The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) Dir: Val Guest
- Ridley Coote
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
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Also known as 'The Creeping Unknown', this Val Guest directed science fiction horror, from the iconic Hammer Productions, is a film I've wanted to watch a fair bit ever since I started this odyssey into the iconic selection of classic British horror that is the Hammer filmography. I have seen this one advertised quite heavily on Hammer's website, and it seems to be well-regarded - all the impetus I needed to watch it and find out for myself.
I loved the mysterious, otherworldly, element that this film brought to the table - it felt very much of the same ilk as one of H.G. Well's classic science fiction stories, like 'The War Of The Worlds'. The opening scene in particular was so quintessentially classic science fiction, and provided a striking and extremely atmospheric visual to open the film. The film didn't quite maintain that excellent atmosphere throughout its whole runtime, but I still enjoyed watching the mystery unfold.
The story's first two acts were extremely intriguing, with a strong dose of science fiction, horror, and mystery, which very much drew me in. However, the third act felt awfully rushed, and didn't go anywhere near as far as it really should have. As such, it ended up giving the film a disappointingly anticlimactic end. With that said, I enjoyed the modern-feeling cliffhanger ending, which set up a second film, which I intend to watch very soon.
There was an interesting ensemble cast playing out the story, with Brian Donlevy providing the most memorable of the performances, feeling, at points, incredibly imperious. I also enjoyed the pair of performances from Richard Wordsworth and David King-Wood, who were pretty solid in their prominent roles. Finally, I'll give two quick mentions to Jack Warner and Margia Dean, whose roles were a little more minor, but still worth noting.
Overall, I thought the first two thirds of this film were excellent, but it was let down quite heavily by its rather disappointing climax. It felt very reminiscent of 1966's 'Island Of Terror', only on a smaller scale, and equally as ineffective. Regardless, I will remember this film's positives far more than its negatives, especially that genuinely very cool opening scene, which hooked me instantly. I hope the two sequels prove just as good, if not better.
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