplanetary/interstellar "space only" vessels, sort of "motherships" from which smaller landing-take-off craft can be launched to planetary surfaces. I probably will miss out on seeing that, unless something changes real fast!
"So... so, it wasn't a gin goblin?"
Any chance of "Quatermass & the Pit" next please?
Now that's a classic.
I got a dvd of Quatermass and the Pit from Amazon.
I liked Rosie lol. The actress did a good job. 😊
Yes Yes.... Reading down all the commons and no -"Quatermass & the Pit".... that that was a scary and demonic references movie from 1967. I think the US release was titled - "5 Million Years to Earth".
Seems it has the strictest copyrights vs any other. Only short snippets are on youtube. Great movie that is still scary vs young seeing it. Perhaps it is too much for youtube also.... The others probably are in Public Domain? The Best IMO mentioned is not for a reason.
So good , no big budget special effects just the human story to concentrate on.
It was big budget for its time.
Good flick Thank you for this!
Stellar performance from Thora Hird, legend. Blimey the little girl is Jane Asher, talking about cakes and biscuits too 😂
1:00 jack Warner ,Sam kydd and Thora Hird ..🎞️🎥 brilliant actors This film still scares me now😱
Never heard of this one,but have seen Quartermass and the Pit,a brilliant early sci fi,along with Forbidden Planet!
The Quatermass films were sci gold !!!!
Thanks for posting this. Is there any chance of posting Quatermass and the Pit?
A masterpiece of horror. Watched it one saturday afternoon when I was 8, glad it wasnt night! Better than current movies, thanks for posting it!
They had some strange ideas about space back in the day. Interesting film
True. At least now people realize that the Earth is Flat and space isn't real...
@@l337pwnage You funny.
@@kimba381 I try. I'll be performing here all week. :)
Britain's excellent version of The Blob.
The scene with the little girl and her doll is straight out of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein!!!!
What, no sense of humor?
yes!!!! i thought that aswell, lol.
Interesting that they keep the radio panel in the engine compartment of a VW Kombi van.
VW engines were smaller then! 🙂
i was thinkin that too. but thought mabye it had been rejigged for the special duties it had(in make believe life of course), lol
It would be more natural to put communication devices into the van but who knows what they were thinking back then!
Heard about this as a kid . Don't recall this on radio or tv where I live , (NZ ) at any time . This is a good introduction to the series .
Thankyou for sharing . 👍💐🤔🙏
We need to make a modern quatermass series. I do love the old movies though
At least we still have these wonderful movies. The art of making decent Sci-Fi movies has definitely been lost.
I worked with the late Richard Wordsworth years ago in Theatre. Descended from the Lake Poet Wordsworth and ran a language School at Rydal. . Hugely intelligent and witty. A very good actor. Turning into a giant cucumber was a bit of a waste of his greatly underrated talents.
They did a good job of restoring and remastering "Quatermass and the pit", the film version, a few years ago. It looks great on blu ray.
Wondering why I've never been aware of Quatermass anything until I spotted it here. Born in 57, a fan of the genre always.
Do you also have "Quatermass and the Pit"? I both loved, and was scared of that movie when I was little!
I particularly like the bit where the monster threatens to keep growing and take over the world. People have gathered at the scene and a police loud speaker is saying, "Please remain calm. There is no danger. Please go home there is nothing to see."
The best of the early sci films was The Thing from Another World" 1951 with a flying saucer crashed in the Arctic circle and frozen in the ice. Black and white, in many ways I think a superior film to the 1980s remake where the colour and technical capabilities created a vivid film. I was 13 in 1951 and every time I went out at night I remembered the admonition at the black and white film's end, "Watch the skies."
Nice!
One of the best films for rocket travelers to be picked up in the parking lot. Maybe THE BEST film ever to depict this. Plus it's Val Guest.
Thanks for posting this great film. It was so full of suspense. I RoccoMend this movie.
this is great stuff please keep it up as every other one has been stopped from this so please keep it up and thank you
I seen this movie years ago like it then ...still like it today..they did a good job making this movie so long ago
Cracking film 👍👍👏👏
Loving the vw camper van at 9 minutes❤ absolute classic movie. thank you for this download ❤❤❤
Great film! I hadnt seen it yet. I loved it. Thank you for bringing it to me here.
7:20 love the old VW bus! Notice the trafficator style arm on the side. Funny idea to pretend that the transmitter was located in the engine bay.
I remember those. Weren’t they fun? I never knew that what they were called. We used to call them the car’s “ears” because they moved up and down like a dog’s ears.
My father played sargeant best! Always enjoy watching this
Cool. 😎
Very! 🕺x
NO KIDDING
"Life drained out of him" same thing used in the film "Life Force" (1985) with the most beautiful woman ever to appear in sci-fi. Also "The Blob" from 1957.
I was an extra in "lifeforce", the beautiful woman you're referring to is Mathilda May.
Barbara Crampton in 'From Beyond,' was also a winner, Blob was '58
Barbara Crampton in Re-Animator, but Mathilda May was gorgeous.
At the time, Mathilda May was the most naked woman I had ever seen up to then. I was not expecting that at all. Then the rest of it came and I was not expecting THAT at all. That was the most unexpected movie of that year. I remember the electricity that went through the whole audience. Believe me, entertainment was had.
So it seem the writer Nigel Kneale did not care for Brian Donlevy in the title role. Donlevy was said to be a difficult person, drunk a lot at the end of his career. Of course Nigel also had a fear of hippies. He thought they were the end of society.
I myself like the way Donlevy portrays Quatermass. His terse abrupt acting style suits the character of Quartermass and his single minded pursuit of the conquest of space.
There's something about the Donlevy playing of Quatermass that corresponds with the Peter Cushing portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein. Seeing the second rocket being launched at the end shows the same attitude of Cushing's doctor - a determination of pursuing a goal with little to no concern as to the harm or tragedy it causes to others.
@@rogermunyon6867 Well the inspiration from frankenstien can be seen with the astronaut/creature interaction with the child. Straight out of the frankenstien movie.
But we can see this as an anti-imperialism film, where the need for Quatermass to conquer space no matter the danger implicit in his experiment, can be compare to the British expansion which bought with dangerous diseases previously unknown to the temperate climes of Westrn science.
The astronaut previous seen as a full human being becomes the other, an other-worldly creature previously unknown to humanity.
A reboot would cool, just to see if the themes are relevant to today.
Donlevy was a professional. Made nearly 90 films from 1924 to 1969. He acted the part as the Director (Val Guest) wanted him to. Kneale could write a good script, but doesn't seem to be very perceptive about how movies work....
@@_XR40_ I've always liked Donlevy, but he is a big change from Reginal Tate in the BBC serial. The characterisation is very different. Yes, Val Guest was very positive about Donlevy. I think it depends on which Quatermass actor we see first. Mine was Andrew Keir, with John Mills being the second. Donlevy's Quatermass was softened a little for the second Hammer film and I prefer that Donlevy performance, becuase it allows his performance to have wider range.
@@CaminoAir I think Quatermass has a certain amount in common with Doctor Who that way. I prefer Brian Donlevy the same way I prefer Jon Pertwee. Andrew Keir comes in second and John Mills last. However, this might be because, though I've always liked Mills as an actor, I didn't think much of the _story_ in his version...
Frightened the crap out of me back in the early 70s when i first watched it as a kid.
Truly a classic British Sci Fi. Sci Fi movies had to excel in plot and acting as there were no CGI and in many cases no colour.
He's rather a cold fish, as my Mum would have said. Classic film, thanks
OMG I saw this when it was finally broadcast on US tv when I was kid. It scared the poop out of me.
Thank you 🤩🤩💖
These movies are in a class by themselves! i can remember searching the three channels we had hopeing to find a few of these gems playing on the weekend 😵💫😎🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Shout out to Richard Curwen Wordsworth and his amazing performance as Victor Carroone.
Great film thankyou for up loading this ❤
Awesome movie, Great acting had me convinced, love these old movies, no cgi. Thanks for the upload.
I can remember watching this ages ago🎉
I first saw it in 1958 at our local fleapit the Regal Cinema in Windsor and again on BBC2 in 1983 and finally again on BBC2 late in Winter 2014 which i recorded onto DVD which i still own,i did not mind then paying for a TV Licence as there were NO adverts on the beeb then but their content declined so much i just did not renew and ITV were no better either!
For more Quatermass thrills, Brian Donlevy reprises his role in 'Quatermass II -Enemy From Space' 1957, Currently showing on TH-cam.
Also look for Quatermass and the Pit/Five Million Years to Earth.....
@@_XR40_ The Pit......where do I find it?
@@_XR40_ omg the pit was so good !! I watched it a couple of years ago on TH-cam, and I looked for it a month or so ago and couldn't find it, thanks for reminding me. I'm going to see if I can find it today!
@@jonnytheboy7338 Its downloadable from Internet Archive. I posted a link for another guy, but that post vanished....
I'm amazed these aren't available for purchase from Amazon video.
Love this gem of sci-fi horror seen it many times.
They used to say at the start that "it is unsuitable for children and those of a nervous disposition" I was about 10, my dad asked "does it scare you" I replied "noo" I lied.
Diverted the power supply of the entire city of London, and neither cables or scafold melted. They sure built them well back then! :D
Well!
Good to the last frame
Infamous for a boy dying of fright during a showing as 'The Creeping Unknown" in America. As an eight year old I couldn't wait to see it for that reason. Richard Wordsworth's performance scared the crap out of me. I was disappointed to read recently that the boy died during the credits! So much for "dying of fright."