Horror Extreme Movie Catalog
Quatermass and the Pit
Theatrical Release Date: 02/16/1968
MPAA Rating: 
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Editorial Review - Amazon.com
We have met the enemy, and it is us: when a Martian spacecraft with a terrifying link to the origins of humanity is unearthed beneath a London tube station, only the esteemed Professor Bernard Quatermass (a very British--and possibly mad--precursor to Mulder and Scully) can save London's suddenly murderous population from itself. One of the most intelligently paranoid science fiction films ever produced, this pessimistic masterpiece functions as a dark flip side to the relatively optimistic alien-induced evolution theory presented in the later 2001: A Space Odyssey. Nigel Kneale's brilliant script (which posits a surprisingly plausible, otherworldly rationale for the existence of the supernatural) was later appropriated by acknowledged fan John Carpenter for his underrated Prince of Darkness. In addition to boasting a flawless widescreen print, this marvelous tape also features a hilariously overdone original U.S. trailer ("Women will be defiled by the invaders from outer space!" it erroneously shrieks). A must-see for horror and science fiction aficionados. This film is also known as Five Million Years to Earth. --Andrew Wright
Our Ancestors Were Cockroaches?!
A Customer Review by J. B. Hoyos
"Quatermass and the Pit" is the most exciting science fiction/horror hybrid I've seen from Hammer Productions. The plot is intricate, exciting and thought provoking; it offers extremely unique theories of man's origin on earth.
Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir of "Dracula: Prince of Darkness") is investigating what first appears to be an unexploded bomb found during the construction of a subway line. Upon further examination, he learns that it is an alien spacecraft that is over five million years old. The identity of its crewmembers is quite disturbing. Worse of all, the spacecraft appears to have a life of its own. Pandemonium breaks out in London as the spacecraft takes possession of men's bodies and souls, turning them into killing machines that can't be stopped.
"Quatermass and the Pit" is a must have for everyone who owns a collection of science fiction and/or Hammer Production classics. I could not afford to purchase the one from Anchor Bay; instead I bought the one released by Optimum Classic, which is NTSC Region 1, from Britain. The audio and video are great. It is presented in Widescreen; the menu has a trailer but no scene selection. I have downloaded photos of the DVD jacket and disc.
sticks to your brain
A Customer Review by Beaker
I can't believe I found this. I watched this film on a Saturday afternoon TV as a child in the early 1970s--5 Million Years to Earth. It intrigued me and scared me more than any other film I have seen before or since. My pre-teen brain was modified permanently by the scene where the evil is released from the spaceship and spreads through the tunnels and then creeps up to the surface. I think this is a great film. Judging from the other reviews, it just may be. I am keen to buy this, watch it, and face my childhood fears.
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