The Quatermass Xperiment

Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth) was one of three astronauts launched into space in a rocket by Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy), but he's the only one found on board when the rocket crashes on a farm. When he's dragged free, all Victor can say is "Help me," before slipping into more-or-less a catatonic state. Before long, it becomes apparent to Quatermass, Scotland Yard Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner), and others that something inhuman has taken over Victor, threatening the entire world.

The Quatermass Xperiment is a movie I was curious about for a long time before I finally saw it. I first became aware of it when I learned John Carpenter used "Martin Quatermass" as a pseudonym when he wrote Prince of Darkness. Carpenter even appears on the DVD to talk about his love for the movie.

Watching it for the first time, I see why it appeals to Carpenter. It's apocalyptic sci-fi horror, dark and cynical, and it mixes subtle mystery and tension with (for the time) graphic shocks.

 
Based on the work by Nigel Kneale (this was first done as a serialized TV broadcast on the BBC and highly acclaimed, but that version is sadly mostly lost) and directed by Val Guest, The Quatermass Experiment is about an astronaut who returns to Earth, but he's not himself anymore. He ventured beyond the veil of human boundaries and encounter something beyond our comprehension.

This version of The Quatermass Xperiment is a condensed version of the six-part TV version, and it runs a little over 80 minutes. As a result, the characters and some of the plot developments feel a little undercooked, but the film is packed with ahead-of-its-time science fiction concepts. If you're familiar with the works of John Carpenter, The Fly remake, Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce, and Species, you'll recognize such tropes as the alien that looks human, the horror of a body revolting and transforming into something unrecognizable, the monster that drains the life out of its victims, and the shapeshifting alien.

The strength of the movie is to treat the material seriously. It could have easily fallen into camp, and while some aspects of the movie are a bit dated, the horror elements remain strong. A rapidly-changing Victor enters a zoo, where he feeds on the life-force of the animals, and the next day, as Quatermass and the others discover the result, the sight of the dead animals is chilling. 

Even the final form of the Victor monster looks believable, at least when they give us a closeup of a body part (the full form is a bit hokey, but they don't show that too much). The human victims of Victor are desiccated husks with a good chunk of their faces removed.

The movie also generates some pathos for Victor. In a mostly wordless performance, Wordsworth is creepy when he eyes people, but you get a sense of the frightened man trapped and resisting this alien presence in his own body. His arm is the first part to mutate, and he hides it in his coat pocket, and we anticipate what it will look like when he reveals it. In a scene reminiscent of a similar one in Frankenstein, Victor encounters a little girl, and he's fights the urge to harm her.

Parts are dated. Victor's wife (Margia Dean), with help from a doctor friend, easily sneaks Victor out of a medical facility when you'd think he'd be under armed lock and key. The film also has something of an anti-science streak, presenting Quatermass as a bully who bosses everyone around and says, "There's no room for personal feelings in science."

It does lead to a great closing shot. After the monster is vanquished, Quatermass strides down a dark street, declaring he must begin his work again, practically inviting another alien menace. We defeated this threat, but who knows what else might show up on Earth?