1956's "Quatermass 2" was Hammer's sequel to "The Quatermass Xperiment," both adapted from popular BBC series scripted by Nigel Kneale, whose exclusive contract forbade him from writing the first feature but not its follow up. Unhappy with Hollywood import Brian Donlevy as a steely, determined Quatermass, plus the streamlining performed by director Val Guest, Kneale himself did the honors this time around, as instead of a single human astronaut slowly transformed into something completely alien, there is now a full blown conspiracy involving the British government being taken over by cosmic invaders inside tiny cylinders covering the ground near the desolate village of Winnerden Flats. After encountering a distressed couple on the road, Quatermass decides to inspect the area with assistant Marsh (Bryan Forbes), where an unbroken cylinder infects the latter, forcibly left behind once the scientist sees for himself the actual recreation of his lifelong dream of a moon based community under gigantic domes. A reunion with Inspector Lomax (John Longden) finds the project identified as a means to produce synthetic food, but it's already clear that the armed soldiers are truly out for blood, one unlucky government official meeting his doom in horrific fashion, while a courageous reporter is gunned down for his trouble. The terror is more wide open this time, and the eerie feeling that it's already too late keeps the intensity as high as its original counterpart. Much of the Hammer stock company came together for "X the Unknown" (made in between the Quatermass features), and it's a pleasure to see such familiar faces as Michael Ripper, William Franklyn, John Van Eyssen, and Percy Herbert on hand to lend it that studio touch, despite shooting on location at an Essex refinery (James Bernard again delivering a nerve jangling score that admirably punctuates the horror). Taking notice of the audience's preference for horror over black and white science fiction, Hammer made their next title a color feast of bloody mayhem with a homegrown television star ready for the big screen, Peter Cushing taking the lead in "The Curse of Frankenstein."
Review of Quatermass 2
