Originally created for a 6-part BBC TV serial, Professor Bernard Quatermass is a pioneer of the UKs space programme who, in the manner of all TV scientists, finds himself confronting alien forces on a weekly basis. In Quatermass And The Pit, those forces explain how mankind evolved on Earth, and the answer holds up remarkably well, especially for a 1967 movie made on a meagre budget, featuring no major stars. There are several familiar faces, though: Julian Glover (For Your Eyes Only) is a pompous Colonel, while Hammer regulars Barbara Shelley and Duncan Lamont also appear. Literate, fiercely intelligent, yet also capable of appealing to a mass audience, this is the ultimate filmed version of Kneales work (he was considerably less enthusiastic about Hammers The Quatermass Xperiment) as well as one of Hammers best films.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
