Quatermass & the Pit
An alien spaceship unearthed during work on building a railway station. A discovery that reveals dark origins behind humanity's evolution. A heroic scientist fighting the government and the military from releasing malevolent alien forces onto our world, and the consequences that result from this conflict...
Judging by the above paragraph, you might easily think that I was writing a post about an episode of Doctor Who. Or even that I was trying to describe the premise of Torchwood. In reality, I'm describing an almost forty year old film version of a fifty year old television serial. For this month's column, I'm going to talk about the film Quatermass & the Pit (originally released in the United States as Five Million Years to Earth). It's a strong, smart horror/science fiction film that is not only good viewing this Halloween...but is a great introduction to British science fiction.
First, a note about Quatermass: about whom I will write more in a future column) - Professor Bernard Quatermass was featured in three live television serials in the 1950s (and one in the 1970s) authored by Nigel Kneale, who might be categorized as the "British Rod Serling" in his to use science fiction concepts within television to discuss much larger issues. Unlike Serling, Kneale's work focused more on slightly "harder" science, with a much stronger, more xenophobic edge to the tales. (In fact, there was a 2005 remount of The Quatermass Xperiment that was, for some reason, pulled from YouTube, but you can still watch the seven part documentary about the production) Thankfully, I've been featuring the televised version of Quatermass & the Pit on my blog every Monday; the first two episodes ofthe first serial and all of the second are available via the Internet Archive. Although movies were made of the first two Quatermass television serials, they're not that good, and quite honestly...this column is focusing on not just the strongest of the movies, but admittedly, one of the better horror films to come out of England in the late 1960s.
(And not just horror, but the film is also part of the Hammer Film Productions library of fine horror films. It's an interesting dichotomy - Hammer is known for its lush, neo-Gothic takes on classic horror themes (and, of course, Christopher Lee as Dracula); Quatermass & The Pit seems like an odd entry, focusing on more science fiction-oriented themes; but take one look at the high production values (which, compared to the televised version, seem extraordinarily lush) and the slight gore (admittedly, more alien than human gore) make this a worthy, really underappreciated gem.
As stated above, the story concerns the location of what appears to be an unexploded bomb in the London underground...but it also concerns Professor Bernard Quatermass (Andrew Kier), whose leadership of the British Rocket Group is threatened when informed that it will be placed under the aegis of the British military, under Colonel Breen (Julian Glover). Of course, once the remains of what appear to be apes...or possibly higher advanced forms of apes...are found at the site, an investigation is launched, and that leads to a revelation that shakes the foundations of everyone involved. It's the kind of movie that is not only creepy in its own right, but also is a movie filled with ideas - it's a "thinking person's horror movie", and although quite tame by contemporary standards, Quatermass & the Pit is one of those films that tends to linger after viewing...
Much like its television predecessors, Quatermass & The Pit has had a notable influence on later science fiction television and films. It's no wonder that Doctor Who has reused several plot elements and imagery in its stories, from 1973's The Daemons to 1977's Image of the Fendahl. (I will even argue that it has an influence on new Who, more specifically season two's The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit). John Carpenter has even cited Kneale as an influence on his work, most specifically on the underseen Prince of Darkness. It's the kind of movie where you can see echoes in later films, but on its own, stands up as a smart, scary slide of 1960s horror.
And now, for the bad news - although Quatermass & The Pit is available on DVD, it can be a little tough to find for purchase. This is a movie that is best found either through rental (like Netflix) or via some other third party purchase sites (like one of Amazon's vendors or eBay). It's the kind of movie that is well worth seeking out, and really provides a great piece of family-oriented Halloween viewing fare. For fans of genre films and television, it is must-viewing.
That's it for this month - you're always welcome to check out my blog at blogthispal.com, or my online shenanigans via my social media portal. (I also have a personal website pointing to various other activities, including my co-hosting the Zone 4 podcast and the new Whoverse show on WGTOnlineRadio). I welcome thoughts, suggestions, and even arguments.
Thanks for reading, and as always - keep watching!
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