Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

With Hammer slowly, but steadily remastering and releasing their films out in high definition I've been building my collection of unique British cinema.  Quatermass and the Pit was the first in a long line of blu-ray releases from Studio Canal.  Touted as one of Britain's best science fiction film's (at least of the period) by a lot of British based reviewers I was excited to get a first hand experience.

Taking place in London, the discovery of human remains while expanding an underground subway tunnel leads to the discovery of a massive missile type object.  Fearing it to still possibly be active missile research expert Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) is call in to help solve the mysteries of it's origins, but as those mysteries begin to unravel it becomes evidently clear this is not a missile and it's origin is not Earth.  It appears to be a spacecraft, with the bodies of human sized locust creatures inside.  Were these the remains of a more intelligent species that were responsible for life on Earth, or the remnants of a failed attack from an evil presence, that's now been unearthed and set free?

Not being British, or growing up with the country's style of film making can sometimes be a barrier to understanding what a majority of it's citizens consider to be "classic" cinema.  I've found this not only in British comedy but other countries interpretations of genres.  For myself, American science fiction during this time period reigns supreme, the last few years of the 1960's was the birth of one of the greatest American science fiction franchises of all-time in Star Trek, so to attempt to make comparisons seems unfair, even if the genres are the same, the cultures definitely open everything up to a wide variety of variations, making Quatermass and the Pit less awe inspiring, and more oddly entertaining.

Much like British humor, there is a oddity about this film that makes it worth watching for that unique flavor alone.  The film manages to throw a little bit of everything into the mix, demon possession, Satan, evolution, and Martians that look like giant crickets!  I can only imagine what the original writer of this story was smoking when he penned this!  Still while I wasn't overly impressed by anything, I can appreciate Quatermass and the Pit for at least being different, and sometimes different done to a certain degree of professionalism can be as entertaining and memorable as the same old shtick done really well.   


Available on DVD / Blu-ray R2

7/10