The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

Admirable film.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The first time I saw this was as a kid on a Saturday morning triple feature at the theater; recently was able to watch this again and it makes more sense. Wonder why? Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) puts a manned rocket into space and makes big news all over Europe, when it crashes into a countryside outside of London. The news cameras are rolling and Quatermass is concerned about the three astronauts that left on the journey. As the door is opened, only one traveler is found inside. Astronaut Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth) seems senseless and unable to communicate. After being taken to a private clinic, his wife (Margia Dean), manages to have him smuggled out. Scotland Yard and Quatermass start a manhunt to find they are now hunting a monster that is killing animals and people. Still, what happened to the other two astronauts?Uncanny and tense early Sci-Fi. At the movies all those years ago, I couldn't hit pause in order to get another root beer and popcorn. If you get a chance: don't pass this one up.Also starring are: David King-Wood, Jack Warner, Lionel Jeffries, Gordon Jackson and Harold Lang.

This movie is also known under it's US title 'The Creeping Unknown'. The Quatermass Xperiment is quite an interesting film especially the beginning of it (which is really the best part of the movie to me). I enjoyed the mystery of not knowing what happened to the astronauts - the wondering. Once it became clear as to what happened to the astronauts, the movie really became more of a stereo typical sci-fi horror of the 1950's, a creature feature if you will.I quite like this movie - and I think that quite a few sci-fi and horror fans would enjoy it.I will agree with some that has reviewed this movie that Prof. Bernard Quatermass is very much of a business man but he is also a scientist. What he found in this Xperiment is quite an interesting discovery - one that I will not mention because I will not spoil the movie for those that have not seen the film.7/10

Scripted by Richard Landau and director Val Guest, based on Nigel Kneale's BBC TV serial, "The Quatermass Xperiment" a.k.a. "The Creeping Unknown" is an intelligent, atmospheric, and genuinely creepy movie.A spaceship crashes back down to Earth with only one of three astronauts returning with it. Something is clearly quite wrong with the man; as it turns out, he's in the beginning stages of transforming into something else, and the stakes get raised when he inevitably escapes.Brian Donlevy is the stubborn, gruff scientist in charge, Bernard Quatermass, and he's not your typical hero from sci-fi of the era, as he doesn't exactly try to be friendly or likable. He doesn't really have the time for people with different agendas than his own. Kneale and Guest have disagreed on Donlevy's interpretation, with the author failing to be impressed with this take on the role. A strong supporting cast helps to make the movie fun to watch: Jack Warner as the intrepid Inspector Lomax, David King-Wood as Dr. Gordon Briscoe, Lionel Jeffries as Blake, Maurice Kaufmann as Marsh, Thora Hird as the comedy relief character Rosie, and especially Richard Wordsworth as the doomed astronaut Victor Carroon. His role is nearly a silent one, but he conveys a lot through the tortured expression on his face throughout. That's Jane Asher as the little girl who encounters Carroon.Guest generates some pretty good suspense at select points, and the makeup effects are definitely very good for the time. The final incarnation of the creature is appropriately hideous. One scene that really stands out is at a zoo where the music score drops out and the silence becomes palpable. This is, in this reviewer's humble opinion, the creepiest portion of the movie. James Bernard's music is quite scary, and the movie gets off to a Hell of a great start; it hits the ground running. And the pacing is efficient all the way through. This proved to be an early success for Hammer, who entered their long running Gothic period with "The Curse of Frankenstein" two years later; at this time they were known as Exclusive films.Science fiction fans will be sure to find this a genuinely interesting and tense movie that entertains solidly from beginning to end.Eight out of 10.

When an experimental rocket ship crashes back down to Earth, Bernard Quatermass is baffled as to why three astronauts went up, but only one has returned. The returning astronaut is Victor Carroon and he's in a bad way. Unable to speak and going thru some sort of metamorphosis, it's not long before he starts to become something that literally threatens all of mankind. Can Quatermass and his team of scientists stop the creeping unknown in its tracks?The character of Bernard Quatermass was born out of the considerable brain of writer Nigel Kneale. A science boffin and defender of the Earth against other worldly beasties, Quatermass was first seen on the screen in the BBC TV serial in 1953. Here that bastion of British horror, Hammer Film Productions, adapts a story for the screen and produce a gritty science fiction thriller that doesn't resort to the hokey monster schlock conventions so evident in the 1950s. Directed by Val Guest {who co-writes with Richard H. Landau}, the Quatermass franchise {sequels, more TV serials and another linked film would follow down the line} always thrived because of its intelligence and willingness to explore the science surrounding its stories. Here with this one we get an interesting look at the political aspects that surround the space programme, and this in turn dovetails nicely with the police investigation as the "Yard" search for the man, soon to be monster.Effectively using London locations such as Westminster Abbey, Guest's movie also pulses with great characters. Not just those on the trail of the stricken astronaut, but also those that he {it} comes into contact with; such as a Frankenstein like encounter with a young girl (Jane Asher) playing with her doll. It's well thought out stuff, even if budget restrictions and time scale can't quite fully realise Kneale's creation. Of the cast, Brian Donlevy steps into the shoes of brainy Bernard, seen as an odd casting choice by many, it proves to be quite astute. Quatermass is straight laced and a stickler for his science, Donlevy's mannerisms and gruff exterior suit the role very well. Britain's favourite copper Jack Warner of course plays the inspector leading up the investigation, and as usual he's as solid as a rock, while Richard Wordsworth is brilliant as the doomed Victor Carroon. There's also little turns from British treasures like Thora Hird, Lionel Jeffries and Gordon Jackson.With its writing smarts appeasing the adults and having enough of a creature feature vibe to entertain the kids, The Quatermass Experiment is a classy bit of 50s sci-fi that covers most of the bases. 8/10