Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writer:

Nigel Kneale (original story and screenplay)

Release Date:

16 February 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

All Earth Stands Helpless! Spawned in the depths of outer space -- a monster so horrible, so vicious, so incredible -- even when you see it you won't believe it could be! (U.S. poster)

Plot:

An ancient Martian spaceship is unearthed in London, and proves to have powerful psychic effects on the people around.

Plot Keywords:

Martian | Subway | London England | Remake | Possession

Cast

James Donald	...	Dr. Mathew Roney
Andrew Keir	...	Prof. Bernard Quatermass
Barbara Shelley	...	Barbara Judd
Julian Glover	...	Colonel Breen
Duncan Lamont	...	Sladden
Bryan Marshall	...	Captain Potter
Peter Copley	...	Howell
Edwin Richfield	...	Minister
Grant Taylor	...	Police Sergeant Ellis
Maurice Good	...	Sergeant Cleghorn
Robert Morris	...	Jerry Watson
Sheila Steafel	...	Journalist
Hugh Futcher	...	Sapper West
Hugh Morton	...	Elderly Journalist
Thomas Heathcote	...	Vicar

Also Known As:

Five Million Years to Earth (USA)
The Mind Benders

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Italy:T | UK:15 | UK:12 (re-rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #21860) | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Associated British-Pathé

Trivia:

Julian Glover had to perform his own stunts, including the scene where Colonel Breen falls over into the pit.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A minute or so before the end credits roll, as Quatermass is walking away from the devastation, a crew member's hand swings into the right-hand side of the frame and back out again.

Quotes:

Col. Breen: Mars is dead, nothing there but a few scraps of lichen.
Professor Bernard Quatermass: Five million years ago it may have been very different. Suppose at that time there were living beings on it with techniques that let them visit the Earth at a time when the most highly evolved creatures here, our own ancestors, were only a type of Pliocene ape.
Minister of Defense: Go on.
Professor Bernard Quatermass: They may have wanted to found another colony, when their own world was doomed, but couldn't endure our atmosphere, so they experimented.
Minister of Defense: Oh, and the insects were responsible?
Professor Bernard Quatermass: There is clearly some connection. My guess is that those were ape mutations being brought back for release on Earth.
Col. Breen: And you really believe this was possible? That apes were systematically taken from this planet to another and...
Professor Bernard Quatermass: Altered, by selective breeding, atomic surgery, methods we can't guess, and with new faculties instilled in them, high intelligence, perhaps something else.
Howell: In effect, a colonization.
Professor Bernard Quatermass: It would be a way of possessing the Earth. Only a colony by proxy, but better than leaving nothing at all behind.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fantastic Fantasy Fright-o-Rama Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Watch this movie

One of the best Hammer movies. DVD review.

A large bomb-like item is found underground in Hobb's Lane subway station. It turns out to be from Mars, 5 million years ago.

Absolutely amazing movie that must be seen by all sci-fans. Far more intelligent than any sci-fi movie of recent years - the picture discusses how humans may be evolved from beings from Mars. The superb James Donald is the scientist who uncovers the skulls, Quatermass is the military scientist who pieces the mystery together. There's the usual science versus military (and media) theme. Confusing ending but I liked the final shot where Quatermass and his female assistant recover from the nightmare. Far better than any sci-movie from the last few years - this is one classic Hammer picture. One other note: the soundtrack music is one of the best I've ever heard in any movie. Followed by a patchy sequel in the late '70s.

Quatermass And The Pit is a must-see Hammer classic.