ABC Film Challenge – Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

This review is part of the Monthly ABC Film Challenge over at Movie Reviews 101.

This month’s theme is Horror Films

If you’re interested in taking part, feel free to contact Darren.

Tnx for letting me take part Darren!

Here’s the link to the original post.

“The will to survive… it’s an odd phenomenon. Roney, if we found out earth was doomed – say, by climatic changes – what would we do about it?” – Professor Bernard Quatermass

“Nothing. Just go on squabbling as usual.” – Dr. Mathew Roney

Number of Times Seen – 1 (17 Oct 2021)

Brief Synopsis – After a few skeletons are found near the London subway system, a professor and scientist are brought in to try and discover how they got there.

My Take on it – As someone quite averse to horror films, I decided to take on the challenge of finding one for the Letter Q and lo and behold, I came across a Hammer film that fit that quest.

The fact that this film starred James Donald – who I loved in both The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and in The Great Escape (1963) was an added bonus.

The story is actually quite interesting even if the production and effects are quite primitive throughout.

I liked the overall premise which still seems to remain relevant today, nearly 55 years after it was made.

The film asks some great philosophical questions that still need to be answered and that adds even more to the way that this kind of story is to be grasped.

The acting is sub-par in general and many of the characters deliver very wooden dialogue, but they still manage to get the point across.

The special effects are quite weak and silly looking, but that is usually what one can expect from a Hammer film.

In addition to this film featuring Donald, I also loved seeing Julian Glover in a pivotal role even though it isn’t as powerful in my mind as his roles in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) or in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989).

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – A Sony CV-2000B Videocorder – a very early and primitive form of videotape recorder – is on display during the sequences in which the Martian race memory is both recorded and later played back to the skeptical military. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)