- Actors: James Donald, Andrew Keir, Barbara Shelley, Julian Glover, Duncan Lamont
- Directors: Roy Ward Baker
- Writers: Nigel Kneale
- Producers: Anthony Nelson Keys
- Format: Colour, PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 12
- Studio: Warner
- DVD Release Date: 11 Oct 2004
- Run Time: 97 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0002XP01E
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 81,507 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
We have met the enemy, and it is us: when a Martian spacecraft with a terrifying link to the origins of humanity is unearthed beneath a London tube station, only the esteemed Professor Bernard Quatermass can save London's suddenly murderous population from itself. One of the most intelligently paranoid science fiction films ever produced, this pessimistic masterpiece functions as a dark flip-side to the relatively optimistic alien-induced evolution theory presented in the later 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nigel Kneale's brilliant script (which posits a surprisingly plausible, otherworldly rationale for the existence of the supernatural) was later appropriated by acknowledged fan John Carpenter for his underrated Prince of Darkness. A must-see for horror and science fiction aficionados. This film is also known as Five Million Years to Earth. --Andrew Wright
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great bit of sci-fi,
By tomsk77 "tomsk77" (Brixton) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Quatermass and the Pit [VHS] [1967] (VHS Tape)
watched this film when I was a kid and thought it was really scary. so I bought it again a couple of years back and have watched it loads of times since.I really like it because it is very British (even Quatermass is British in this film, unlike the other two) and really gets it just right with the atmosphere. it is genuinely a bit creepy even now. also the central ideas are quite intelligent, it doesn't assum ethat because it's sci-fi it can't try and say something similar. I particularly like the idea that our ideas and images of the devil and gargoyles have been formed by ancient experiences. I haven't seen the original TV series, and by the looks of some of the comments below I should check it out. however I think the film stands up perfectly well on its own. just the thing for Sunday afternoon viewing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hammer At Its Best!,
By E. A. Redfearn "eredfearn2" (Middlesbrough) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Quatermass and the Pit [VHS] [1967] (VHS Tape)
In more ways than one, this film alongside The Devil Rides Out produced a short time later, are landmarks in Hammer Film's History, for Hammer went into decline after these films were released. Overall, this version of Quatermass is a splendid achievement for its time. It does however, lack the atmosphere of the original Television broadcast of 1958/1959. One reason is that its made in colour and the atmosphere is lost somewhat. In black and white, there was a feeling that there was always something lurking in the shadows, especially in the haunted house scene which is one of the highlights of the Television version. Still, there is much to enjoy here despite budget limitations which had an adverse effect on special effects. The actors, especially Andrew Kier, Barbara Shelly and Julian Glover all played their parts with distinction. The final scenes of the destruction of London may look amateurish at times, but it doesnt detract from the film though. Worth seeing how well films can be made on limited budgets unlike the multi-million dollar productions which seem to be the norm nowadays. Needs to be seen on DVd though.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Remember in the U.K. as "Quatermass and the Pit",
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: Quatermass & The Pit [DVD] [1967] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Known in the Colonies as "Five Million Years to Earth" but first released as "Quatermass and the Pit" in the U.K., this science fiction/horror classic is for my money the best film ever produced by Hammer Studios. Whatever the title, the film quickly gets you hooked, as workers extending the London subway system uncover some ancient skeletons to the delight of Dr. Mathew Roney (James Donald) and his assistant Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley). By the time Dr. Quatermass (Andrew Keir) arrives upon the scene, the workers have uncovered an alien spaceship and the strange insect-like creatures that apparently piloted it from another planet. Unfortunately the arrogant Colonel Breen (Julian Glover) dismisses it all as a Nazi hoax left over from the war, despite the fact the craft is made from an unknown metal. Quatermass deduces the strange creatures might have been ancient Martians and is worried about all the strange psychic phenomenon associated with this area. But Breen and the bureaucrats have their way until all hell breaks loose. Like the original version of "The Thing From Another World," this is a film where the dialogue and the performances make you forget we are dealing with strange creatures from another planet. In point of fact, "Quatermass and the Pit" uses a bare minimum of special effects to create its thrills and chills. To be fair, the idea of Martians affecting human evolution to institute a surrogate race war is way out there, but such concerns are forgotten when the giant Martian image turns everybody in London mad and all that is left between humanity and the end of civilization are a couple of scientists and a giant crane. This 1967 film was directed by Roy Ward Baker, whose eclectic list of credits includes "A Night to Remember" and "The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires." Baker deserves a lot of credit for the tone of the film, which he maintains even during the final credits as an exhausted Quatermass and Barbara survey the ruins around them. If you do not watch the DVD version of this classic film, then make an effort to get the widescreen VHS version, which remains my favorite science fiction film of the Sixties (yes, over "2001").
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