Before Doctor Who, there was Quatermass, England’s other most famous space-age science detective. Created by Nigel Kneale for the BBC in the early 1950s, Bernard Quatermass is a somewhat curmudgeonly but ever-righteous hero who relies on his analytical prowess to solve dangerous mysteries in the realm of atomic-age science fiction. His backstory is barely established in any of his adventures. It doesn’t really matter. When trouble appears, Quatermass follows and the world is better for it — even if the trouble stems from his own pioneering experiments as head of the British Rocket Group.
After a famous run of serials in the early 1950s, Hammer Films produced three famous horror-tinged adaptations of the character’s adventures. The Quatermass Xperiment was the first (with Quatermass II and Quatermass and the Pit to follow). Kneale reportedly hated this version, principally due to the casting of American actor Brian Donlevy, who gives the character a curt, no-nonsense demeanor that went against the writer’s original conception. He’s almost downright amoral.
Honestly, that works great for Xperiment in particular. The story starts with an experimental rocket crashing back to Earth right in the heart of an English field. It’s too hot to rescue the three astronauts inside until Quatermass shows up and explains the rocket was part of an experiment his organization was running and that the information they have is vital to understanding why they crashed. Quatermass and the local law enforcement soon open the rocket to find only one survivor, Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth). That’s not to say the other two astronauts are dead; in fact, their space suits are empty. They’re nowhere to be found at all.
It becomes clear, of course, that somehow an alien lifeform infected Carroon and he absorbed his friends’ consciousness. Soon, the body-snatched astronaut escapes from confinement and goes on the run, threatening the whole of Earth. Quatermass and his crew must stop Carroon at all costs.
What sets this film apart from other horror films of its era is the early Hammer Studios styling. There’s the gore that made the company popular later on but it’s merged with a clever, almost Val Lewton-like sense of hiding the truly terrifying stuff just offscreen. Director Val Guest did a remarkable job transitioning from one type of cinematic horror into another. It’s no wonder John Carpenter filmed an interview gushing about the film (included on the extras of this new release from Kino Lorber).
I’ve reviewed and enjoyed all three of Hammer’s Quatermass films. Not only is Xperiment the best place to start with them, but thanks to its combination of approaches to horror, it’s also the best of the three. The ending also rocks, too: After defeating the dangers of Carroon, Quatermass inspects the scene and walks out onto a low-lit street. Asked where he’s going, Quatermass says he’s starting again. Despite the close encounter he just survived, it’s time to launch another rocket. Science never sleeps.
Special Features
- New audio commentary by film historian / screenwriter Gary Gerani
- Carpenter on Quatermass: An on-camera interview with legendary director John Carpenter
- QX: From Reality to Fiction featurette
- QX: Comparing the Versions featurette
- Interview with director Val Guest by Hammer film historian Marcus Hearn
- Audio commentary from Guest (moderated by Hearn)
- Trailers From Hell with filmmaker Ernest Dickerson
- Alternate main title
- Theatrical trailer
- Optional English subtitles