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Movie Review

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) Movie Review

The Quatermass Xperiment – Movie Review

Discover the gripping sci-fi horror of The Quatermass Xperiment. A British rocket crash, infected astronauts, and a violent discovery.

ABC Film Challenge – Set in the UK – Q

Director: Val Guest

Writer: Richard H Landau, Val Guest (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Professor Bernard Quatermass’ manned rocket ship returns to Earth, but two of the astronauts are missing and the survivor seems ill and unable to communicate.

Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Quatermass Xperiment starts when a British rocket crashes back to Earth. Professor Bernard Quatermass (Donlevy) plans to save the astronauts, however, Victor (Wordsworth) is the only survivor. He has been infected by something and discovers a violent side.

Bernard leads the chase to find him before he kills again. However, the bodies are piling up and he is becoming a threat to the local area.

Verdict on The Quatermass Xperiment

The Quatermass Xperiment is a sci-fi horror following a scientist trying to understand what happened with his rocket. However, the lone survivor from the mission is showing a darker side and leaving a pile of bodies in his path. It becomes a rush to understand what happened before things spiral out of control.

This movie dives into the hysteria behind what could be in space. We all know the 1950s was a prime time for this side of cinema and this movie jumps on that. It has the creepy idea and the unknown of what has happened. There is a great horror sequence when the recording is watched, and the final reveal pays off well. It is a film which fits the era perfectly and gets everything it needs out of the story.

Where to Watch

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Final Thoughts – The Quatermass Xperiment is a perfect example of 1950s hysteria.

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Movie Review

Revenge of the Creature (1955) Movie Review

Revenge of the Creature – Movie Review

Revenge of the Creature

Director: Jack Arnold

Writer: William Alland, Martin Berkeley (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Men capture the Creature from the Black Lagoon and make him an aquarium attraction, from which he escapes.

Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Revenge of the Creature starts when men capture the creature from the Black Lagoon and return it to America to study. Professor Clete Ferguson (Agar) leads the investigation with Helen Dodson (Nelson). They try to figure out how to get the creature to eat, however, it becomes difficult to keep in captivity.

However, the creature doesn’t want to stay captive for long and manages to escape. It leaves a host of bodies behind it as it looks to return him. Meanwhile, America panics and goes on the hunt for the infamous gill man.

Verdict on Revenge of the Creature

Revenge of the Creature is a sequel to the terrifying Creature From the Black Lagoon. It follows scientists who capture the creature and look to study it for their own good. However, when things get out of hand, the creature escapes and goes on another rampage.

This ends up being a good sequel and keeps the horror elements strong. It uses the idea that scientists will always push to study something despite how dangerous it is. All leads to a bigger problem happening for everyone involved. It keeps the idea of the mysterious creature causing problems and rampage, without understanding what it could really want.

Final Thoughts –Revenge of the Creature is a strong sequel continuing the chaos.

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Movie Review

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – I – It Came from Beneath the Sea

It Came from beneath the sea poster

Director: Robert Gordon

Writer: George Worthing Yates, Harold Jacob Smith (Screenplay)

Cast: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis, Ian Keith, Dean Maddox Jr, Chuck Griffiths

Plot: A giant, radioactive octopus rises from the Philippine Trench to terrorize the North American Pacific Coast.

Runtime: 1 Hour 19 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: It Came from Beneath the Sea starts when America launches a new submarine. The submarine makes contact with something unusual in the ocean. Commander Matthews (Tobey) and Professor Joyce (Domergue) are called into study the creature. A giant radioactive octopus, that has been attacking bigger vessels in the area.

Dr Carter (Curtis) is looking for an alternative solution. One that will see the military getting involved, looking to blast it out of the ocean.

Thoughts on It Came from Beneath the Sea

It Came from Beneath the Sea is a creature feature from 1955. Using the ideas of the Kraken returning to life. Mixing that with the radioactive testing within the oceans. Using the typical American solution, blow it up, when the scientific approach is smarter.

This does hold back on the terror, mostly because it would have been difficult to do for the era. It does add to the uncertainty the people will be going through. Never knowing what could come from the ocean, one of the greatest mysteries in the world.

The octopus is terrifying when we see it, destroying anything in its path. Being one of the classic creature movies, we can’t help but love what we are given. This ends up being one we can see the great ideas that we starting to appear in the creature feature era of cinema.

Final Thoughts – It Came from Beneath the Sea is a great creature feature.