X: The Unknown (1956) Dir: Leslie Norman
- Ridley Coote
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Instagram post:
Next up on my journey through the various classic horrors of Hammer Productions was this 1956 film, directed by Leslie Norman. Ironically, considering the name of the film, this was one of the Hammer horrors that wasn't particularly known to me, either by name or reputation. Indeed, it's definitely not one of the higher rated films on Letterboxd, or anywhere online, for that matter, though those ratings aren't poor either, which was encouraging.
The film had a great, dramatic soundtrack, but that was as good as its aesthetics got, sadly. There were some decent practical effects, but they were so underutilised that I couldn't really appreciate them as much as I was hoping I would be able to. The few moments that those practical effects, especially for the creature, were on display, they looked really good - it felt like I was in store for a classically ridiculous but awesomely goopy horror experience, but that just wasn't the case.
Unfortunately, this just wasn't as compelling as I had hoped, mainly because of the slow pace of much of the film. It meant that I really struggled to maintain focus on the film, and that it felt significantly longer than it actually was. It's not something I've experienced much with Hammer horrors, or classic films in general, thankfully, but, if anything, that just emphasised to me how poor this was, in that regard. The most memorable thing about the film was that one of the characters was unfortunately and amusingly named.
Dean Jagger gave a fairly solid performance in the film's leading role, but I found that he lacked the same levels of charisma and screen presence as other, more notable Hammer actors, like Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee. There were a few others who gave decent enough performances, albeit in smaller roles, with the most noteworthy being Leo McKern, William Lucas, and Edward Chapman.
Overall, this was, unfortunately, one of the more forgettable Hammer horrors I've seen thus far, but, on the plus side, it has most definitely been an exception to the rule. It was not without its positives, but it failed to engage me either as much or as consistently as some of the more highly touted horrors from the iconic British production company. I don't regret watching it, but I don't imagine I'll be jumping at the chance to rewatch it anytime soon, certainly not ahead of some of the other Hammer films I've seen.
Comments