Quatermass Xperiment

Kneale wrote a number of TV programs that were eventually adapted to film. However, he will always remain famous for Quatermass. The movies would parallel a series of TV productions: Quatermass II (1955) and Quatermass and the Pit (1958-9). Kneale would conclude the series with Quatermass/The Quatermass Conclusion (1979).

The UK theatrical remake of The Quatermass Experiment (1955) was directed by Val Guest and the screenplay was written by Val Guest and Richard Landau. The part of Professor Bernard Quatermass was played by Brian Donlevy. Donlevy was chosen because it was thought an American in the role would give the film more box office appeal in the U.S. However, in hindsight, it was a little like giving the role of Doctor Who to an obvious Texan or person from the Bronx. Sometimes accents are important. Donlevy did a professional job, although a few cast members complained that he had a drinking problem.

The experimental rocket Q1 crashes in England. Quatermass, the somewhat reckless creator of the ship races to the site. Only one of the three astronauts is found alive, Victor Carroon (played by Richard Wordsworth). The other men have vanished.

This mystery drives the first part of the film. Later it becomes clear that Carroon is not only sick but dangerous. Something has come back with him, something that absorbs the flesh of living creatures and appropriates it into itself. The second half of this film is a somewhat typical man turned into monster drama.

It grows and goes on a rampage of destruction. Can it be caught? How will they stop it?

This early Hammer Film, and their first international success, was filmed in black-and-white. While the film has been released as one of MGM's Midnight Movies, it is only available on VHS. This is quite unfortunate given the fact that the later films are available on DVD. However, the transfer to video is excellent.

Would you believe that this film was given a British "X" rating certificate? There are no sexual situations, no romance, and no nudity. The language is fairly tame. Even the supposedly horrific scenes of mayhem from the monster are a mild PG by today's standards.

While it lacks some of the intensity of the later films, it is a good story. I would recommend it for fans of science fiction, British or not.


Initial entry in the greatest science fiction series ever   February 29, 2000
Mark Shanks (Portland, OR)
22 out of 27 found this review helpful

There's simply no equal to the Quatermass films in the effects-driven "science fiction" foisted on today's public. These films, adapted from much longer BBC television "miniseries", rely on intelligent plot development and attention to detail that is notably lacking in anything done in the genre lately.

In this film, the first of the series, Quatermass's experimental rocket crashes to Earth after having been out of contact. Three people went up - but there's only one person aboard now. The others.....? Ah, that would be telling!

Originally titled "The Quatermass Xperiment", the movie played on its "X" rating from the (remarkably timid) British film review board and helped open the door for Hammer Films' later bloody epics. There's nothing here that you couldn't see on television today, but the horrific *implications* of the plot are what give you the shivers. Special effects are crude by today's standards - a remake would surely improve on that aspect of the film, but the writing more than makes up that.

Brian Donlevy really makes a poor Quatermass, but he's all we have. He seems to confuse bullying and shouting with projecting authority and confidence, and you end up somewhat surprised no one decks him. (Andrew Keir's interpretation in "Quatermass and the Pit" is a lot more palatable.)

But that said - see this one. One of the true greats of the genre.


An Amazing Hammer Film   September 20, 2004
Paulo R. C. Barros (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

"The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955 - 82 minutes), suspense movie of scientific fiction written by Nigel Kneale, Richard Landau and Val Guest and directed by Val Guest, is derived from the television series "Quatermass Xperiment". With six episodes of 30 minutes, it was broadcasted in 1953 and immediately established. This film, photographed in black & white, preserved the quality of the original series and became the first international success of the Hammer Film, the creative English independent producer. The plot tells the story of professor Bernard Quatermass, the man who sent into space the first manned British rocket, and his investigations about the disappearance of two astronauts in its return. Victor Carroon, the only surviving astronaut, was affected by an enigmatic alien organism that caused mysterious alterations in his body, and was slowly possessed by the powerful extraterrestrial force. Transformed into a gigantic hybrid vegetal/animal monster, Carroon was used as a nasty way of Earth invasion and was finally electrocuted in the Abbey of Westminster during a live television transmission.
It's interesting to note that due to the success of this film and the two subsequent productions ["X-The Unknown" and "Quatermass II - Enemy from Space"], the Hammer received the necessary impulse and subsidies to produce the terror movies that made it world-wide famous. Don't miss the opportunity to watch this amazing movie.



Frightening 50's British sci-fi   November 2, 1999
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I saw this movie when it was released and it scared the hell out of me at the age of 10. Richard Wordsworth's silent terror still scares me. The bleak black and white scenes and loud, shrill string music add to the grim story of a returning astronaut slowly being dissolved and transformed into an alien which entered his spaceship. The complete alien at the end is disappointing but up to that point it's a frightening story of a slow, terrible death.


Good Story & Solid Acting   November 27, 2001
Alan Dale Daniel (St. George, UT, USA)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is a well written story about a space flight gone wrong. It is well acted, the special effects are excellent for their day, and the main character in the story (Quartermass)is a strong and almost hartless man who is driven to achieve his goals no matter what the cost.

The supporting characters are good as well, but the mainstay of the movie is the strong story line which flows from event to event almost flawlessly.

An excellent effort for all science fiction fans - especially those who enjoy the older B&W versions of the future of science and space travel.