9. Martian Spaceship Discovery - Quartermass and the Pit (1967)
In Quartermass and the Pit, the London underground is used as a vital part of the narrative as it is the excavation site where a mysterious object is found. The film, based upon the television series of the same name, sees Andrew Kier as Professor Bernard Quartermass and James Donald as Doctor Roney, as they investigate the discovery of five million year old apemen remnants found in the extension to the fictional Hobbs End tube station. The shock? Soon a metallic object is uncovered in the wall, at first it is believed that the object is an undetonated bomb but Quartmass deduces that it is actually a Martian spacecraft. Over the sequences of the narrative we find out that the aliens came to earth to escape the purging on their own planet and that they have influenced the development of human intelligence and imbedded vestiges of Martian instincts and memories inside the human subconscious. Sounds similar to a L. Ron Hubbard theory to me. After the attempted entry to the main part of the spacecraft disaster begins to reign. The craft seems to have a telekinetic power and the ability to control the minds of a proportion of the population. Quatermass theories of Martian heritage are rejected by his superiors who believe the craft to be a part of Nazi propaganda and, instead of listening to the warnings, a press conference is called to the scene. The Martian ships telekinesis power is enhanced by the recording equipment of the press. This is where the climax presents itself. The Martian ship gets so powerful it produces an earthquake type tremor that reverberates through the streets ripping apart roads and buildings whilst sending Londons population into a panic. The trance of those affected by Martian memories is only ended once Doctor Roney flings a crane into a spectral image of the martians which ends in a burst of flames and Roneys heroic death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsnunQ-NERI&feature=player_detailpage