Underplayed Gems

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

The Quatermass Xperiment poster
Directed by
Val Guest
Genre
horror film, science fiction film, monster film, science fiction horror film
Country
United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 25m
Rated
12
Rating
6.5 of 10 from 232 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A rocket crash-lands with only one astronaut alive, Victor Carroon. He starts to turn into an alien creature that could destroy humanity if it reproduces. Professor Quatermass races to find him before it is too late.

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What happens

The Quatermass Xperiment (released as The Creeping Unknown in the United States) is a 1955 British science-fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions, based on the 1953 BBC Television serial The Quatermass Experiment written by Nigel Kneale. The film was directed and co-written by Val Guest, produced by Anthony Hinds, and stars Brian Donlevy as the titular Professor Bernard Quatermass and Richard Wordsworth as the tormented astronaut Carroon. Jack Warner, David King-Wood, and Margia Dean appear in co-starring roles. The film concerns three astronauts who have been launched into space aboard a single-stage-to-orbit rocket designed by Professor Quatermass. It crashlands with only one of its original crew, Victor Carroon (Wordsworth), still aboard. He begins mutating into an alien organism, which, if it spawns, will engulf the Earth and destroy humanity. After Carroon escapes from custody Quatermass and Inspector Lomax (Warner) of Scotland Yard have just hours to track him/it down and prevent a catastrophe. Like its source TV serial, the film was a major success, especially in the UK. It also brought public attention to Hammer Film Productions around the world. A sequel, Quatermass 2, followed in 1957. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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