Halloween Countdown: October 24 – come out of the garden, baby

When I was writing Monday's Prince of Darkness post, I kept thinking of another film made two decades prior that incorporated many of the same elements, and to much better effect. The film is Quatermass and the Pit, released in America as Five Million Years to Earth, and was a Hammer Studios adaptation of a 1958 BBC television serial.

Professor Bernard Quatermass, the quintessential man of science and reason, was the creation of writer Nigel Kneale, and made appearances in various media from the early 1950's to the late 1970's. Kneale himself wrote the screenplay for the big screen version of Quatermass and the Pit, which is one of Hammer's finest efforts and probably the most aesthetically successful attempt in capturing the essence of cosmic horror on film, despite technically falling under the science fiction genre tag. (John Carpenter acknowledged his debt to the franchise in Prince of Darkness by crediting the screenplay to a "Martin Quatermass" as well as featuring a "Kneale University" in the film, much to Nigel Kneale's displeasure.)

The discovery of prehistoric remains and a strange rocket-like craft during subway construction beneath the reputedly "cursed" neighborhood of Hobbs End sets off a jurisdictional dispute between the transit authority, the archeological community, and the military's unexploded ordnance group. Quatermass, as a member of Britain's Experimental Rocket Group, finds himself drawn into the puzzle of the mysterious vessel's origin and how it connects to ancient myths and the origins of humanity.

It all culminates with the arrival of this fellow, the psychic manifestation of an alien race's will to mass suicide -- a popular pastime on the insectoid beings' home planet -- which they generously bequeathed to humanity via the genetic manipulation of our ancient ancestors.

Welcome to Swingin' London, hepcats! This party's not stopping until there's nothing left standing.
As I said, it's an excellent film; the writing and acting are strong enough to keep one from noticing the high level of talkiness (a common flaw in Hammer productions), and the ending is nothing short of remarkable. (If I could explain it in more detail without spoiling it, I would. Suffice to say, its impact lies in its unusual execution.) I give it my highest recommendation.

The DVD of the film is currently out of print (and commands extortionate prices on the secondary market), but it is available to rent though Netflix. So what are you waiting for?

Defuser - World Suicide (from a 1982 single) - San Francisco art punk/wave with a darkly humorous sensibility. I only rediscovered the song recently, but I swear I remember hearing it on local college/aternative radio back when I was a wee lad.

Tristam Cary - Quatermass and the Pit (from Hammer Film Music Collection, Vol. 1, 2000) - Atmospheric and effective, but it doesn't hold a candle to Moon Zero Two in the best Hammer film theme sweepstakes. (That's an unfair comparison. Nothing holds a candle to the Moon Zero Two theme, period.)