The Quatermass Xperiment (Guest, 1955) & Quatermass 2 (Guest, 1957):
Regent St Cinema, 6pm
Regent Street Cinema introduction:
Join us for a thrilling double bill of two classic British science
fiction horrors, presented in partnership with the team behind The
Evolution of Horror. Experience the ground-breaking terror of The
Quatermass Xperiment followed by the chilling continuation in Quatermass
2. Between the films, enjoy an engaging discussion with the Evolution
of Horror team, exploring the impact, legacy, and lasting influence of
these genre-defining works. A must-see for fans of horror, sci-fi, and
British cinema history.
Time Out review of The Quatermass Xperiment:
It was the enormous success of this Hammer version of Nigel Kneale's TV
series which began the whole horror boom in Britain. As a result of its
popularity, the company decided to tackle the Frankenstein monster, and
subsequently discovered that the public's appetite for myth and fantasy
was practically insatiable. The theme of the film (man returns from
space as a kind of monster) is by now fairly stereotyped, but it's
amazing how impressive Richard Wordsworth's performance remains. Phil
Leakey's make-up manages to convey the idea of a whole body in the
process of decomposition; and staggering over bombsites, his deformed
arm wrapped pathetically in an old overcoat, Wordsworth's Victor remains
one of the most sympathetic monsters in movie history. Perhaps the most
remarkable thing about the film, in retrospect, is the way in which its
opening sequence mirrors so precisely the intrusion of Hammer into the
cosy middle class domesticity of British cinema in the late '50s. Two
insipid lovers are sent screaming from their haystack bower as a huge
tubular rocket ship (looking less like a spacecraft than an enormous
phallus) plunges into the ground where they have been lying...
David Pirie
Time Out review of Quatermass 2:
An eerie political fable on the lines of Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers,
and despite some clumsy moments that have not worn well, it remains one
of the more bizarre and impressive of the early British horror
pictures. Photographed by Gerald Gibbs in a sombre monochrome that
nicely evokes an aura of muted hysteria and despair, it describes
Quatermass' discovery that virtually the whole of Britain has been taken
over by things from another world, and that the government has already
begun laying waste the countryside. Provided you steel yourself against
the familiar faces (like Bryan Forbes and Sidney James), the chill is still there.
Chris Peachment
Here (and above) is the trailer for Quatermass 2.
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