The Quatermass Xperiment (Shock) (The Creeping Unknown) (1955)

69% of users liked it
(597 ratings)

A rocket crash-lands in England after a flight of more than 57 hours into deep space. The design of Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy), a forceful, misanthropic American scientist, the Q-1 had three astronauts aboard when it left Earth, but only one of them, engineer Victor Caroon (Richard… More A rocket crash-lands in England after a flight of more than 57 hours into deep space. The design of Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy), a forceful, misanthropic American scientist, the Q-1 had three astronauts aboard when it left Earth, but only one of them, engineer Victor Caroon (Richard Wordsworth), is on board upon landing, and he is in a near-comatose state. Even more baffling, the spacesuits of the other two men are still aboard the wrecked ship and are still interlocked, as though they were in them when whatever transpired. Quatermass's investigation is complicated by the presence of Inspector Lomax (Jack Warner) of Scotland Yard, who is treating the disappearance of the two men as a potential murder case, and by Caroon's wife Judith (Margia Dean), who blames the scientist for what has happened to her husband. An on-board camera, although damaged, shows an encounter with some form of energy that invaded the ship and attacked the crew, seemingly killing the other two astronauts and rendering Caroon unconscious. Caroon's condition keeps worsening -- Quatermass's medical expert, Dr. Gordon Briscoe (David King-Wood), is alarmed by the man's impossible heart- and pulse-rate, his degenerating skin and apparent changes in his bone and facial structure. Judith Caroon tries to spirit her husband out of the hospital where he's being cared for, not knowing that something horrific is happening to him. Quatermass and Briscoe soon realize that Caroon is little more than the shell of a man, masking an invading alien life form that can literally draw the life out of any living thing that it touches. The manhunt turns into a fight for survival as the creature continues to kill and mutate, threatening to release spores into the air and spread itself by the millions throughout the Earth. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.
Directed By: Val Guest
Genres: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Sep 28, 1955 Wide

Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... the film is never less than intriguing and, at is best, is haunting, horrific and riveting.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
This is Hammer's first major horror/science-fiction hit, but almost as notable is the fact that its doomed astronaut is the founding member of the studio's tragic rogues' gallery of transformed innocents -- monsters that didn't ask for their fates.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael G

The Quatermass Xperiment doesn't quite live up to all the hype as the granddaddy of Hammer Horror. Some parts were legitimately creepy (the cockpit film was disturbing in a last 2 minutes of Blair Witch Project kind of way) and the last 15 minutes were magnificently photographed… More
The Quatermass Xperiment doesn't quite live up to all the hype as the granddaddy of Hammer Horror. Some parts were legitimately creepy (the cockpit film was disturbing in a last 2 minutes of Blair Witch Project kind of way) and the last 15 minutes were magnificently photographed -- like Third Man magnificently photographed (especially the nighttime zoo scene.) Thse praises aside, all you're really looking at is a lot of running around, some great-looking corpses and a brief but final shot of a really cool-looking creature. It's definitely worth a watch, but not necessarily worth all the trouble of getting a hard-to-acquire copy.
Ross C

B-movie horror that cannot really be described as sci-fi with its awful portrayal of science as well as some terrible physics. Pretty poor alien invasion affair that's only worth seeing as a study of the 50s.
Stella D

this is the film that made the hammer name synonymous with horror. based on a groundbreaking bbc serial, it's still creepy and intelligent scifi that must have been absolutely terrifying in the 50s. the story recalls everything from frankenstein to the recent district 9.… More
this is the film that made the hammer name synonymous with horror. based on a groundbreaking bbc serial, it's still creepy and intelligent scifi that must have been absolutely terrifying in the 50s. the story recalls everything from frankenstein to the recent district 9. renegade professor quatermass has built and launched the first manned rocket into space. when it crashes back to earth after losing communication with base, rescuers are surprised to find only one of the three astronauts still aboard. and he's not quite the man he used to be. richard wordsworth gives a particularly chilling performance as the spaceman. brian donlevy seems a bit brusque for a scientist; apparently an american star was needed to ensure distribution in the u.s. the film was considered so shocking it received an X rating from the british censor board, a fact emphasized in the title. and it was very successful, producing two excellent sequels. a real treat for fans of 50's sci fi and monster movies!
alan j

Outdated but with an original storyline that is to be praised. The plot concept seems a bit too drawn out and has a predictable ending. Donlevy acts more like an organized crime boss heavy than a refined scientist...still it's one of the better made films of the genre for its… More
Outdated but with an original storyline that is to be praised. The plot concept seems a bit too drawn out and has a predictable ending. Donlevy acts more like an organized crime boss heavy than a refined scientist...still it's one of the better made films of the genre for its time.